4 @settitle T-gnus 6.17 Manual
9 @documentencoding ISO-8859-1
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334 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
339 @setchapternewpage odd
344 @title T-gnus 6.17 Manual
346 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
348 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
354 @top The gnus Newsreader
358 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using T-gnus. The news
359 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
360 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
363 T-gnus provides @acronym{MIME} features based on @acronym{SEMI} API. So
364 T-gnus supports your right to read strange messages including big images
365 or other various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
366 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
367 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities. Oh,
368 if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
370 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.17.
381 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
382 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
384 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
385 being accused of plagiarism:
387 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
388 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
389 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
390 can even read news with it!
392 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
393 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
394 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
395 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
396 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
402 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
403 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
404 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
405 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
406 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
407 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
408 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
409 * Various:: General purpose settings.
410 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
411 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
412 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
413 * Key Index:: Key Index.
415 Other related manuals
417 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
418 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
419 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
420 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
421 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
424 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
428 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
429 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
430 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
431 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
432 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
433 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
434 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
435 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
436 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
437 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
438 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
442 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
443 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
444 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
448 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
449 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
450 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
451 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
452 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
453 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
454 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
455 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
456 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
457 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
458 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
459 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
460 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
461 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
462 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
463 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
464 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
468 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
469 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
470 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
474 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
475 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
476 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
477 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
478 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
482 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
483 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
484 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
485 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
486 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
490 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
491 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
492 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
493 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
494 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
495 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
496 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
497 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
498 * Threading:: How threads are made.
499 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
500 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
501 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
502 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
503 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
504 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
505 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
506 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
507 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
508 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
509 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
510 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
511 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
512 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
513 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
514 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
515 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
516 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
517 or reselecting the current group.
518 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
519 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
520 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
521 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
523 Summary Buffer Format
525 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
526 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
527 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
528 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
532 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
533 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
535 Reply, Followup and Post
537 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
538 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
539 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
540 * Canceling and Superseding::
544 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
545 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
546 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
547 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
548 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
549 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
553 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
554 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
556 Customizing Threading
558 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
559 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
560 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
561 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
565 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
566 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
567 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
568 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
569 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
570 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
574 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
575 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
576 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
580 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
581 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
582 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
583 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
584 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
585 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
586 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
587 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
588 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
589 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
590 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
592 Alternative Approaches
594 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
595 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
597 Various Summary Stuff
599 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
600 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
601 * Summary Generation Commands::
602 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
606 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
607 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
608 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
609 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
610 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
614 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
615 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
616 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
617 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
618 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
619 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
620 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
621 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
622 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
626 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
627 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
628 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
629 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
630 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
631 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
632 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
633 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
634 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
638 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
639 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
640 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
641 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
642 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
643 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
644 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
648 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
649 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
653 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
654 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
655 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
656 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
660 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
661 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
662 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
663 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
664 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
665 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
666 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
667 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
668 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
669 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
670 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
671 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
672 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
676 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
677 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
678 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
680 Choosing a Mail Back End
682 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
683 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
684 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
685 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
686 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
687 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
688 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
693 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
694 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
695 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
696 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
697 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
698 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
702 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
703 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
704 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
705 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
706 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
707 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
711 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
712 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
713 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
714 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
715 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
719 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
723 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
724 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
725 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
729 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
730 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
734 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
735 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
736 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
740 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
741 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
742 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
744 The Gnus Diary Library
746 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
747 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
748 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
749 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
753 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
754 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
755 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
756 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
757 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
758 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
759 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
760 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
761 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
762 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
763 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
764 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
765 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
769 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
770 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
771 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
775 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
776 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
777 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
781 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
782 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
783 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
784 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
785 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
786 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
787 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
788 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
789 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
790 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
791 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
792 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
793 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
794 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
795 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
796 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
800 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
801 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
802 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
806 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
807 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
808 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
809 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
810 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
811 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
812 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
813 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
814 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
815 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
816 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
817 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
818 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
819 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
820 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
821 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
822 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
823 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
824 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
825 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
829 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
830 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
831 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
832 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
833 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
834 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
835 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
836 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
840 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
841 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
842 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
843 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
844 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
848 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
849 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
850 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
851 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
852 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
853 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
855 Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
857 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
858 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
859 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
860 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
861 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
863 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
864 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
866 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
868 * SpamAssassin back end::
869 * ifile spam filtering::
870 * spam-stat spam filtering::
872 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
874 Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
876 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
877 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
878 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
882 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
883 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
884 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
885 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
886 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
887 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
888 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
889 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
890 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
894 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
895 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
896 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
897 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
898 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
899 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
900 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
901 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
902 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
906 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
907 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
908 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
909 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
910 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
911 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
912 * No Gnus:: Lars, FIXME!
916 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
917 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
918 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
919 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
923 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
924 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
925 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
926 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
927 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
928 * Group Info:: The group info format.
929 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
930 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
931 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
935 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
936 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
937 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
938 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
939 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
940 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
944 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
945 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
949 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
950 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
956 @chapter Starting gnus
961 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
962 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
965 @findex gnus-other-frame
966 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
967 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
968 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
970 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
971 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
972 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
974 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
975 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
978 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
979 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
980 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
981 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
982 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
983 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
984 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
985 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
986 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
987 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
991 @node Finding the News
992 @section Finding the News
995 @vindex gnus-select-method
997 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
998 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
999 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
1000 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
1003 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
1004 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
1007 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1010 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1013 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1016 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1017 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1018 server is running Leafnode (which is a simple, standalone private news
1019 server); in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1021 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1023 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1024 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
1025 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1026 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1027 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1028 If that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1029 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1031 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1032 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1033 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1034 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1036 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1037 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1038 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1039 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1040 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
1041 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1042 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1043 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1044 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1047 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1049 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1050 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1051 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1052 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1053 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1054 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1056 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1058 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1059 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1060 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1061 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1062 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1063 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1066 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1067 you would typically set this variable to
1070 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1073 Note: the @acronym{NNTP} back end stores marks in marks files
1074 (@pxref{NNTP marks}). This feature makes it easy to share marks between
1075 several Gnus installations, but may slow down things a bit when fetching
1076 new articles. @xref{NNTP marks}, for more information.
1079 @node The First Time
1080 @section The First Time
1081 @cindex first time usage
1083 If no startup files exist (@pxref{Startup Files}), gnus will try to
1084 determine what groups should be subscribed by default.
1086 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1087 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1088 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1089 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1092 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1093 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1094 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1096 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1097 help you with most common problems.
1099 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1100 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1104 @node The Server is Down
1105 @section The Server is Down
1106 @cindex server errors
1108 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1109 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1110 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1112 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1113 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1114 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1115 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1116 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1117 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1118 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1120 @findex gnus-no-server
1121 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1123 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1124 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1125 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1126 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1127 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1128 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1129 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1133 @section Slave Gnusae
1136 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1137 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1138 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1139 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1141 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1142 @file{.newsrc} file.
1144 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1145 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1146 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1147 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1148 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1149 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1150 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1153 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1154 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1155 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1156 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1157 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1158 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1159 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1160 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1162 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1163 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1165 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1166 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1167 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1168 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1169 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1176 @cindex subscription
1178 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1179 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1180 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1181 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1182 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1183 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1184 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1185 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1186 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1189 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1190 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1191 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1195 @node Checking New Groups
1196 @subsection Checking New Groups
1198 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1199 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1200 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1201 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1202 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1203 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1204 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1205 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1206 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1207 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1209 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1210 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1211 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1212 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1213 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1214 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1215 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1216 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1217 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1218 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1219 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1221 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1222 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1223 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1224 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1225 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1226 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1229 @node Subscription Methods
1230 @subsection Subscription Methods
1232 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1233 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1234 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1236 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1237 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1239 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1243 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1244 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1245 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1246 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1247 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1249 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1250 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1251 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1252 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1254 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1255 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1256 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1258 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1259 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1260 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1261 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1262 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1263 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1264 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1265 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1266 up. Or something like that.
1268 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1269 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1270 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1271 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1272 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1274 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1275 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1276 Kill all new groups.
1278 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1279 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1280 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1281 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1282 topic parameter that looks like
1288 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1291 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1296 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1297 A closely related variable is
1298 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1299 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1300 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1301 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1304 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1305 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1306 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1307 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1310 @node Filtering New Groups
1311 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1313 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1314 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1315 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1318 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1321 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1322 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1323 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1324 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1325 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1326 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1327 subscribing these groups.
1328 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1329 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1331 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1332 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1333 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1334 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1335 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1336 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1337 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1338 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1340 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1341 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1342 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1343 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1344 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1345 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1346 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1347 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1348 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1349 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1352 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1353 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1356 @node Changing Servers
1357 @section Changing Servers
1358 @cindex changing servers
1360 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1361 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1362 very flaky and you want to use another.
1364 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1365 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1369 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1370 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1371 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1372 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1375 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1376 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1377 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1378 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1380 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1381 @findex gnus-change-server
1382 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1383 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1384 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1385 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1386 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1388 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1389 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1390 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1391 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1392 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1394 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1395 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1396 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1397 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1398 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1399 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1401 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1402 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1403 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1404 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1406 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1407 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1408 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1409 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1410 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1411 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1412 cache for all groups).
1416 @section Startup Files
1417 @cindex startup files
1422 Most common Unix news readers use a shared startup file called
1423 @file{.newsrc}. This file contains all the information about what
1424 groups are subscribed, and which articles in these groups have been
1427 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1428 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1429 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1430 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1431 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1432 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1433 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1435 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1436 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1437 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1438 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1439 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1440 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1442 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1443 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1444 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1445 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1446 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1447 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1448 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1449 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1450 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which can be
1451 convenient if you use a different news reader occasionally, and you
1452 want to read a different subset of the available groups with that
1455 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1456 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1457 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1458 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1459 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1460 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1461 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1462 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1463 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1464 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1465 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1466 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1468 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1469 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1470 @vindex version-control
1471 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1472 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1473 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1474 If you want version control for this file, set
1475 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1476 @code{version-control} variable.
1478 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1479 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1480 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1481 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1482 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1483 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1484 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1485 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1486 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1487 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1490 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1491 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1493 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1494 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1497 @vindex gnus-init-file
1498 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1499 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1500 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus-init} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1501 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1502 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1503 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1504 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1505 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1506 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1507 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order). If Emacs was invoked with
1508 the @option{-q} or @option{--no-init-file} options (@pxref{Initial
1509 Options, ,Initial Options, emacs, The Emacs Manual}), Gnus doesn't read
1510 @code{gnus-init-file}.
1515 @cindex dribble file
1518 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1519 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1520 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1521 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1522 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1525 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1526 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1529 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1530 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1531 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1533 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1534 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1535 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1536 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1537 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1538 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1540 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1541 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1542 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1545 @node The Active File
1546 @section The Active File
1548 @cindex ignored groups
1550 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1551 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1552 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1554 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1555 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1556 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1557 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1558 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1559 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1560 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1563 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1564 @c if you set it to anything else.
1566 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1568 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1569 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1570 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1572 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1573 you actually subscribe to.
1575 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1576 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1577 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1578 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1580 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1581 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1582 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1583 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1584 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1585 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1587 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1588 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1589 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1592 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1593 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1594 @acronym{NNTP} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1595 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1596 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1597 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1599 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1600 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1602 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1603 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1605 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1606 secondary select methods.
1609 @node Startup Variables
1610 @section Startup Variables
1614 @item gnus-load-hook
1615 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1616 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1617 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1618 times you start gnus.
1620 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1621 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1622 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1624 @item gnus-startup-hook
1625 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1626 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1628 @item gnus-started-hook
1629 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1630 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1633 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1634 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1635 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1636 generating the group buffer.
1638 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1639 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1640 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1641 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1642 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1643 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1644 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1645 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1647 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1648 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1649 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1650 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1651 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1652 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1654 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1655 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1656 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1658 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1659 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1660 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1662 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1663 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1664 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1665 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1671 @chapter Group Buffer
1672 @cindex group buffer
1674 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1676 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1677 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1678 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1679 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1680 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1681 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1682 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1683 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1684 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1685 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1686 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1687 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1688 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1689 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1690 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1691 @c human rights at 9...
1694 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1695 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1696 long as gnus is active.
1700 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1701 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1702 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1703 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1704 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1705 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1706 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1707 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1713 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1714 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1715 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1716 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1717 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1718 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1719 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1720 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1721 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1722 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1723 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1724 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1725 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1726 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1727 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1728 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1729 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1733 @node Group Buffer Format
1734 @section Group Buffer Format
1737 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1738 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1739 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1743 @node Group Line Specification
1744 @subsection Group Line Specification
1745 @cindex group buffer format
1747 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1748 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1750 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1753 25: news.announce.newusers
1754 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1759 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1760 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1761 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1762 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1764 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1765 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1766 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1767 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1768 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1769 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1771 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1773 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1774 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1775 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1776 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1777 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1779 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1780 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1781 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1783 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1788 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1791 Whether the group is subscribed.
1794 Level of subscribedness.
1797 Number of unread articles.
1800 Number of dormant articles.
1803 Number of ticked articles.
1806 Number of read articles.
1809 Number of unseen articles.
1812 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1813 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1815 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1816 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1817 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1818 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1819 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1820 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1821 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1822 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1825 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1828 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1837 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1838 comment element in the group parameters.
1841 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1842 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1843 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1847 @samp{m} if moderated.
1850 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1856 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1862 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1866 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1869 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1870 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1871 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1872 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1873 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1876 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1878 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1882 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1885 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1889 The disk space used by the articles fetched by both the cache and
1890 agent. The value is automatically scaled to bytes(B), kilobytes(K),
1891 megabytes(M), or gigabytes(G) to minimize the column width. A format
1892 of %7F is sufficient for a fixed-width column.
1895 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1896 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1897 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1898 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1899 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1900 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1905 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1906 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1907 group, or a bogus native group.
1910 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1911 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1912 @cindex group mode line
1914 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1915 The mode line can be changed by setting
1916 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1917 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1921 The native news server.
1923 The native select method.
1927 @node Group Highlighting
1928 @subsection Group Highlighting
1929 @cindex highlighting
1930 @cindex group highlighting
1932 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1933 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1934 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1935 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1936 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1938 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1942 (cond (window-system
1943 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1944 (defface my-group-face-1
1945 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1946 (defface my-group-face-2
1947 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1948 "Second group face")
1949 (defface my-group-face-3
1950 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1951 (defface my-group-face-4
1952 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1953 (defface my-group-face-5
1954 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1956 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1957 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1958 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1959 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1960 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1961 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1964 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1966 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1973 The number of unread articles in the group.
1977 Whether the group is a mail group.
1979 The level of the group.
1981 The score of the group.
1983 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1985 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1986 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1988 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1989 topic being inserted.
1992 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1993 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1994 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1996 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1997 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1998 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1999 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
2000 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
2003 @node Group Maneuvering
2004 @section Group Maneuvering
2005 @cindex group movement
2007 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
2008 expected, hopefully.
2014 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
2015 Go to the next group that has unread articles
2016 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2022 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2023 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2024 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2028 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2029 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2033 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2034 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2038 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2039 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2040 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2044 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2045 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2046 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2049 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2055 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2056 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2057 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2062 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2063 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2064 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2068 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2069 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2070 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2073 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2074 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2075 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2076 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2080 @node Selecting a Group
2081 @section Selecting a Group
2082 @cindex group selection
2087 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2088 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2089 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2090 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2091 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2092 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2093 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2094 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2095 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2096 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2098 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2099 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2100 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2102 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2103 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2108 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2109 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2110 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2111 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2112 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2116 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2117 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2118 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2119 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2120 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2121 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2122 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2123 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2124 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2125 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2128 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2129 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2130 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2131 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2132 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2135 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2136 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2137 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2138 doing any processing of its contents
2139 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2140 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2141 manner will have no permanent effects.
2145 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2146 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2147 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2148 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2149 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2150 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2151 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2152 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2153 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2154 most recently will be fetched.
2156 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2157 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2158 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2161 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2162 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2163 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2164 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2165 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2166 Which article this is is controlled by the
2167 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2173 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2176 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2179 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2181 @item unseen-or-unread
2182 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2183 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2187 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2191 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2192 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2194 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2195 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2196 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2197 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2201 @node Subscription Commands
2202 @section Subscription Commands
2203 @cindex subscription
2211 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2212 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2213 Toggle subscription to the current group
2214 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2220 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2221 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2222 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2223 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2229 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2230 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2231 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2237 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2238 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2241 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2242 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2243 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2244 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2245 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2251 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2252 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2256 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2257 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2260 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2261 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2262 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2263 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2264 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2265 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2266 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2267 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2268 @file{.newsrc} file.
2272 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2282 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2283 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2284 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2285 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2286 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2287 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2292 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2293 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2294 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2298 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2299 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2300 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2302 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2303 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2304 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2305 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2306 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2307 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2314 @section Group Levels
2318 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2319 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2320 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2321 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2322 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2324 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2330 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2331 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2332 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2333 prompted for a level.
2336 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2337 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2338 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2339 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2340 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2341 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2342 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2343 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2344 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2345 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2346 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2347 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2348 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2349 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2350 reasons of efficiency.
2352 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2353 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2355 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2356 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2357 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2358 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2359 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2360 groups are hidden, in a way.
2362 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2363 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2364 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2365 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2366 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2367 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2369 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2370 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2371 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2372 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2373 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2374 list of killed groups.)
2376 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2377 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2378 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2380 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2381 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2382 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2383 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2384 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2385 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2386 relevant valid ranges.
2388 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2389 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2390 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2391 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2392 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2393 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2396 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2397 one with the best level.
2399 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2400 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2401 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2404 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2405 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2406 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2407 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2410 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2411 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2412 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2413 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2415 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2416 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2417 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2418 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2419 to 5. The default is 6.
2423 @section Group Score
2428 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2429 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2430 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2433 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2434 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2435 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2436 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2437 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2438 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2439 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2440 least significant part.))
2442 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2443 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2444 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2445 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2446 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2447 action after each summary exit, you can add
2448 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2449 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2450 slow things down somewhat.
2453 @node Marking Groups
2454 @section Marking Groups
2455 @cindex marking groups
2457 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2458 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2459 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2460 bidding on those groups.
2462 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2463 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2464 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2472 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2473 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2479 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2480 Remove the mark from the current group
2481 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2485 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2486 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2490 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2491 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2495 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2496 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2500 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2501 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2502 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2505 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2507 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2508 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2509 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2510 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2511 the command to be executed.
2514 @node Foreign Groups
2515 @section Foreign Groups
2516 @cindex foreign groups
2518 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2519 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2520 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2521 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2528 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2529 @cindex making groups
2530 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2531 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2532 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2536 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2537 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2538 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2542 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2543 @cindex renaming groups
2544 Rename the current group to something else
2545 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2546 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2552 @findex gnus-group-customize
2553 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2557 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2558 @cindex renaming groups
2559 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2560 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2564 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2565 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2566 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2570 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2571 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2572 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2576 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2578 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2579 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2584 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2585 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2589 @cindex (ding) archive
2590 @cindex archive group
2591 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2592 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2593 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2594 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2595 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2596 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2597 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2601 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2603 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2604 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2605 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2606 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2610 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2612 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2613 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2614 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2618 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2619 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2621 Make a group based on some file or other
2622 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2623 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2624 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2625 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2626 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2627 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2628 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2629 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2630 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2634 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2635 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2636 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2637 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2641 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2645 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2646 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2647 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2648 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2649 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2650 @xref{Web Searches}.
2652 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2653 to a particular group by using a match string like
2654 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2658 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2659 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2660 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2664 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2665 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2666 This function will delete the current group
2667 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2668 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2669 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2670 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2671 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2675 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2676 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2677 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2681 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2682 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2683 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2686 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2689 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2690 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2691 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2692 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2693 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2694 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2698 @node Group Parameters
2699 @section Group Parameters
2700 @cindex group parameters
2702 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2703 Here's an example group parameter list:
2706 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2710 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2711 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2712 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2713 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2715 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2716 is an alist of regexps and values.
2718 The following group parameters can be used:
2723 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2726 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2729 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2730 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2731 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2732 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2733 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2735 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2736 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2737 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2738 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2739 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2740 list address instead.
2742 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2746 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2749 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2752 It is totally ignored
2753 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2754 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2756 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2757 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2758 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2759 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2760 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2762 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2763 @cindex mail list groups
2764 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2765 entering summary buffer.
2767 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2772 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2773 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2774 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2775 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2776 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2777 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2778 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2779 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2782 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2783 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2786 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2787 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2791 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2792 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2793 of whether it has any unread articles.
2795 @item broken-reply-to
2796 @cindex broken-reply-to
2797 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2798 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2799 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2800 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2801 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2802 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2806 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2807 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2811 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2812 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2813 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2818 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2819 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2820 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2821 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2822 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2823 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2824 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2826 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2827 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2828 doesn't accept articles.
2832 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2833 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2834 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2836 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2839 @cindex total-expire
2840 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2841 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2842 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2843 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2846 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2850 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2851 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2852 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2853 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2854 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2855 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2856 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2859 @cindex expiry-target
2860 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2861 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2864 @cindex score file group parameter
2865 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2866 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2867 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2870 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2871 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2872 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2873 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2876 @cindex admin-address
2877 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2878 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2879 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2880 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2884 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2885 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2889 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2892 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2893 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2896 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2900 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2902 Here are some examples:
2906 Display only unread articles.
2909 Display everything except expirable articles.
2911 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2912 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2916 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2917 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2918 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2919 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2920 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2924 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2925 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2926 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2930 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2931 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2932 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2936 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2937 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2938 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2940 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2942 @item ignored-charsets
2943 @cindex ignored-charset
2944 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2945 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2946 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2948 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2951 @cindex posting-style
2952 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2953 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2954 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2955 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2956 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2958 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2959 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2960 like this in the group parameters:
2965 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2966 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2971 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2972 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2976 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
2977 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
2978 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2979 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2980 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2984 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2985 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2986 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2987 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2989 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
2990 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2991 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2992 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2995 if address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com" @{
2996 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3000 To generate tests for multiple email-addresses use a group parameter
3001 like @code{(sieve address "sender" ("name@@one.org" else@@two.org"))}.
3002 When generating a sieve script (@pxref{Sieve Commands}) Sieve code
3003 like the following is generated:
3006 if address "sender" ["name@@one.org", "else@@two.org"] @{
3007 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3011 See @pxref{Sieve Commands} for commands and variables that might be of
3012 interest in relation to the sieve parameter.
3014 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
3015 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
3017 @item (agent parameters)
3018 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of the its parameters
3019 to control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
3020 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
3021 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
3022 minimize the configuration effort.
3024 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
3025 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
3026 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
3027 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3028 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3029 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3030 @code{eval}ed there.
3032 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer.
3033 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3034 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3035 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3036 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3037 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3038 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3039 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3042 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3045 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3046 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3047 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3050 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3053 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3054 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3055 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3056 into the group parameters for the group.
3058 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function. If you want to
3059 hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put something like
3060 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group.
3061 @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the (meaningless) result of the
3064 Alternatively, since the VARIABLE becomes local to the group, this
3065 pattern can be used to temporarily change a hook. For example, if the
3066 following is added to a group parameter
3069 (gnus-summary-prepared-hook
3070 '(lambda nil (local-set-key "d" (local-key-binding "n"))))
3073 when the group is entered, the 'd' key will not mark the article as
3078 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
3079 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
3080 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
3081 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
3082 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
3084 @vindex gnus-parameters
3085 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3086 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
3090 (setq gnus-parameters
3092 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3093 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3094 (gnus-summary-line-format
3095 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3099 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3103 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3107 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3110 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3111 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3113 @vindex gnus-parameters-case-fold-search
3114 By default, whether comparing the group name and one of those regexps
3115 specified in @code{gnus-parameters} is done in a case-sensitive manner
3116 or a case-insensitive manner depends on the value of
3117 @code{case-fold-search} at the time when the comparison is done. The
3118 value of @code{case-fold-search} is typically @code{t}; it means, for
3119 example, the element @code{("INBOX\\.FOO" (total-expire . t))} might be
3120 applied to both the @samp{INBOX.FOO} group and the @samp{INBOX.foo}
3121 group. If you want to make those regexps always case-sensitive, set the
3122 value of the @code{gnus-parameters-case-fold-search} variable to
3123 @code{nil}. Otherwise, set it to @code{t} if you want to compare them
3124 always in a case-insensitive manner.
3127 @node Listing Groups
3128 @section Listing Groups
3129 @cindex group listing
3131 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3139 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3140 List all groups that have unread articles
3141 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3142 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3143 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3144 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3151 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3152 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3153 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3154 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3155 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3156 unsubscribed groups).
3160 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3161 List all unread groups on a specific level
3162 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3163 with no unread articles.
3167 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3168 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3169 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3170 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3175 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3176 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3180 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3181 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3182 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3186 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3187 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3191 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3192 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3193 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3194 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3195 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3196 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3197 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3198 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3202 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3203 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3204 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3208 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3209 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3210 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3214 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3215 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3219 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3220 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3224 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3225 List groups limited within the current selection
3226 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3230 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3231 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3235 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3236 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3240 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3241 @cindex visible group parameter
3242 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3243 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3244 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3245 get the same effect.
3247 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3248 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3249 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3250 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3251 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3254 @node Sorting Groups
3255 @section Sorting Groups
3256 @cindex sorting groups
3258 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3259 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3260 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3261 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3262 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3263 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3268 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3269 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3270 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3272 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3273 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3274 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3276 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3277 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3278 Sort by group level.
3280 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3281 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3282 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3284 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3285 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3286 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3287 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3289 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3290 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3291 Sort by number of unread articles.
3293 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3294 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3295 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3297 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3298 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3299 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3304 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3305 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3309 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3310 some sorting criteria:
3314 @kindex G S a (Group)
3315 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3316 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3317 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3320 @kindex G S u (Group)
3321 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3322 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3323 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3326 @kindex G S l (Group)
3327 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3328 Sort the group buffer by group level
3329 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3332 @kindex G S v (Group)
3333 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3334 Sort the group buffer by group score
3335 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3338 @kindex G S r (Group)
3339 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3340 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3341 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3344 @kindex G S m (Group)
3345 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3346 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3347 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3350 @kindex G S n (Group)
3351 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3352 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3353 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3357 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3358 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3360 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3361 commands will sort in reverse order.
3363 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3367 @kindex G P a (Group)
3368 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3369 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3370 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3373 @kindex G P u (Group)
3374 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3375 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3376 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3379 @kindex G P l (Group)
3380 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3381 Sort the groups by group level
3382 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3385 @kindex G P v (Group)
3386 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3387 Sort the groups by group score
3388 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3391 @kindex G P r (Group)
3392 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3393 Sort the groups by group rank
3394 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3397 @kindex G P m (Group)
3398 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3399 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3400 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3403 @kindex G P n (Group)
3404 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3405 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3406 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3409 @kindex G P s (Group)
3410 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3411 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3415 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3419 @node Group Maintenance
3420 @section Group Maintenance
3421 @cindex bogus groups
3426 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3427 Find bogus groups and delete them
3428 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3432 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3433 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3434 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3435 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3436 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3440 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3441 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3442 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3443 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3444 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3445 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3448 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3449 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3450 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3451 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3456 @node Browse Foreign Server
3457 @section Browse Foreign Server
3458 @cindex foreign servers
3459 @cindex browsing servers
3464 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3465 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3466 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3467 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3470 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3471 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3472 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3473 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3475 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3480 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3481 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3485 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3486 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3489 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3490 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3491 Enter the current group and display the first article
3492 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3495 @kindex RET (Browse)
3496 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3497 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3501 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3502 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3503 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3509 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3510 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3514 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3515 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3519 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3520 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3521 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3526 @section Exiting gnus
3527 @cindex exiting gnus
3529 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3534 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3535 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3536 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3537 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3541 @findex gnus-group-exit
3542 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3543 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3547 @findex gnus-group-quit
3548 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3549 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3552 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3553 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3554 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3555 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3556 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3557 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3563 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3564 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3565 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3571 @section Group Topics
3574 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3575 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3576 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3577 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3578 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3579 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3583 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3584 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3595 2: alt.religion.emacs
3598 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3600 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3601 13: comp.sources.unix
3604 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3606 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3607 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3608 is a toggling command.)
3610 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3611 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3612 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3613 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3616 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3617 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3618 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3621 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3625 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3626 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3627 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3628 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3629 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3633 @node Topic Commands
3634 @subsection Topic Commands
3635 @cindex topic commands
3637 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3638 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3639 definitions slightly.
3641 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3642 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3643 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3644 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3645 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3646 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3648 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3655 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3656 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3657 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3661 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3663 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3664 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3665 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3666 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3669 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3670 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3671 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3672 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3676 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3677 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3678 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3679 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3685 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3686 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3687 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3691 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3692 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3693 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3696 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3697 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3698 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3699 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3700 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3702 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3703 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3707 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3708 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3715 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3717 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3718 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3719 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3720 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3721 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3722 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3726 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3732 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3733 Move the current group to some other topic
3734 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3735 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3739 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3740 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3744 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3745 Copy the current group to some other topic
3746 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3747 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3751 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3752 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3753 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3757 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3758 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3759 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3763 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3764 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3765 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3766 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3767 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3768 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3769 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3772 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3773 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3777 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3778 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3779 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3783 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3784 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3785 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3789 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3790 Toggle hiding empty topics
3791 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3795 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3796 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3797 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3798 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3801 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3802 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3803 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3804 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3805 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3808 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3809 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3810 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3811 expiry process (if any)
3812 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3816 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3817 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3820 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3821 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3822 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3826 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3827 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3828 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3831 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3832 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3833 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3836 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3837 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3838 Go to the previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3842 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3843 @cindex group parameters
3844 @cindex topic parameters
3846 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3847 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3852 @node Topic Variables
3853 @subsection Topic Variables
3854 @cindex topic variables
3856 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3857 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3859 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3860 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3861 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3874 Number of groups in the topic.
3876 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3878 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3881 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3882 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3883 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3886 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3887 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3889 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3890 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3891 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3895 @subsection Topic Sorting
3896 @cindex topic sorting
3898 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3904 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3905 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3906 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3907 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3910 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3911 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3912 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3913 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3916 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3917 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3918 Sort the current topic by group level
3919 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3922 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3923 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3924 Sort the current topic by group score
3925 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3928 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3929 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3930 Sort the current topic by group rank
3931 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3934 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3935 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3936 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3937 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3940 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3941 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3942 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3943 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3946 @kindex T S s (Topic)
3947 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3948 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3949 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3950 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3954 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3955 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3959 @node Topic Topology
3960 @subsection Topic Topology
3961 @cindex topic topology
3964 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3971 2: alt.religion.emacs
3974 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3976 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3977 13: comp.sources.unix
3981 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3982 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3983 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3988 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3989 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3993 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3994 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3995 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3996 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3997 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3998 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
4000 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
4001 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
4002 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
4005 @node Topic Parameters
4006 @subsection Topic Parameters
4007 @cindex topic parameters
4009 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
4010 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
4011 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
4012 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
4013 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
4015 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
4020 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
4021 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
4022 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
4025 @item subscribe-level
4026 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
4027 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
4028 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
4032 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
4033 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
4034 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
4035 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
4042 2: alt.religion.emacs
4046 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4048 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4049 13: comp.sources.unix
4054 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4055 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4056 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4057 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4058 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4059 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4061 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4062 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4063 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4064 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4065 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4067 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4068 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4069 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4070 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4071 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4072 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4073 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4074 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4077 @node Misc Group Stuff
4078 @section Misc Group Stuff
4081 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
4082 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
4083 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
4084 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
4085 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
4092 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
4093 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
4094 @xref{Server Buffer}.
4098 @findex gnus-group-post-news
4099 Start composing a message (a news by default)
4100 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
4101 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4102 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4103 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4104 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4108 @findex gnus-group-mail
4109 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4110 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4111 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4112 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4116 @findex gnus-group-news
4117 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4118 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4119 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4121 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4122 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4123 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4124 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4125 for this to work though.
4129 Variables for the group buffer:
4133 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4134 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4135 is called after the group buffer has been
4138 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4139 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4140 is called after the group buffer is
4141 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4144 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4145 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4146 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4147 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4149 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4150 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4151 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4152 whether they are empty or not.
4154 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4155 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4156 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4157 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4161 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4162 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4165 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4166 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4167 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4168 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4169 is used to show non-@acronym{ASCII} group names. @code{((".*"
4170 utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the
4171 default is @code{nil}.
4175 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4176 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4181 @node Scanning New Messages
4182 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4183 @cindex new messages
4184 @cindex scanning new news
4190 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4191 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4192 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4193 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4194 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4195 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4200 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4201 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4202 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4203 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4204 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4205 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4206 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4208 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4209 @cindex activating groups
4211 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4212 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4217 @findex gnus-group-restart
4218 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4219 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4220 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
4224 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4225 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4227 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4228 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4232 @node Group Information
4233 @subsection Group Information
4234 @cindex group information
4235 @cindex information on groups
4242 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4243 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4246 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
4247 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
4248 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
4249 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
4250 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4251 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
4252 used for fetching the file.
4254 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
4255 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4259 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4260 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4262 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4263 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4266 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4267 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4268 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4272 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4273 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4274 @cindex control message
4275 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4276 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4277 group if given a prefix argument.
4279 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4280 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4281 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4282 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4284 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4285 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
4286 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
4290 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4292 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4293 @cindex describing groups
4294 @cindex group description
4295 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4296 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4297 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4301 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4302 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4303 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4310 @findex gnus-version
4311 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4315 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4316 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4319 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4322 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4323 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4327 @node Group Timestamp
4328 @subsection Group Timestamp
4330 @cindex group timestamps
4332 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
4333 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4334 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4337 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4340 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4342 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4343 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4346 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4347 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4350 This will result in lines looking like:
4353 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4354 0: custom 19961002T012713
4357 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4358 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4362 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4363 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4366 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4367 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4371 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4372 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4373 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4374 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4376 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4382 @subsection File Commands
4383 @cindex file commands
4389 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4390 @vindex gnus-init-file
4391 @cindex reading init file
4392 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4393 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4397 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4398 @cindex saving .newsrc
4399 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4400 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4401 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4404 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4405 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4406 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4411 @node Sieve Commands
4412 @subsection Sieve Commands
4413 @cindex group sieve commands
4415 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4416 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4417 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4418 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4419 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4421 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4422 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4423 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4424 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4425 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4426 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4427 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4428 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4429 regenerate the Sieve script.
4431 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4432 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4433 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4434 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4435 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4436 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4437 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4438 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4439 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4440 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4443 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4444 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4449 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4455 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4456 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4457 @cindex generating sieve script
4458 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4459 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4463 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4464 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4465 @cindex updating sieve script
4466 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4467 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4468 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4473 @node Summary Buffer
4474 @chapter Summary Buffer
4475 @cindex summary buffer
4477 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4478 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4480 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4481 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4483 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4486 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4487 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4488 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4489 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4490 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4491 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4492 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4493 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4494 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4495 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4496 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4497 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4498 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4499 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4500 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4501 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4502 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4503 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4504 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4505 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4506 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4507 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4508 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4509 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4510 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4511 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4512 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4513 or reselecting the current group.
4514 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4515 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4516 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4517 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4521 @node Summary Buffer Format
4522 @section Summary Buffer Format
4523 @cindex summary buffer format
4527 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4528 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4529 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4535 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4536 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4537 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4538 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4541 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4542 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4543 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4544 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4545 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4546 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4547 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4548 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4549 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4550 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4551 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4552 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4553 other function instead:
4556 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4557 'mail-extract-address-components)
4560 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4561 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4562 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4563 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4566 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4567 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4569 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4570 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4571 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4572 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4573 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4575 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4576 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4577 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4578 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4579 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4580 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4582 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4584 The following format specification characters and extended format
4585 specification(s) are understood:
4591 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4592 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4594 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4595 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4596 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4598 Full @code{From} header.
4600 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4602 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4605 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4606 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4607 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4608 may be more thorough.
4610 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4613 Number of lines in the article.
4615 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4616 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4618 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4619 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4621 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4623 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4624 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4637 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4638 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4639 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4640 line-drawing glyphs.
4642 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4643 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4644 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4645 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4647 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4648 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4649 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4650 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4652 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4653 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4654 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4655 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4657 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4658 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4659 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4661 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4662 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4663 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4665 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4666 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4667 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4669 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4670 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4671 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4676 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4677 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4679 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4680 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4682 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4683 for adopted articles.
4685 One space for each thread level.
4687 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4689 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4692 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4693 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4694 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4697 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4699 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4700 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4701 default level. If the difference between
4702 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4703 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4711 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4713 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4719 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4720 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4722 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4723 article has any children.
4729 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4730 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4732 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4733 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4734 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
4735 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4736 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4737 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4740 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4741 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4742 There can only be one such area.
4744 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4745 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4746 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4747 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4748 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4749 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4751 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4752 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4754 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4757 @node To From Newsgroups
4758 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4762 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4763 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4764 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4765 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4766 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4770 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4771 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4772 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4776 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4777 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4780 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4781 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4784 @findex gnus-extra-header
4785 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4786 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4787 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4790 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4794 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4795 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4796 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4797 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4798 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4799 headers are used instead.
4801 To distinguish regular articles from those where the @code{From} field
4802 has been swapped, a string is prefixed to the @code{To} or
4803 @code{Newsgroups} header in the summary line. By default the string is
4804 @samp{-> } for @code{To} and @samp{=> } for @code{Newsgroups}, you can
4805 customize these strings with @code{gnus-summary-to-prefix} and
4806 @code{gnus-summary-newsgroup-prefix}.
4810 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4811 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4812 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
4813 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4814 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4815 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4818 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4819 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4820 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4821 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4823 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4827 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4829 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4830 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4831 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4832 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4836 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4839 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4840 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4843 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4844 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4845 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4851 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4852 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4855 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4856 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4858 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4859 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4860 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4861 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4863 Here are the elements you can play with:
4869 Unprefixed group name.
4871 Current article number.
4873 Current article score.
4877 Number of unread articles in this group.
4879 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4882 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4883 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4884 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4885 and no unselected ones.
4887 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4888 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4890 Subject of the current article.
4892 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4894 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4896 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4898 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4900 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4902 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4906 @node Summary Highlighting
4907 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4911 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4912 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4913 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4914 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4915 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4917 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4918 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4919 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4920 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4922 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4923 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4924 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4925 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4927 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4928 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4929 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4930 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4931 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4932 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4935 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4936 ((> score default) . bold))
4938 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4939 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4943 @node Summary Maneuvering
4944 @section Summary Maneuvering
4945 @cindex summary movement
4947 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4948 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4950 None of these commands select articles.
4955 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4956 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4957 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4958 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4959 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4963 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4964 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4965 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4966 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4967 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4970 @kindex G g (Summary)
4971 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4972 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4973 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4976 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4977 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4978 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4979 to the group buffer.
4981 Variables related to summary movement:
4985 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4986 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4987 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4988 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4989 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4990 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4991 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4992 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4993 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4994 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4995 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4996 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4997 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4998 @pxref{Group Levels}.
5000 @item gnus-auto-select-same
5001 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
5002 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
5003 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
5004 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
5005 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
5006 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
5008 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
5010 @item gnus-summary-check-current
5011 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
5012 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
5013 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
5014 Instead, they will choose the current article.
5016 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
5017 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
5018 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
5019 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
5020 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
5021 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
5022 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
5023 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
5026 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
5027 the given number of lines from the top.
5032 @node Choosing Articles
5033 @section Choosing Articles
5034 @cindex selecting articles
5037 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
5038 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
5042 @node Choosing Commands
5043 @subsection Choosing Commands
5045 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
5046 and they all select and display an article.
5048 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
5049 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
5053 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5054 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5055 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
5056 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5058 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
5059 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
5060 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
5065 @kindex G n (Summary)
5066 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
5067 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
5068 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
5073 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
5074 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
5075 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
5080 @kindex G N (Summary)
5081 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
5082 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
5087 @kindex G P (Summary)
5088 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
5089 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
5092 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
5093 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
5094 Go to the next article with the same subject
5095 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
5098 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
5099 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
5100 Go to the previous article with the same subject
5101 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
5105 @kindex G f (Summary)
5107 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5108 Go to the first unread article
5109 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5113 @kindex G b (Summary)
5115 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5116 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5117 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5118 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5123 @kindex G l (Summary)
5124 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5125 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5128 @kindex G o (Summary)
5129 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5131 @cindex article history
5132 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5133 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5134 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5135 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5136 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5137 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5142 @kindex G j (Summary)
5143 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5144 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5145 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5150 @node Choosing Variables
5151 @subsection Choosing Variables
5153 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5156 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5157 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5158 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5159 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5160 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5161 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5163 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5164 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5165 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. The default is
5166 @code{nil}. If you would like each article to be saved in the Agent as
5167 you read it, putting @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this
5170 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5171 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5172 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5173 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5174 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5175 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5176 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5177 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5178 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-read-mark}. The only
5179 articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5180 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5181 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5182 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5183 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5188 @node Paging the Article
5189 @section Scrolling the Article
5190 @cindex article scrolling
5195 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5196 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5197 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5198 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5199 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5201 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5202 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5203 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5204 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5205 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5206 what is considered uninteresting with
5207 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5208 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5211 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5212 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5213 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5216 @kindex RET (Summary)
5217 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5218 Scroll the current article one line forward
5219 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5222 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5223 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5224 Scroll the current article one line backward
5225 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5229 @kindex A g (Summary)
5231 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5232 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5233 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5234 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5235 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5236 the way it came from the server.
5238 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5239 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5240 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5243 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5248 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5253 @kindex A < (Summary)
5254 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5255 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5256 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5261 @kindex A > (Summary)
5262 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5263 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5267 @kindex A s (Summary)
5269 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5270 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5271 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5275 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5276 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5281 @node Reply Followup and Post
5282 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5285 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5286 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5287 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5288 * Canceling and Superseding::
5292 @node Summary Mail Commands
5293 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5295 @cindex composing mail
5297 Commands for composing a mail message:
5303 @kindex S r (Summary)
5305 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5306 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5307 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5308 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5309 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5314 @kindex S R (Summary)
5315 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5316 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5317 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5318 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5319 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5322 @kindex S w (Summary)
5323 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5324 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5325 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5326 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5327 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
5328 present, that's used instead.
5331 @kindex S W (Summary)
5332 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5333 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5334 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5335 the process/prefix convention.
5338 @kindex S v (Summary)
5339 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5340 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5341 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5342 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5343 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5344 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5347 @kindex S V (Summary)
5348 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5349 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5350 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5351 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5354 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5355 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5356 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5357 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5358 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5359 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5360 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5361 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5364 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5365 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5366 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5367 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5368 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5372 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5373 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5374 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5375 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5376 Forward the current article to some other person
5377 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5378 headers of the forwarded article.
5383 @kindex S m (Summary)
5384 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5385 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5386 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5387 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5388 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5393 @kindex S i (Summary)
5394 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5395 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5396 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5397 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5399 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5400 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5401 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5402 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5403 for this to work though.
5406 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5407 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5408 @cindex bouncing mail
5409 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5410 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5411 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5412 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5413 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5414 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
5415 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5416 very well fail, though.
5419 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5420 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5421 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5422 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5423 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5424 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5425 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5426 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5427 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5428 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5430 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5431 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5432 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5433 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5434 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5436 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5437 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5440 @kindex S D e (Summary)
5441 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
5443 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
5444 if it were a new message before resending.
5447 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5448 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
5449 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5450 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
5451 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5454 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5455 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5456 @cindex crossposting
5457 @cindex excessive crossposting
5458 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5459 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5461 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5462 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5463 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5464 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5465 command understands the process/prefix convention
5466 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5470 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5471 Manual}, for more information.
5474 @node Summary Post Commands
5475 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5477 @cindex composing news
5479 Commands for posting a news article:
5485 @kindex S p (Summary)
5486 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5487 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5488 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5489 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5490 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5495 @kindex S f (Summary)
5496 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5497 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5498 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5502 @kindex S F (Summary)
5504 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5505 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5506 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5507 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5508 process/prefix convention.
5511 @kindex S n (Summary)
5512 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5513 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5514 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5517 @kindex S N (Summary)
5518 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5519 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5520 message through mail and include the original message
5521 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5522 the process/prefix convention.
5525 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5526 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5527 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5528 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5529 headers of the forwarded article.
5532 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5533 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
5535 @cindex making digests
5536 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5537 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5538 process/prefix convention.
5541 @kindex S u (Summary)
5542 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5543 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5544 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5545 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5548 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5549 Manual}, for more information.
5552 @node Summary Message Commands
5553 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5557 @kindex S y (Summary)
5558 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5559 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5560 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5561 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5562 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5567 @node Canceling and Superseding
5568 @subsection Canceling Articles
5569 @cindex canceling articles
5570 @cindex superseding articles
5572 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5573 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5575 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5577 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5579 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5580 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5581 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5582 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5583 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5584 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5586 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5587 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5590 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5591 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5592 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5594 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
5595 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
5596 message, Message Manual}).
5598 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5599 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5600 your original article.
5602 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5604 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5605 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5606 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5609 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5610 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5611 have posted almost the same article twice.
5613 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5614 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5615 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5616 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5617 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5618 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5619 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5620 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5621 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5622 canceled/superseded.
5624 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5626 @node Delayed Articles
5627 @section Delayed Articles
5628 @cindex delayed sending
5629 @cindex send delayed
5631 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5632 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5633 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5634 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5637 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5640 @findex gnus-delay-article
5641 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5642 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5643 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5644 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5648 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5649 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5650 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5651 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5654 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5655 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5656 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5659 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5660 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5661 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5662 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5663 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5664 that means a time tomorrow.
5667 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5668 couple of variables:
5671 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5672 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5673 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5674 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5676 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5677 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5678 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5679 formats described above.
5681 @item gnus-delay-group
5682 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5683 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5684 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5685 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5687 @item gnus-delay-header
5688 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5689 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5690 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5691 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5694 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5695 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5696 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5697 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5698 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5700 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5701 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5702 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5703 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5704 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5705 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5706 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5709 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5710 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5712 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5713 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5714 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5715 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5716 argument is ignored.
5718 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5719 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5720 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5724 @node Marking Articles
5725 @section Marking Articles
5726 @cindex article marking
5727 @cindex article ticking
5730 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5732 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5733 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5734 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5736 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5739 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks.
5743 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5744 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5745 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5746 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5747 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5748 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5752 @node Unread Articles
5753 @subsection Unread Articles
5755 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5760 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5761 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5763 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5764 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5765 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5766 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5767 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5768 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5769 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5772 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5773 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5775 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5776 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5777 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5778 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5782 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5783 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5785 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5790 @subsection Read Articles
5791 @cindex expirable mark
5793 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5798 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5799 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5800 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5803 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5804 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5807 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5808 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5809 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5812 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5813 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5816 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5817 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5820 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5821 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5824 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5825 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5828 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5829 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5832 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5833 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5836 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5837 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5841 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5842 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5843 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5847 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5848 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5850 One more special mark, though:
5854 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5855 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5857 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5858 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5859 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5860 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5866 @subsection Other Marks
5867 @cindex process mark
5870 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5876 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5877 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5878 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5879 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5880 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5883 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5884 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5885 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5886 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5889 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5890 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5891 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5894 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5895 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5896 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5899 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5900 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5901 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5902 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5905 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5906 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5907 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5908 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5909 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5910 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5913 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5914 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5915 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5916 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5919 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5920 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
5921 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5922 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5923 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5927 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5928 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
5929 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5930 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5931 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5932 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5935 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5936 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
5937 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5938 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5939 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5940 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5944 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5945 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5946 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5947 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5948 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5951 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5952 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5953 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5954 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5955 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5956 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5960 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5961 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5962 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5964 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5965 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5966 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5970 @subsection Setting Marks
5971 @cindex setting marks
5973 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5978 @kindex M c (Summary)
5979 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5980 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5981 @cindex mark as unread
5982 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5983 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5989 @kindex M t (Summary)
5990 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5991 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5992 @xref{Article Caching}.
5997 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5998 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5999 Mark the current article as dormant
6000 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
6004 @kindex M d (Summary)
6006 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
6007 Mark the current article as read
6008 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
6012 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
6013 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
6014 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
6019 @kindex M k (Summary)
6020 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
6021 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
6022 and then select the next unread article
6023 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
6027 @kindex M K (Summary)
6028 @kindex C-k (Summary)
6029 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
6030 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
6031 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
6034 @kindex M C (Summary)
6035 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
6036 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
6037 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
6040 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
6041 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
6042 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
6043 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
6046 @kindex M H (Summary)
6047 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
6048 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
6049 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
6052 @kindex M h (Summary)
6053 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
6054 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
6055 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
6058 @kindex C-w (Summary)
6059 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
6060 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
6061 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
6064 @kindex M V k (Summary)
6065 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
6066 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
6067 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
6071 @kindex M e (Summary)
6073 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
6074 Mark the current article as expirable
6075 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
6078 @kindex M b (Summary)
6079 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
6080 Set a bookmark in the current article
6081 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
6084 @kindex M B (Summary)
6085 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
6086 Remove the bookmark from the current article
6087 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
6090 @kindex M V c (Summary)
6091 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
6092 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
6093 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6096 @kindex M V u (Summary)
6097 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
6098 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
6099 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
6102 @kindex M V m (Summary)
6103 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
6104 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
6105 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
6106 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6109 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6110 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6111 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6112 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6113 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6114 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6115 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6116 The default is @code{t}.
6119 @node Generic Marking Commands
6120 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6122 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6123 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6124 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6125 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6126 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6129 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6130 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6133 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6134 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6135 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6136 to list in this manual.
6138 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6139 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6140 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6141 article, you could say something like:
6145 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6146 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6147 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6155 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6156 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6160 @node Setting Process Marks
6161 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6162 @cindex setting process marks
6164 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6165 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6166 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6167 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6168 commands into the cache. For more information,
6169 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6176 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6177 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6178 Mark the current article with the process mark
6179 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6180 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6184 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6185 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6186 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6187 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6190 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6191 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6192 Remove the process mark from all articles
6193 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6196 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6197 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6198 Invert the list of process marked articles
6199 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6202 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6203 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6204 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6205 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6208 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6209 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6210 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6211 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6214 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6215 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6216 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6219 @kindex M P g (Summary)
6220 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6221 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6224 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6225 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6226 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6227 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6230 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6231 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6232 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6233 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6236 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6237 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6238 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6239 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6242 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6243 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6244 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6247 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6248 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6249 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6250 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6253 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6254 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6255 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}).
6258 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6259 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6260 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6261 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6264 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6265 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6266 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6267 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6270 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6271 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6272 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6273 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6276 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6277 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6278 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6279 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6283 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
6284 set process marks based on article body contents.
6291 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6292 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6293 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6296 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6297 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6298 additional articles.
6304 @kindex / / (Summary)
6305 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6306 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6307 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6311 @kindex / a (Summary)
6312 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6313 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6314 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6318 @kindex / R (Summary)
6319 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient
6320 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some recipient
6321 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient}). If given a prefix, exclude
6325 @kindex / x (Summary)
6326 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6327 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6328 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6329 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6334 @kindex / u (Summary)
6336 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6337 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6338 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6339 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6340 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6343 @kindex / m (Summary)
6344 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6345 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6346 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6349 @kindex / t (Summary)
6350 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6351 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6352 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6353 articles younger than that number of days.
6356 @kindex / n (Summary)
6357 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6358 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6359 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6360 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6363 @kindex / w (Summary)
6364 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6365 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6366 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6370 @kindex / . (Summary)
6371 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6372 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6373 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6376 @kindex / v (Summary)
6377 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6378 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6379 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6382 @kindex / p (Summary)
6383 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6384 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6385 group parameter predicate
6386 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
6387 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
6390 @kindex / r (Summary)
6391 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
6392 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
6393 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
6398 @kindex M S (Summary)
6399 @kindex / E (Summary)
6400 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6401 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6402 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6405 @kindex / D (Summary)
6406 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6407 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6408 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6411 @kindex / * (Summary)
6412 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6413 Include all cached articles in the limit
6414 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6417 @kindex / d (Summary)
6418 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6419 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6420 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6423 @kindex / M (Summary)
6424 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6425 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6428 @kindex / T (Summary)
6429 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6430 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6433 @kindex / c (Summary)
6434 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6435 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6436 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6439 @kindex / C (Summary)
6440 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6441 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6442 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6443 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6446 @kindex / N (Summary)
6447 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6448 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6449 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6452 @kindex / o (Summary)
6453 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6454 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6455 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6463 @cindex article threading
6465 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6466 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6467 hierarchical fashion.
6469 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6470 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6471 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6472 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6473 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6474 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6475 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
6477 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6481 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6484 A tree-like article structure.
6487 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6490 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6491 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6492 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6493 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6494 called loose threads.
6496 @item thread gathering
6497 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6499 @item sparse threads
6500 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6501 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6507 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6508 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6512 @node Customizing Threading
6513 @subsection Customizing Threading
6514 @cindex customizing threading
6517 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6518 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6519 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6520 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6525 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6528 @cindex loose threads
6531 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6532 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6533 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6534 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6535 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6536 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6538 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
6539 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
6540 There are four possible values:
6544 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6545 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6546 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6547 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6548 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6553 @cindex adopting articles
6558 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6559 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6560 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6561 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6564 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6565 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6566 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6567 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6568 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6569 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6570 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6571 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6572 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6573 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6576 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6577 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6578 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6582 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6583 display them after one another.
6586 Don't gather loose threads.
6589 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6590 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6591 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6592 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
6593 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6594 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6595 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6596 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6597 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6598 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
6599 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6601 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6602 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
6603 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6606 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6607 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6608 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6609 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6610 simplification is used.
6612 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6613 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6614 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6615 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6617 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6619 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6625 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6626 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6627 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6628 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6633 (mapconcat 'identity
6634 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6636 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6639 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6642 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6643 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6644 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6645 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6646 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6647 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6649 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6652 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6653 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6654 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6656 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6657 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6660 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6661 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6662 Remove excessive whitespace.
6664 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6665 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6666 Remove all whitespace.
6669 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6672 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6673 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6674 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6675 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6676 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6677 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6678 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6679 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6681 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6682 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6683 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6684 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6685 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6686 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6687 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6688 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6689 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6693 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6694 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6695 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6696 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6698 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6699 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6700 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6703 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6707 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6708 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6714 @node Filling In Threads
6715 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6718 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6719 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6720 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6721 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
6722 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
6723 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
6724 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
6725 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
6726 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
6727 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6728 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6729 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
6732 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6733 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6734 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6736 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6737 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6738 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
6741 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6742 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6743 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6744 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6745 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6746 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6747 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6748 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6749 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6750 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6751 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6752 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6753 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6754 @code{nil} by default.
6756 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6757 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6758 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6759 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6760 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6761 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6762 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6764 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6765 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6766 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6771 @node More Threading
6772 @subsubsection More Threading
6775 @item gnus-show-threads
6776 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6777 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6778 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6779 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6780 slower and more awkward.
6782 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6783 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6784 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6787 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6788 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6789 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
6794 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6795 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6796 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6799 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6800 unread, but you get my drift.)
6803 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6804 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6805 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6806 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6807 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6808 threads are expunged.
6810 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6811 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6812 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6815 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6816 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6817 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6818 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6819 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6820 result in a new thread.
6822 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6823 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6824 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6827 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6828 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6829 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6830 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6831 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6832 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6833 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6834 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6835 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6836 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6837 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6842 @node Low-Level Threading
6843 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6847 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6848 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6849 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6850 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6851 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6852 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6854 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6855 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6856 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6857 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6858 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6859 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6860 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6861 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6862 meaningful. Here's one example:
6865 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6867 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6868 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6870 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6872 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6879 @node Thread Commands
6880 @subsection Thread Commands
6881 @cindex thread commands
6887 @kindex T k (Summary)
6888 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6889 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6890 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6891 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6892 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6897 @kindex T l (Summary)
6898 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6899 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6900 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6901 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6904 @kindex T i (Summary)
6905 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6906 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6907 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6910 @kindex T # (Summary)
6911 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6912 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6913 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6916 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6917 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6918 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6919 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6922 @kindex T T (Summary)
6923 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6924 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6927 @kindex T s (Summary)
6928 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6929 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
6930 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6933 @kindex T h (Summary)
6934 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6935 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6938 @kindex T S (Summary)
6939 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6940 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6943 @kindex T H (Summary)
6944 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6945 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6948 @kindex T t (Summary)
6949 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6950 Re-thread the current article's thread
6951 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6952 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6955 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6956 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6957 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6958 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6962 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6963 understand the numeric prefix.
6968 @kindex T n (Summary)
6970 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6972 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6973 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6974 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6977 @kindex T p (Summary)
6979 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6981 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6982 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6983 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6986 @kindex T d (Summary)
6987 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6988 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6991 @kindex T u (Summary)
6992 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6993 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6996 @kindex T o (Summary)
6997 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6998 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
7001 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
7002 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
7003 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
7004 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
7005 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
7006 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
7007 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
7008 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
7009 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
7010 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
7011 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
7012 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
7016 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
7017 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
7019 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
7020 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
7021 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date-reverse
7022 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
7023 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7024 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
7025 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient
7026 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7027 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
7028 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
7029 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
7030 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
7031 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
7032 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
7033 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
7034 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
7036 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
7037 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
7038 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient},
7039 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
7040 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date-reverse},
7041 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
7042 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
7043 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
7044 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
7045 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
7047 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
7048 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
7049 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
7051 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
7052 last function in the list. You should probably always include
7053 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
7054 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
7055 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
7056 ascending article order.
7058 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
7059 by number, you could do something like:
7062 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7063 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7064 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7065 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
7068 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
7069 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
7070 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
7071 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
7072 which the articles arrived.
7074 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
7078 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7080 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
7081 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
7084 Yet more examples. You can define different sorting to different
7085 groups. Here is an example for where one @acronym{NNTP} group is
7086 sorted by subject and the @acronym{RSS} group is sorted by date to see
7087 the latest news at the top.
7092 (defun my-gnus-summary-mode-hook-group-select ()
7093 (flet ((lsetq (x val) ;; Local setq
7094 (set (make-local-variable x) val)))
7096 ;; In Group buffer to make Debian daily news group press: G m
7097 ;; and point it to nntp server news.gmane.org and
7098 ;; group gmane.linux.debian.user.news
7099 ((string-match "nntp.*debian.user.news" gnus-newsgroup-name)
7100 (lsetq 'gnus-show-threads nil)
7101 (lsetq 'gnus-article-sort-functions 'gnus-article-sort-by-date-reverse)
7102 (lsetq 'gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
7103 (lsetq 'gnus-use-scoring nil))
7104 ;; In Group buffer to read Debian weekly news RSS feed press: G R
7105 ;; and point it to url:
7106 ;; http://packages.debian.org/unstable/newpkg_main.en.rdf
7107 ((string-match "nnrss.*debian" gnus-newsgroup-name)
7108 (lsetq 'gnus-show-threads nil)
7109 (lsetq 'gnus-article-sort-functions 'gnus-article-sort-by-subject)
7110 (lsetq 'gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
7111 (lsetq 'gnus-use-scoring t)
7112 (lsetq 'gnus-score-find-score-files-function 'gnus-score-find-single)
7113 (lsetq 'gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%d %I%(%[ %s %]%)\n")))))
7115 (defun my-gnus-summary-mode-hook ()
7116 (my-gnus-summary-mode-hook-group-select))
7119 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
7120 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
7121 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
7122 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
7125 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
7126 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
7127 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
7128 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
7129 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
7130 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
7131 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
7132 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
7133 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
7134 variable. It is very similar to the
7135 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
7136 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
7137 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
7138 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
7139 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
7140 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
7141 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
7143 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
7147 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
7148 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
7149 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
7154 @node Asynchronous Fetching
7155 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
7156 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
7157 @cindex article pre-fetch
7160 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
7161 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
7162 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
7163 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7164 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7166 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7167 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
7169 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7170 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7171 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7172 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7173 connection is blocked.
7175 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7176 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7177 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7178 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
7180 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7181 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7182 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7183 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7186 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7189 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7190 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7191 happen automatically.
7193 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7194 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7195 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7196 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7197 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7198 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7199 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7201 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7202 @findex gnus-async-read-p
7203 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7204 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7205 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7206 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7207 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
7208 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7209 article data structure as the only parameter.
7211 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7212 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7215 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7216 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7217 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7218 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7221 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7224 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7225 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
7226 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7228 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7229 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7230 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7231 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7235 Remove articles when they are read.
7238 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7241 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7243 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7244 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7245 @c from the next group.
7248 @node Article Caching
7249 @section Article Caching
7250 @cindex article caching
7253 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7254 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7255 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7256 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7257 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7259 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7261 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7262 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7263 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7264 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7265 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7266 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7267 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7268 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7270 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7271 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7272 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7273 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7274 as dormant, and don't worry.
7276 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7278 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7279 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7280 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7281 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7282 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7283 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7284 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7285 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7286 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7287 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7289 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7290 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7291 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7292 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7293 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7294 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7295 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7296 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7297 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7298 not then be downloaded by this command.
7300 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7301 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7302 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7303 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7304 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7305 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7307 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7308 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7309 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7310 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7311 variables, the group is not cached.
7313 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7314 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7315 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7316 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7317 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7318 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
7319 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7320 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7321 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7324 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7325 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7326 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7327 where, isn't that cool?
7329 @node Persistent Articles
7330 @section Persistent Articles
7331 @cindex persistent articles
7333 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7334 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7335 useful in my opinion.
7337 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7338 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7339 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7340 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7341 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7342 the expiry going on at the news server.
7344 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7345 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7346 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7352 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7353 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7356 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7357 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7358 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7359 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7363 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7365 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7366 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7367 interested in persistent articles:
7370 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7374 @node Article Backlog
7375 @section Article Backlog
7377 @cindex article backlog
7379 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7380 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7381 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
7382 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7383 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7384 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7385 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
7386 increase memory usage some.
7388 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7389 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
7390 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7391 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
7392 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7393 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7394 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7396 The default value is 20.
7399 @node Saving Articles
7400 @section Saving Articles
7401 @cindex saving articles
7403 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7404 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7405 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7406 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7407 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7409 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7410 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7411 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7413 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7414 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
7415 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7417 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7418 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7419 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7420 deleted before saving.
7426 @kindex O o (Summary)
7428 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7429 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7430 Save the current article using the default article saver
7431 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7434 @kindex O m (Summary)
7435 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7436 Save the current article in mail format
7437 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7440 @kindex O r (Summary)
7441 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7442 Save the current article in Rmail format
7443 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7446 @kindex O f (Summary)
7447 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7448 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7449 Save the current article in plain file format
7450 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7453 @kindex O F (Summary)
7454 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7455 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7456 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7459 @kindex O b (Summary)
7460 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7461 Save the current article body in plain file format
7462 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7465 @kindex O h (Summary)
7466 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7467 Save the current article in mh folder format
7468 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7471 @kindex O v (Summary)
7472 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7473 Save the current article in a VM folder
7474 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7478 @kindex O p (Summary)
7480 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7481 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7482 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7483 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7484 complete headers in the piped output.
7487 @kindex O P (Summary)
7488 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7489 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7490 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7491 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7492 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7493 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7494 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7498 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7499 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7500 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7501 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7502 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7503 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7504 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7505 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7506 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7507 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7508 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7509 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7513 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7514 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7515 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7516 functions below, or you can create your own.
7520 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7521 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7522 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7523 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7524 This is the default format, @dfn{Babyl}. Uses the function in the
7525 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7526 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7528 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7529 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7530 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7531 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7532 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7533 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7535 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7536 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7537 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7538 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7539 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7540 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7541 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7543 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7544 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7545 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7546 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7547 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7548 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7550 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7551 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7552 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7553 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7554 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7556 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7557 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7558 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7559 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7560 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7563 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7564 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7565 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7566 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7567 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7569 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7570 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7571 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7572 reader to use this setting.
7575 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7576 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7577 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7578 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7581 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7582 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7583 available functions that generate names:
7587 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7588 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7589 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7591 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7592 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7593 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7595 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7596 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7597 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7599 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7600 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7601 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7603 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7604 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7605 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7608 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7609 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7610 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7611 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7612 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7616 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7617 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7618 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7619 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7622 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7623 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7624 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7625 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7626 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7627 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7628 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7629 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7630 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7632 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7633 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7634 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7635 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7637 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7638 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7639 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7642 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7643 lots of mail groups called things like
7644 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7645 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7646 following will do just that:
7649 (defun my-save-name (group)
7650 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7651 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7653 (setq gnus-split-methods
7654 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7659 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7660 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7661 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7662 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7663 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7664 all the files in the top level directory
7665 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7666 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7667 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7668 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7670 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7671 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7672 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7673 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7674 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7677 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7681 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
7682 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7683 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
7686 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7687 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7688 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7689 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7692 @node Decoding Articles
7693 @section Decoding Articles
7694 @cindex decoding articles
7696 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7697 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7700 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7701 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7702 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7703 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7704 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7705 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7709 @cindex article series
7710 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7711 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7712 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7713 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7714 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7716 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7717 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7718 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7720 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
7721 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7722 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7724 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7725 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7726 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7729 @node Uuencoded Articles
7730 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7732 @cindex uuencoded articles
7737 @kindex X u (Summary)
7738 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7739 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7740 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7743 @kindex X U (Summary)
7744 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7745 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7746 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7749 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7750 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7751 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7754 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7755 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7756 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7757 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7761 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7762 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7763 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7764 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7765 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7767 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7768 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7769 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7770 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7773 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7774 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7775 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7776 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7777 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7778 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7782 @node Shell Archives
7783 @subsection Shell Archives
7785 @cindex shell archives
7786 @cindex shared articles
7788 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7789 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7790 some commands to deal with these:
7795 @kindex X s (Summary)
7796 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7797 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7800 @kindex X S (Summary)
7801 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7802 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7805 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7806 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7807 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7810 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7811 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7812 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7813 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7817 @node PostScript Files
7818 @subsection PostScript Files
7824 @kindex X p (Summary)
7825 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7826 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7829 @kindex X P (Summary)
7830 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7831 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7832 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7835 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7836 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7837 View the current PostScript series
7838 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7841 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7842 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7843 View and save the current PostScript series
7844 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7849 @subsection Other Files
7853 @kindex X o (Summary)
7854 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7855 Save the current series
7856 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7859 @kindex X b (Summary)
7860 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7861 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7862 doesn't really work yet.
7866 @node Decoding Variables
7867 @subsection Decoding Variables
7869 Adjective, not verb.
7872 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7873 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7874 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7878 @node Rule Variables
7879 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7880 @cindex rule variables
7882 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7883 variables are of the form
7886 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7893 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7894 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7896 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7897 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7900 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7901 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7904 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7905 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7906 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7907 user and default view rules.
7909 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7910 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7911 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7916 @node Other Decode Variables
7917 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7920 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7922 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7923 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7924 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7925 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7926 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7930 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7931 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7934 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7935 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7936 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7939 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7940 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7941 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7942 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7943 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7946 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7947 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7948 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7950 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7951 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7952 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7953 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7954 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
7957 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7958 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7959 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7961 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7962 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7963 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7964 looking for files to display.
7966 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7967 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7968 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7971 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7972 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7973 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7976 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7977 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7978 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7981 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7982 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7983 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7986 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7987 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7988 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7989 decoded articles as unread.
7991 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7992 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7993 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7994 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7996 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7997 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7998 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
8000 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
8001 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
8003 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
8004 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
8005 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
8006 @code{metamail} for viewing.
8008 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
8009 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
8010 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
8011 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
8012 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
8013 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
8014 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
8015 simply dropped them.
8020 @node Uuencoding and Posting
8021 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
8025 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
8026 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
8027 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
8028 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
8029 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
8030 for you when you post the article.
8032 @item gnus-uu-post-length
8033 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
8034 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
8035 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
8037 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
8038 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
8039 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
8040 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
8041 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
8042 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
8043 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
8045 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
8046 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
8047 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
8048 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
8049 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
8050 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
8051 Default is @code{t}.
8057 @subsection Viewing Files
8058 @cindex viewing files
8059 @cindex pseudo-articles
8061 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
8062 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
8063 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
8064 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
8065 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
8066 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
8067 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
8069 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
8070 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
8071 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
8072 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
8074 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
8075 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
8076 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
8078 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
8079 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
8080 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
8081 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
8082 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
8084 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
8085 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
8086 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
8087 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
8088 a list of parameters to that command.
8090 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
8091 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
8092 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
8094 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
8095 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
8096 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
8099 @node Article Treatment
8100 @section Article Treatment
8102 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
8103 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
8104 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
8105 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
8106 these articles easier.
8109 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
8110 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
8111 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
8112 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
8113 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
8114 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
8115 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
8116 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
8117 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
8118 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
8119 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
8123 @node Article Highlighting
8124 @subsection Article Highlighting
8125 @cindex highlighting
8127 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
8128 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
8133 @kindex W H a (Summary)
8134 @findex gnus-article-highlight
8135 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8136 Do much highlighting of the current article
8137 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
8138 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
8141 @kindex W H h (Summary)
8142 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
8143 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
8144 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
8145 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
8146 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
8147 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
8148 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
8149 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
8150 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
8151 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
8152 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
8155 @kindex W H c (Summary)
8156 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
8157 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
8159 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
8162 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8164 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8165 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
8166 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8168 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8169 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8170 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8172 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8173 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8174 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8175 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8176 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8177 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8179 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8180 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8181 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8183 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8184 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8185 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8187 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8188 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8189 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8190 that it's a citation.
8192 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8193 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8194 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8196 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8197 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8198 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8200 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8201 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8202 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8203 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8205 @item gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8206 @vindex gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8207 If non-@code{nil}, no citation highlighting will be performed on lines
8208 beginning with @samp{>From }. Those lines may have been quoted by MTAs
8209 in order not to mix up with the envelope From line. The default value
8216 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8217 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8218 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8219 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8220 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8221 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8222 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8223 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8228 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8231 @node Article Fontisizing
8232 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8234 @cindex article emphasis
8236 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8237 @kindex W e (Summary)
8238 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8239 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8240 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8241 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8243 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8244 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8245 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8246 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8247 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8248 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8249 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8250 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8254 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8255 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8256 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8265 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8266 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8267 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8268 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8269 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8270 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8271 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8272 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8273 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8274 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8275 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8276 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8277 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8279 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8280 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8281 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8285 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8288 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8290 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8291 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8292 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8293 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8295 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8298 @node Article Hiding
8299 @subsection Article Hiding
8300 @cindex article hiding
8302 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8303 too much cruft in most articles.
8308 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8309 @findex gnus-article-hide
8310 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8311 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8312 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8315 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8316 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8317 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8321 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8322 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8323 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8324 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8327 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8328 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8329 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8333 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8334 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8335 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8336 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8337 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8338 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8339 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8340 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8344 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8345 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8346 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8347 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8352 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8353 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8354 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8355 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8358 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8359 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8360 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8361 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8364 @cindex stripping advertisements
8365 @cindex advertisements
8366 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8367 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8368 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8369 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8370 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8371 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8372 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8373 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8374 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8375 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8378 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8379 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8380 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8384 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8385 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8386 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8387 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8388 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8389 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8390 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8391 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8392 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8393 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8394 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8397 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8398 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8404 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8405 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8406 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8407 customizing the hiding:
8411 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8412 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8413 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8414 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8415 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8416 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8417 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8422 Starting point of the hidden text.
8424 Ending point of the hidden text.
8426 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8428 Number of lines of hidden text.
8431 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8432 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8433 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8434 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8435 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8440 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8441 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8443 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8444 following two variables:
8447 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8448 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8449 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8450 50), hide the cited text.
8452 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8453 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8454 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8459 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8460 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8461 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8462 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8463 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8464 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8468 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8469 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8470 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8472 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8473 citation customization.
8475 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8479 @node Article Washing
8480 @subsection Article Washing
8482 @cindex article washing
8484 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8485 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8487 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8488 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8491 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8492 articles by default.
8497 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8498 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8502 Force redisplaying of the current article
8503 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8504 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8505 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8506 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8509 @kindex W l (Summary)
8510 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8511 Remove page breaks from the current article
8512 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8516 @kindex W r (Summary)
8517 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8518 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8519 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8520 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8521 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8522 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8524 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8525 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8526 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8527 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8530 @kindex W m (Summary)
8531 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8532 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8535 @kindex W i (Summary)
8536 @findex gnus-summary-idna-message
8537 Decode IDNA encoded domain names in the current articles. IDNA
8538 encoded domain names looks like @samp{xn--bar}. If a string remain
8539 unencoded after running invoking this, it is likely an invalid IDNA
8540 string (@samp{xn--bar} is invalid). You must have GNU Libidn
8541 (@url{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/}) installed for this command
8546 @kindex W t (Summary)
8548 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8549 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8550 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8553 @kindex W v (Summary)
8554 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8555 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8556 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8559 @kindex W m (Summary)
8560 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
8561 Toggle whether to run the article through @acronym{MIME} before
8562 displaying (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
8565 @kindex W o (Summary)
8566 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8567 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8570 @kindex W d (Summary)
8571 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8572 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8574 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8576 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8577 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8578 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8579 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8582 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8583 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8584 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8585 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8588 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8589 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8590 @cindex Outlook Express
8591 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8592 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8593 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8596 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8597 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8598 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8599 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8600 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8601 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8602 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8603 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
8604 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8605 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8608 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8609 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8610 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
8611 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8614 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8615 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8616 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8617 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8620 @kindex W w (Summary)
8621 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8622 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8624 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8628 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8629 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8630 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8633 @kindex W C (Summary)
8634 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8635 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8636 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8639 @kindex W c (Summary)
8640 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8641 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8642 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8643 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8644 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8646 @kindex W q (Summary)
8647 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8648 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8649 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
8650 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
8651 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
8652 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
8653 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8654 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8655 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8658 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8659 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8660 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
8661 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
8662 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
8663 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8664 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8665 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8668 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8669 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8670 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8671 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8672 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8675 @kindex W A (Summary)
8676 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
8677 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
8678 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
8679 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
8680 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
8683 @kindex W u (Summary)
8684 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8685 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8686 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8687 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8688 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8691 @kindex W h (Summary)
8692 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8693 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8694 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8695 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
8697 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8699 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8700 The default is to use the function specified by
8701 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
8702 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
8703 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
8704 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8712 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
8715 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
8718 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
8721 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
8726 @kindex W b (Summary)
8727 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8728 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8729 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8732 @kindex W B (Summary)
8733 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8734 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8735 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8738 @kindex W p (Summary)
8739 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8740 Verify a signed control message
8741 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
8742 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
8743 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
8744 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8745 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
8746 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8749 @kindex W s (Summary)
8750 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8751 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
8752 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
8753 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8756 @kindex W a (Summary)
8757 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8758 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8759 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8762 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8763 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8764 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8765 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8768 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8769 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8770 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8771 lines with a single empty line.
8772 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8775 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8776 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8777 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8778 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8781 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8782 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8783 Do all the three commands above
8784 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8787 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8788 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8789 Remove all blank lines
8790 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8793 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8794 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8795 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8796 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8799 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8800 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8801 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8802 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8806 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8809 @node Article Header
8810 @subsection Article Header
8812 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8817 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8818 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8819 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8822 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8823 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8824 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8825 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8828 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8829 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8830 Fold all the message headers
8831 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8834 @kindex W E w (Summary)
8835 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8836 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8837 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8842 @node Article Buttons
8843 @subsection Article Buttons
8846 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8847 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8848 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8849 button on these references.
8851 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8852 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8853 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
8854 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
8855 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
8859 @item gnus-button-alist
8860 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8861 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8864 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8870 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8871 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8872 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8873 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8874 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
8877 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8878 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8879 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8882 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8883 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8884 avoid false matches. Often variables named
8885 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
8886 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
8888 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
8891 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8894 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8895 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8899 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8902 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8905 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8906 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8907 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8908 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8909 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8912 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8915 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8918 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
8921 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
8922 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
8924 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
8926 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8927 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8928 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8929 default values of the variables above.
8931 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
8933 @item gnus-button-man-handler
8934 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8935 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
8936 argument with a string naming the man page.
8938 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
8940 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8941 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8942 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
8944 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8945 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8946 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
8947 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
8948 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
8949 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
8950 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
8951 @code{ask}, always query the user what do do. If it is a function, this
8952 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
8953 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
8954 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
8955 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8957 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8958 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8959 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
8960 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
8961 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
8964 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8965 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8966 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
8967 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8969 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
8971 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
8972 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
8973 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
8974 argument, the string naming the URL.
8977 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
8978 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
8979 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
8983 @item gnus-article-button-face
8984 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8985 Face used on buttons.
8987 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8988 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8989 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8993 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8996 @node Article Button Levels
8997 @subsection Article button levels
8998 @cindex button levels
8999 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
9000 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
9001 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
9002 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
9003 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
9004 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
9005 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
9006 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
9009 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
9010 (setq gnus-parameters
9011 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
9012 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
9013 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
9018 @item gnus-button-browse-level
9019 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
9020 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
9021 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
9022 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
9023 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
9025 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
9026 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
9027 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
9028 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
9029 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
9030 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
9031 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
9032 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
9033 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
9034 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
9035 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
9036 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
9037 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
9039 @item gnus-button-man-level
9040 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
9041 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
9042 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
9044 @item gnus-button-message-level
9045 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
9046 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
9047 Related variables and functions include
9048 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
9049 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
9050 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
9051 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
9053 @item gnus-button-tex-level
9054 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
9055 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
9056 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
9057 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
9058 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
9059 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
9065 @subsection Article Date
9067 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
9068 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
9069 when the article was sent.
9074 @kindex W T u (Summary)
9075 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
9076 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
9077 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
9080 @kindex W T i (Summary)
9081 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
9083 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
9084 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
9087 @kindex W T l (Summary)
9088 @findex gnus-article-date-local
9089 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
9092 @kindex W T p (Summary)
9093 @findex gnus-article-date-english
9094 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
9095 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
9098 @kindex W T s (Summary)
9099 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
9100 @findex gnus-article-date-user
9101 @findex format-time-string
9102 Display the date using a user-defined format
9103 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
9104 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
9105 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
9106 for a list of possible format specs.
9109 @kindex W T e (Summary)
9110 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
9111 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
9112 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
9113 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
9114 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
9117 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
9120 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
9121 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
9122 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
9125 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
9126 into wonderful absurdities.
9128 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
9131 (gnus-start-date-timer)
9134 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
9135 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
9139 @kindex W T o (Summary)
9140 @findex gnus-article-date-original
9141 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
9142 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
9143 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
9144 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
9145 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
9149 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
9150 preferred format automatically.
9153 @node Article Display
9154 @subsection Article Display
9159 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
9160 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
9162 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
9163 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
9165 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
9166 headers (@pxref{Face}).
9168 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
9169 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
9171 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
9172 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
9174 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
9179 @kindex W D x (Summary)
9180 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
9181 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
9182 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
9185 @kindex W D d (Summary)
9186 @findex gnus-article-display-face
9187 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
9188 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
9191 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9192 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9193 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9196 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9197 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9198 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9201 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9202 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9203 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9204 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9207 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9208 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9209 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9210 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9213 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9214 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9215 Remove all images from the article buffer
9216 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9222 @node Article Signature
9223 @subsection Article Signature
9225 @cindex article signature
9227 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9228 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9229 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9230 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9231 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9232 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9233 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9234 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9235 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9238 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9239 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9240 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9241 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9242 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9243 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9244 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9245 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9248 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9251 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9252 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9253 signature when displaying articles.
9257 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9260 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9263 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9264 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9266 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9267 in question is not a signature.
9270 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9271 listed above. Here's an example:
9274 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9275 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9278 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9279 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9280 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9281 signature after all.
9284 @node Article Miscellanea
9285 @subsection Article Miscellanea
9289 @kindex A t (Summary)
9290 @findex gnus-article-babel
9291 Translate the article from one language to another
9292 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9298 @section MIME Commands
9299 @cindex MIME decoding
9301 @cindex viewing attachments
9303 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9304 instance, @kbd{3 K v} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9310 @kindex K v (Summary)
9311 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9314 @kindex K o (Summary)
9315 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9318 @kindex K O (Summary)
9319 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} part and strip it
9320 from the article. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred
9321 via the message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
9324 @kindex K r (Summary)
9325 Replace the @acronym{MIME} part with an external body.
9328 @kindex K d (Summary)
9329 Delete the @acronym{MIME} part and add some information about the
9333 @kindex K c (Summary)
9334 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9337 @kindex K e (Summary)
9338 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9341 @kindex K i (Summary)
9342 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9345 @kindex K | (Summary)
9346 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9349 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9354 @kindex K b (Summary)
9355 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9356 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9360 @kindex K m (Summary)
9361 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9362 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9363 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9364 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9365 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9368 @kindex X m (Summary)
9369 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9370 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9371 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9372 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9375 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9376 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9377 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9378 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9381 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9382 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9383 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9384 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9387 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9388 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9389 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9390 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9392 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9393 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9394 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9395 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9396 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9397 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9400 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9401 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9402 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9403 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9410 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9411 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9412 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9413 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9416 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9419 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9423 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9424 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9425 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9426 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9427 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9428 default is @code{nil}.
9430 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9431 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9432 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9433 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9434 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9435 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9436 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9438 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9439 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9440 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9441 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9442 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9443 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9444 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9445 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9447 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9448 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9449 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9450 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9451 displayed. This variable overrides
9452 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9453 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9456 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9457 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9458 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9460 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9461 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9462 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9463 default value is @code{nil}.
9465 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9466 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9467 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9468 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9469 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9470 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9471 save all jpegs into some directory).
9473 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9476 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9477 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9479 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9480 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9481 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9482 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9483 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9486 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9487 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9488 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9490 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9491 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9492 Display "multipart/alternative" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9494 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9495 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9496 Display "multipart/related" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9498 If displaying "text/html" is discouraged, see
9499 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} in @ref{Display Customization,
9500 Display Customization, , emacs-mime, Emacs-Mime Manual}. Images or
9501 other material inside a "multipart/related" part might be overlooked
9502 when this variable is @code{nil}.
9504 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9505 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9506 Display "multipart" parts as "multipart/mixed". If @code{t}, it
9507 overrides @code{nil} values of
9508 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed} and
9509 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed}.
9511 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9512 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9513 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9514 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9516 Ready-made functions include@*
9517 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9518 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9519 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9520 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9521 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9522 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9523 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9524 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9525 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9526 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9527 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9528 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9530 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9531 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9533 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9534 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9535 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9538 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9539 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9540 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9541 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9545 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9554 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
9555 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9556 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
9557 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9558 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9559 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9560 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp}.
9562 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9563 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9564 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9565 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9567 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9568 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
9569 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9570 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9571 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9572 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9573 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9574 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9575 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9577 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9578 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9579 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
9580 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9581 quoted-printable header encoding.
9583 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9584 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9585 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9589 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9592 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9593 means encode all charsets),
9595 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9596 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9597 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9604 @cindex coding system aliases
9605 @cindex preferred charset
9607 @xref{Encoding Customization, , Encoding Customization, emacs-mime,
9608 The Emacs MIME Manual}, for additional variables that control which
9609 MIME charsets are used when sending messages.
9611 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9613 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9614 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9617 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9618 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9621 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9622 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
9624 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9627 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9630 This will almost do the right thing.
9632 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9636 (codepage-setup 1251)
9637 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9641 @node Article Commands
9642 @section Article Commands
9649 @kindex A P (Summary)
9650 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9651 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9652 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9653 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9654 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9655 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9660 @node Summary Sorting
9661 @section Summary Sorting
9662 @cindex summary sorting
9664 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9665 can't really see why you'd want that.
9670 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9671 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9672 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9675 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9676 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9677 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9680 @kindex C-c C-s C-t (Summary)
9681 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient
9682 Sort by recipient (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient}).
9685 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9686 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9687 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9690 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9691 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9692 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9695 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9696 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9697 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9700 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9701 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9702 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9705 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9706 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9707 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9710 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9711 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9712 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9715 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9716 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9717 Sort using the default sorting method
9718 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9721 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9722 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9723 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9724 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9725 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9729 @node Finding the Parent
9730 @section Finding the Parent
9731 @cindex parent articles
9732 @cindex referring articles
9737 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9738 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9739 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9740 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
9741 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9742 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9743 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9744 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9745 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9747 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9748 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9749 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
9750 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9751 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9755 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9756 @kindex A R (Summary)
9757 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9758 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9761 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9762 @kindex A T (Summary)
9763 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9764 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9765 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9766 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9767 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9768 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9769 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9771 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9772 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9773 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9774 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9775 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9776 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9779 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9780 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9782 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9783 You can also ask Gnus for an arbitrary article, no matter what group it
9784 belongs to. @kbd{M-^} (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you
9785 for a @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read
9786 thingies that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}.
9787 You have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9789 Gnus looks for the @code{Message-ID} in the headers that have already
9790 been fetched, but also tries all the select methods specified by
9791 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} if it is not found.
9794 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9795 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9796 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9797 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
9798 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
9799 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9802 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9803 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9804 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9807 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9808 then ask Google if that fails:
9811 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9813 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9816 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9817 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9818 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
9819 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9820 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
9821 group. (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does
9822 not support this at all.
9825 @node Alternative Approaches
9826 @section Alternative Approaches
9828 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9829 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9832 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9833 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9838 @subsection Pick and Read
9839 @cindex pick and read
9841 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9842 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9843 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9844 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9846 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9847 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9848 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9849 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9850 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9851 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9853 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9858 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9859 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9860 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9861 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9862 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9863 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9864 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9865 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9868 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9869 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9870 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9871 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9875 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9876 Unpick the thread or article
9877 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9878 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9879 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9880 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9881 the thread or article at that line.
9885 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9886 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9887 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9888 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9889 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9890 will still be visible when you are reading.
9894 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9895 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9896 which is mapped to the same function
9897 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9899 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9902 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9905 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9906 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9908 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9909 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9910 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9912 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9913 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9914 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9915 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9916 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9917 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9918 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9922 @subsection Binary Groups
9923 @cindex binary groups
9925 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9926 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9927 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9928 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9929 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9930 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9931 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9934 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9935 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9936 command, when you have turned on this mode
9937 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9939 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9940 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9944 @section Tree Display
9947 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9948 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
9949 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9950 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9953 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9956 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9957 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9958 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9960 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9961 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9962 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9963 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9964 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9966 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9967 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9968 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9969 default is @code{modeline}.
9971 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9972 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9973 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9974 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9975 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9976 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9977 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9983 The name of the poster.
9985 The @code{From} header.
9987 The number of the article.
9989 The opening bracket.
9991 The closing bracket.
9996 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9998 Variables related to the display are:
10001 @item gnus-tree-brackets
10002 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
10003 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
10004 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
10006 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
10007 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
10008 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
10010 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
10012 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
10013 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
10014 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
10015 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
10019 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
10020 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
10021 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
10022 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
10023 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
10024 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
10025 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
10026 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
10027 other windows displayed next to it.
10029 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
10033 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
10034 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
10037 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
10038 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
10039 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
10040 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
10041 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
10042 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
10043 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
10047 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
10050 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
10060 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
10065 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
10066 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
10068 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
10070 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
10076 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
10077 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
10078 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
10081 (setq gnus-use-trees t
10082 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
10083 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
10084 (gnus-add-configuration
10088 (summary 0.75 point)
10093 @xref{Window Layout}.
10096 @node Mail Group Commands
10097 @section Mail Group Commands
10098 @cindex mail group commands
10100 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
10101 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
10103 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
10104 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10109 @kindex B e (Summary)
10110 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
10111 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
10112 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
10113 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
10114 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
10117 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
10118 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
10119 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
10120 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
10121 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
10122 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
10125 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
10126 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
10127 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
10128 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
10129 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
10130 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
10133 @kindex B m (Summary)
10135 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
10136 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
10137 Move the article from one mail group to another
10138 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10139 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10142 @kindex B c (Summary)
10144 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
10145 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
10146 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
10147 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10148 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10151 @kindex B B (Summary)
10152 @cindex crosspost mail
10153 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
10154 Crosspost the current article to some other group
10155 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
10156 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
10157 be properly updated.
10160 @kindex B i (Summary)
10161 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
10162 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
10163 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
10164 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10167 @kindex B I (Summary)
10168 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
10169 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
10170 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
10171 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10174 @kindex B r (Summary)
10175 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
10176 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
10177 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
10178 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
10179 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
10180 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
10181 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
10182 (which is the default).
10186 @kindex B w (Summary)
10187 @kindex e (Summary)
10188 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
10189 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
10190 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
10191 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
10192 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
10193 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
10194 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
10197 @kindex B q (Summary)
10198 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
10199 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
10200 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
10201 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
10204 @kindex B t (Summary)
10205 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
10206 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
10207 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
10210 @kindex B p (Summary)
10211 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
10212 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
10213 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
10214 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
10215 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
10216 article from your news server (or rather, from
10217 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
10218 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
10219 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
10220 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
10221 just not have arrived yet.
10224 @kindex K E (Summary)
10225 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
10226 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
10227 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
10228 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
10229 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
10233 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
10234 @cindex moving articles
10235 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
10236 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10237 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10238 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10239 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10240 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10241 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10244 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10245 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10246 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10247 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10251 @node Various Summary Stuff
10252 @section Various Summary Stuff
10255 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10256 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10257 * Summary Generation Commands::
10258 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10262 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10263 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10264 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10265 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10266 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10267 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10269 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
10270 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
10271 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
10274 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10275 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10276 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10278 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10279 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10280 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10281 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10282 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10283 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10286 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10287 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10288 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10289 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10290 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10292 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10293 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10294 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10297 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10298 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10299 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10300 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10301 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10302 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10303 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
10304 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10305 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10306 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10308 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10309 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10310 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10311 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10312 list of articles to be selected.
10314 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10315 the list in one particular group:
10318 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10319 (if (string= group "some.group")
10320 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10324 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10325 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10326 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10327 variables and their default expressions to be evalled (when the default
10328 values are not @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary
10331 Note: The default expressions will be evaluated (using function
10332 @code{eval}) before assignment to the local variable rather than just
10333 assigned to it. If the default expression is the symbol @code{global},
10334 that symbol will not be evaluated but the global value of the local
10335 variable will be used instead.
10337 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
10338 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
10339 buffers. For example:
10342 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10343 '(message-use-followup-to
10344 (gnus-visible-headers .
10345 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10348 Also @pxref{Group Parameters}.
10352 @node Summary Group Information
10353 @subsection Summary Group Information
10358 @kindex H f (Summary)
10359 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
10360 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
10361 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} (list of frequently asked questions)
10362 for the current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try
10363 to get the @acronym{FAQ} from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which
10364 is usually a directory on a remote machine. This variable can also be
10365 a list of directories. In that case, giving a prefix to this command
10366 will allow you to choose between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp}
10367 or @code{efs} will probably be used for fetching the file.
10370 @kindex H d (Summary)
10371 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10372 Give a brief description of the current group
10373 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10374 rereading the description from the server.
10377 @kindex H h (Summary)
10378 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10379 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10380 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10383 @kindex H i (Summary)
10384 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10385 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10389 @node Searching for Articles
10390 @subsection Searching for Articles
10395 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10396 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10397 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10398 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10401 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10402 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10403 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10404 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10407 @kindex & (Summary)
10408 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10409 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10410 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10411 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10412 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10413 search backward instead.
10415 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
10416 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10419 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10420 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10421 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10422 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10425 @node Summary Generation Commands
10426 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10431 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10432 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10433 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10436 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10437 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10438 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10439 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10442 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10443 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10444 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10445 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10450 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10451 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10457 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10458 @kindex A D (Summary)
10459 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10460 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10461 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10462 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10463 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10464 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10465 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10466 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10470 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10471 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10472 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10473 several documents into one biiig group
10474 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10475 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10476 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10477 command understands the process/prefix convention
10478 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10481 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10482 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10483 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10484 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10485 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10486 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10489 @kindex = (Summary)
10490 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10491 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10492 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10495 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10496 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10497 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10498 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10501 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10502 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10503 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10504 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10509 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10510 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10511 @cindex summary exit
10512 @cindex exiting groups
10514 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10515 group and return you to the group buffer.
10522 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10523 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
10524 @kindex q (Summary)
10525 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10526 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10527 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10528 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10529 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10530 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10531 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10532 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10533 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10534 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10535 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10536 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10540 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10541 @kindex Q (Summary)
10542 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10543 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10544 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10548 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10549 @kindex c (Summary)
10550 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10551 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10552 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10553 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10556 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10557 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10558 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10559 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10562 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10563 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10564 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10565 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10568 @kindex Z p (Summary)
10569 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group
10570 Mark all articles as read and go to the previous group
10571 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group}).
10575 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10576 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
10577 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10578 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10579 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10580 all articles, both read and unread.
10584 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10585 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10586 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10587 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10588 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10589 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10590 articles, both read and unread.
10593 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10594 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10595 Exit the group and go to the next group
10596 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10599 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10600 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10601 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10602 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10605 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10606 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10607 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10608 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10609 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10610 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10613 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10614 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10615 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10616 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10618 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10619 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10620 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10621 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10622 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10623 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10624 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10625 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10626 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10627 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10628 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10629 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10631 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10633 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10634 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10635 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10636 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10637 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10638 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10639 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10640 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10641 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10644 @node Crosspost Handling
10645 @section Crosspost Handling
10649 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10650 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10651 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10652 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10653 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10654 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10657 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10658 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10659 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10660 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10661 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10663 @cindex cross-posting
10665 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
10666 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10667 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
10668 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10669 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
10670 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10671 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10672 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10673 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10674 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10675 the cross reference mechanism.
10677 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10678 @cindex overview.fmt
10679 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10680 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10681 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10682 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10683 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10684 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10687 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10688 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10689 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10694 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10697 @node Duplicate Suppression
10698 @section Duplicate Suppression
10700 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10701 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10702 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10703 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10708 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10709 is evil and not very common.
10712 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10713 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10716 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10717 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
10720 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10723 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10724 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10726 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10727 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10728 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10729 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10730 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10731 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10732 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10735 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10736 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10737 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10738 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10739 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10740 saw the article in.
10743 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10744 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10745 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10747 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10748 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10749 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10750 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10751 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
10752 session are suppressed.
10754 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10755 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10756 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10757 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10759 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10760 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10761 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10762 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10765 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
10766 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10767 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10768 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10769 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
10770 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10771 to you to figure out, I think.
10776 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10777 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
10778 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
10783 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
10784 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
10785 to GnuPG included with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG
10786 Manual}), but Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10789 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10790 or newer is recommended.
10794 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10795 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10798 @item mm-verify-option
10799 @vindex mm-verify-option
10800 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10801 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10802 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10804 @item mm-decrypt-option
10805 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10806 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10807 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10808 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10811 @vindex mml1991-use
10812 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10813 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10814 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10818 @vindex mml2015-use
10819 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10820 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10821 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10826 @cindex snarfing keys
10827 @cindex importing PGP keys
10828 @cindex PGP key ring import
10829 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
10830 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
10831 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
10832 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
10833 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
10834 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
10835 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
10836 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
10837 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
10840 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
10843 This happens to also be the default action defined in
10844 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
10847 @section Mailing List
10848 @cindex mailing list
10851 @kindex A M (summary)
10852 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10853 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10854 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10855 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10858 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10863 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10864 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10865 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10868 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10869 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10870 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10873 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10874 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10875 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10879 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10880 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10881 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10884 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10885 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10886 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10889 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10890 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
10891 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10896 @node Article Buffer
10897 @chapter Article Buffer
10898 @cindex article buffer
10900 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10901 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10902 tell gnus otherwise.
10905 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10906 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
10907 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10908 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10909 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10913 @node Hiding Headers
10914 @section Hiding Headers
10915 @cindex hiding headers
10916 @cindex deleting headers
10918 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10919 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10921 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10922 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10923 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10924 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10925 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10926 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10927 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
10928 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10929 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10931 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10935 @item gnus-visible-headers
10936 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10937 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10938 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10939 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10941 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10942 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10945 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10948 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10951 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10952 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10953 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10954 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10955 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10956 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10958 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
10959 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
10962 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10965 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10968 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10969 variable will have no effect.
10973 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10974 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10975 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10976 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10977 the headers are to be displayed.
10979 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10980 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10983 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10986 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10987 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10989 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10990 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10991 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10992 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10993 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10994 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
10995 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10998 These conditions are:
11001 Remove all empty headers.
11003 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
11004 @code{Newsgroups} header.
11006 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
11007 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
11010 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
11013 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
11014 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
11016 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
11017 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
11019 Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
11020 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
11022 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
11025 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
11027 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
11030 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
11033 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
11034 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
11037 This is also the default value for this variable.
11041 @section Using MIME
11042 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11044 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
11045 while people stand around yawning.
11047 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
11048 while all newsreaders die of fear.
11050 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
11051 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
11052 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
11054 @vindex gnus-show-mime
11055 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
11056 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
11057 gnus handles @acronym{MIME} by pushing the articles through
11058 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
11059 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
11060 calls the @acronym{SEMI} MIME-View program to actually do the work. For
11061 more information on @acronym{SEMI} MIME-View, see its manual page
11062 (however it is not existed yet, sorry).
11064 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
11065 @acronym{MIME} all the time. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime} set,
11066 then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article buffer.
11067 These can't be avoided.
11069 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
11070 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
11071 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
11072 @acronym{MIME} has decoded the sound file in the article and some
11073 horrible sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you
11074 can't find the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are
11075 starting to look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't,
11076 and you can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else
11077 in the room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll
11078 feel rather stupid.)
11080 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
11082 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
11083 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
11084 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
11085 buffer when there are nobody else.
11087 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
11090 @node Customizing Articles
11091 @section Customizing Articles
11092 @cindex article customization
11094 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
11095 exist. You can call these functions interactively
11096 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
11097 called automatically when you select the articles.
11099 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
11100 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
11101 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
11102 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
11104 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
11105 for sensible values.
11109 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
11112 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
11115 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
11118 @code{first}: Do this treatment on the first body part.
11121 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last body part.
11124 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
11128 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
11129 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
11130 regexps in the list.
11133 A list where the first element is not a string:
11135 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
11136 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
11137 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
11141 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
11145 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
11150 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
11151 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
11152 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
11153 considered to contain just a single part.
11155 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
11156 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
11157 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
11158 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
11159 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
11160 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
11161 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
11163 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
11164 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
11165 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
11166 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
11169 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
11170 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
11172 @xref{Article Buttons}.
11174 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
11175 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
11176 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
11177 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
11178 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, first, integer)
11179 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
11180 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
11181 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
11182 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
11183 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
11184 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset (t, integer)
11186 @xref{Article Washing}.
11188 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
11189 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
11190 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
11191 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
11192 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
11193 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
11194 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
11196 @xref{Article Date}.
11198 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
11199 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
11200 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
11204 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
11206 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
11208 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
11209 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
11210 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
11214 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
11218 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
11222 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
11223 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
11224 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
11225 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
11226 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
11227 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
11228 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
11229 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
11230 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
11231 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
11233 @xref{Article Hiding}.
11235 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
11236 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
11237 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
11239 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
11241 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
11242 @item gnus-treat-translate
11243 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
11244 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
11246 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
11247 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
11248 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
11249 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
11251 @xref{Article Header}.
11256 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
11257 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
11258 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
11259 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
11260 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
11264 @node Article Keymap
11265 @section Article Keymap
11267 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
11268 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
11269 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
11270 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
11273 A few additional keystrokes are available:
11278 @kindex SPACE (Article)
11279 @findex gnus-article-next-page
11280 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
11281 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
11284 @kindex DEL (Article)
11285 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
11286 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
11287 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
11290 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
11291 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
11292 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
11293 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
11294 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
11297 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
11298 @findex gnus-article-mail
11299 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
11300 given a prefix, include the mail.
11303 @kindex s (Article)
11304 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
11305 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
11306 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
11309 @kindex ? (Article)
11310 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
11311 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
11312 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
11315 @kindex TAB (Article)
11316 @findex gnus-article-next-button
11317 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
11318 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
11321 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
11322 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
11323 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
11326 @kindex R (Article)
11327 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
11328 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
11329 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
11330 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11334 @kindex F (Article)
11335 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
11336 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
11337 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
11338 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11346 @section Misc Article
11350 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
11351 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
11352 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
11353 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
11356 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
11357 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
11358 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11359 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
11360 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
11362 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
11363 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
11364 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
11365 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
11366 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
11367 the contents of the article buffer.
11369 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
11370 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
11371 Hook called in article mode buffers.
11373 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11374 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11375 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
11376 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
11378 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
11379 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
11380 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
11381 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
11383 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
11384 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
11385 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
11386 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Summary Buffer Mode
11387 Line}). It accepts the same format specifications as that variable,
11388 with two extensions:
11393 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
11394 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
11395 performed. The characters and their meaning:
11400 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
11403 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
11406 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
11407 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
11408 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
11411 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
11414 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
11417 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
11422 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
11426 @vindex gnus-break-pages
11428 @item gnus-break-pages
11429 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
11430 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
11431 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
11432 paging will not be done.
11434 @item gnus-page-delimiter
11435 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
11436 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
11440 @cindex internationalized domain names
11441 @vindex gnus-use-idna
11442 @item gnus-use-idna
11443 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
11444 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
11445 @samp{Cc} headers. @xref{IDNA, ,IDNA,message, The Message Manual},
11446 for how to compose such messages. This requires
11447 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
11448 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
11453 @node Composing Messages
11454 @chapter Composing Messages
11455 @cindex composing messages
11458 @cindex sending mail
11463 @cindex using s/mime
11464 @cindex using smime
11466 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
11467 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
11468 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
11469 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
11470 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
11471 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
11474 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
11475 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
11476 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
11477 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
11478 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
11479 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
11480 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
11481 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
11482 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
11485 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
11486 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
11492 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
11495 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
11496 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
11497 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
11498 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
11499 @code{nil} include all headers.
11501 @item gnus-add-to-list
11502 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11503 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11504 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11506 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11507 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11508 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you for a confirmation when you are
11509 about to reply to news articles by mail. If it is @code{nil}, nothing
11510 interferes in what you want to do. This can also be a function
11511 receiving the group name as the only parameter which should return
11512 non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is needed, or a regular expression
11513 matching group names, where confirmation should be asked for.
11515 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11516 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
11518 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11519 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11520 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11521 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11522 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11527 @node Posting Server
11528 @section Posting Server
11530 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11531 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11533 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11535 It can be quite complicated.
11537 @vindex gnus-post-method
11538 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11539 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11540 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11541 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11542 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11543 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11544 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11545 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11546 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11549 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11552 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11553 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11554 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11555 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11557 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11558 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11560 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11561 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11564 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11565 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11567 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11568 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11569 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11570 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11571 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @acronym{SMTP}
11572 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11573 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11574 package correctly. An example:
11577 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11578 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11579 ;; @r{The following variable needs to be set if you are using smtpmail.el}
11580 ;; @r{distributed with FLIM, lesser than the version 1.14.6.}
11581 (setq smtp-default-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11584 To the thing similar to this, there is
11585 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}. It is useful if your @acronym{ISP}
11586 requires the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication.
11587 @xref{POP before SMTP}.
11589 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11590 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11591 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11593 @node POP before SMTP
11594 @section POP before SMTP
11595 @cindex pop before smtp
11596 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
11597 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
11599 Does your @acronym{ISP} require the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
11600 authentication? It is whether you need to connect to the @acronym{POP}
11601 mail server within a certain time before sending mails. If so, there is
11602 a convenient way. To do that, put the following lines in your
11603 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
11606 (setq message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
11607 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
11611 It means to let Gnus connect to the @acronym{POP} mail server in advance
11612 whenever you send a mail. The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function
11613 does only a @acronym{POP} authentication according to the value of
11614 @code{mail-sources} without fetching mails, just before sending a mail.
11615 Note that you have to use @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} which runs
11616 @code{message-send-mail-hook} rather than @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
11617 set the value of @code{mail-sources} for a @acronym{POP} connection
11618 correctly. @xref{Mail Sources}.
11620 If you have two or more @acronym{POP} mail servers set in
11621 @code{mail-sources}, you may want to specify one of them to
11622 @code{mail-source-primary-source} as the @acronym{POP} mail server to be
11623 used for the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. If it
11624 is your primary @acronym{POP} mail server (i.e., you are fetching mails
11625 mainly from that server), you can set it permanently as follows:
11628 (setq mail-source-primary-source
11629 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11630 :password "secret"))
11634 Otherwise, bind it dynamically only when performing the
11635 @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication as follows:
11638 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook
11640 (let ((mail-source-primary-source
11641 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11642 :password "secret")))
11643 (mail-source-touch-pop))))
11646 @node Mail and Post
11647 @section Mail and Post
11649 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11653 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11654 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11655 @cindex mailing lists
11657 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11658 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
11659 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11660 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11661 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11662 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11663 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11664 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11665 still a pain, though.
11667 @item gnus-user-agent
11668 @vindex gnus-user-agent
11671 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
11672 User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
11673 Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
11674 @code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
11675 configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
11676 system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
11677 use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
11681 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11682 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11683 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11686 @findex ispell-message
11688 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11691 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11692 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11695 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11699 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11700 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11702 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11705 Modify to suit your needs.
11708 @node Archived Messages
11709 @section Archived Messages
11710 @cindex archived messages
11711 @cindex sent messages
11713 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11714 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11715 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11716 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11719 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11720 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11723 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11724 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
11725 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11728 (nnfolder "archive"
11729 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11730 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11731 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11732 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11735 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11736 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11737 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11738 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11741 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11742 '(nnfolder "archive"
11743 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11744 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11745 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11748 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11750 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11751 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11752 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11754 This variable can be used to do the following:
11758 Messages will be saved in that group.
11760 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11761 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11762 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11763 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11764 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11765 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11766 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11767 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11770 @item a list of strings
11771 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11773 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11774 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11777 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11782 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11784 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11787 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11789 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11792 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11794 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11795 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11796 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11797 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11800 More complex stuff:
11802 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11803 '((if (message-news-p)
11808 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11809 messages in one file per month:
11812 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11813 '((if (message-news-p)
11815 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11818 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11819 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11821 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11822 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11823 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11824 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11825 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11826 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11827 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11828 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11829 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11830 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11832 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11833 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11834 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11835 this will disable archiving.
11838 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11839 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11840 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11841 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11842 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11845 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11846 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11847 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11850 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11851 but the latter is the preferred method.
11853 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11854 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11855 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11857 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11858 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11859 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11860 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11861 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11862 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11863 changed in the future.
11868 @node Posting Styles
11869 @section Posting Styles
11870 @cindex posting styles
11873 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11875 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11876 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11877 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11880 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11881 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11882 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11883 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11884 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11889 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11890 (organization "What me?"))
11892 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11893 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11894 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11897 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11898 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11899 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11900 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11901 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11902 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11903 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11904 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11906 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11907 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11908 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
11909 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
11910 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
11911 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
11912 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
11913 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11914 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
11915 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11916 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11917 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
11918 said to @dfn{match}.
11920 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11921 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. In
11922 addition, you can also use the @code{(@var{name} :file @var{value})}
11923 form or the @code{(@var{name} :value @var{value})} form. Where
11924 @code{:file} signifies @var{value} represents a file name and its
11925 contents should be used as the attribute value, @code{:value} signifies
11926 @var{value} does not represent a file name explicitly. The attribute
11927 name can be one of:
11930 @item @code{signature}
11931 @item @code{signature-file}
11932 @item @code{x-face-file}
11933 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
11934 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
11938 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
11939 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
11940 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
11941 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
11942 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
11944 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11945 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11946 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11947 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11948 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11949 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11950 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11951 references chars lines xref extra.
11953 @vindex message-reply-headers
11955 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11956 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11957 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11959 @findex message-mail-p
11960 @findex message-news-p
11962 So here's a new example:
11965 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11967 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11969 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11970 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11972 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11973 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
11974 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11975 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
11976 (signature my-news-signature))
11977 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
11978 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11979 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
11980 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11981 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11982 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
11983 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11984 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11985 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11986 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11988 (From (save-excursion
11989 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11990 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11992 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11995 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11996 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11997 if you fill many roles.
11999 Setting the @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} variable will make
12000 posting-styles allow to have distinctive names. You can specify an
12001 arbitrary posting-style when article posting with @kbd{S P} in the
12002 summary buffer. @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} is an alist which maps
12003 the names to styles. Once a posting-style is added to the alist, we can
12004 import it from @code{gnus-posting-styles}. If an attribute whose name
12005 is @code{import} is found, Gnus will look for the attribute value in
12006 @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} and expand it in place.
12011 (setq gnus-named-posting-styles
12013 (signature-file "~/.signature")
12015 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
12016 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
12019 (organization "The Church of Emacs"))))
12022 The posting-style named "Emacs" will inherit all the attributes from
12023 "Default" except @code{organization}.
12030 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
12031 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
12032 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
12033 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
12034 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
12036 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
12037 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
12038 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
12039 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
12040 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
12044 @vindex nndraft-directory
12045 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
12046 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
12047 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
12048 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
12049 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
12050 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
12052 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
12053 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
12054 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
12055 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
12056 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
12057 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
12058 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
12059 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
12060 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
12062 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
12063 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
12064 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
12065 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
12066 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
12067 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
12068 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
12069 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
12070 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
12071 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
12072 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
12073 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
12074 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
12075 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
12077 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
12078 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
12079 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
12081 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
12082 @kindex D e (Draft)
12083 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
12084 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
12085 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
12087 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
12090 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
12091 @kindex D s (Draft)
12092 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
12093 @kindex D S (Draft)
12094 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
12095 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
12096 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
12097 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
12098 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
12101 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
12102 @kindex D t (Draft)
12103 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
12104 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
12105 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
12108 @node Rejected Articles
12109 @section Rejected Articles
12110 @cindex rejected articles
12112 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
12113 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
12114 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
12115 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
12117 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
12118 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
12119 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
12120 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
12121 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
12123 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
12124 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
12125 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
12127 @node Signing and encrypting
12128 @section Signing and encrypting
12130 @cindex using s/mime
12131 @cindex using smime
12133 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
12134 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
12135 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
12136 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
12138 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
12139 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
12140 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
12141 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
12142 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
12143 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
12144 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
12145 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
12146 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
12147 automatically encrypted messages.
12149 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
12150 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
12151 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
12156 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
12157 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
12159 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12162 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
12163 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12165 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12168 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
12169 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12171 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12174 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
12175 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
12177 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12180 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
12181 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
12183 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12186 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
12187 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
12189 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12192 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
12193 @findex mml-unsecure-message
12194 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
12198 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
12200 @node Select Methods
12201 @chapter Select Methods
12202 @cindex foreign groups
12203 @cindex select methods
12205 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
12206 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
12207 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
12208 personal mail group.
12210 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
12211 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
12212 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
12213 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
12214 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
12215 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
12217 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
12218 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
12220 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
12223 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
12224 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
12225 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
12226 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
12227 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
12229 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
12232 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
12233 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
12234 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
12235 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
12236 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
12237 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
12238 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
12239 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
12240 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
12244 @node Server Buffer
12245 @section Server Buffer
12247 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
12248 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
12249 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
12250 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
12251 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
12252 back end represents a virtual server.
12254 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
12255 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
12256 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
12257 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
12259 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
12260 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
12261 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
12262 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
12263 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
12264 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
12265 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
12267 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
12268 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
12271 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
12272 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
12273 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
12274 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
12275 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
12276 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
12277 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
12280 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
12281 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
12284 @node Server Buffer Format
12285 @subsection Server Buffer Format
12286 @cindex server buffer format
12288 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
12289 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
12290 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
12291 variable, with some simple extensions:
12296 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
12299 The name of this server.
12302 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
12305 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
12308 Whether this server is agentized.
12311 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
12312 The mode line can also be customized by using the
12313 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
12314 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
12324 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
12327 @node Server Commands
12328 @subsection Server Commands
12329 @cindex server commands
12335 @findex gnus-server-add-server
12336 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
12340 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
12341 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
12344 @kindex SPACE (Server)
12345 @findex gnus-server-read-server
12346 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
12350 @findex gnus-server-exit
12351 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
12355 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
12356 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
12360 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
12361 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
12365 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
12366 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
12370 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
12371 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
12375 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
12376 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
12377 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
12382 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
12383 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
12384 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
12385 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
12390 @node Example Methods
12391 @subsection Example Methods
12393 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
12396 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
12399 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
12405 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
12406 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
12409 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
12410 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
12412 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
12413 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
12417 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
12420 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
12421 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
12423 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
12424 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
12425 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
12429 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
12432 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
12435 Here's the method for a public spool:
12439 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
12440 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
12446 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
12447 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
12448 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12449 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
12450 should probably look something like this:
12454 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
12455 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
12456 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
12457 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12460 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
12461 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
12462 configuration to the example above:
12465 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12468 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
12470 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
12471 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
12472 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
12476 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12477 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
12478 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
12479 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12482 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
12483 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
12484 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
12485 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
12488 @node Creating a Virtual Server
12489 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
12491 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
12492 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
12494 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
12495 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
12496 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
12498 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
12500 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
12501 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
12502 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
12503 will contain the following:
12513 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
12514 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
12517 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
12518 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
12519 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
12522 @node Server Variables
12523 @subsection Server Variables
12524 @cindex server variables
12525 @cindex server parameters
12527 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
12528 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
12529 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
12530 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
12531 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
12533 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
12534 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
12535 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
12536 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
12537 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
12538 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
12539 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
12540 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
12541 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
12545 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
12546 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
12547 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
12550 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
12552 @node Servers and Methods
12553 @subsection Servers and Methods
12555 Wherever you would normally use a select method
12556 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
12557 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
12558 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
12562 @node Unavailable Servers
12563 @subsection Unavailable Servers
12565 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
12566 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
12567 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
12568 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
12569 actually the case or not.
12571 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
12572 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
12573 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
12574 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
12575 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
12576 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
12577 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
12578 it will regard that server as ``down''.
12580 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
12581 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
12583 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
12584 with the following commands:
12590 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12591 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12592 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12596 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12597 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12598 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12602 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12603 Mark the current server as unreachable
12604 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12607 @kindex M-o (Server)
12608 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12609 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12610 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12613 @kindex M-c (Server)
12614 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12615 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12616 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12620 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12621 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12622 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12626 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12627 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12633 @section Getting News
12634 @cindex reading news
12635 @cindex news back ends
12637 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12638 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
12639 or it can read from a local spool.
12642 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12643 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12651 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
12652 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
12653 server as the, uhm, address.
12655 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12656 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12657 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12658 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12660 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12661 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12662 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12664 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12669 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12670 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12671 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12673 @cindex authentification
12674 @cindex nntp authentification
12675 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12676 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12677 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12678 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
12679 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12680 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12681 present in this hook.
12683 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12684 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12685 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12686 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12687 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
12688 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12689 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12690 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12691 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12692 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12693 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12694 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12698 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12701 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12703 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12704 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12705 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12706 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12707 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12708 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12709 @samp{force} is explained below.
12713 Here's an example file:
12716 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12717 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12720 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12721 have to be first, for instance.
12723 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12724 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12725 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12726 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12727 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12728 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12729 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12731 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12732 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12738 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12739 previously mentioned.
12741 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12743 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12744 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12745 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12746 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12747 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12750 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12751 '(("innd" (ding))))
12754 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12756 The default value is
12759 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12760 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12761 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12764 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12765 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12767 @item nntp-maximum-request
12768 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12769 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
12770 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12771 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12772 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12773 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12774 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12776 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12777 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12778 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12779 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
12780 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12781 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12782 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12783 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12784 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12785 no timeouts are done.
12787 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12788 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12789 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
12790 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
12793 @item nntp-xover-commands
12794 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12795 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
12797 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
12798 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12802 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12803 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
12804 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12805 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12806 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
12807 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12808 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12809 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12810 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12811 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12812 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12814 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12815 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12816 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12818 @item nntp-record-commands
12819 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12820 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12821 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12822 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
12823 that doesn't seem to work.
12825 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12826 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12827 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12828 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12829 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12830 Seven pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped
12831 in two categories: direct connection functions (four pre-made), and
12832 indirect ones (three pre-made).
12834 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12835 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12836 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12837 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12838 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12839 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12840 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12843 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12846 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12847 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12849 @item nntp-list-options
12850 @vindex nntp-list-options
12851 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
12852 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
12853 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
12854 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
12855 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
12859 (setq gnus-select-method
12860 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12861 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
12864 @item nntp-options-subscribe
12865 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
12866 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
12867 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12868 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12869 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12870 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12873 (setq gnus-select-method
12874 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12875 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
12878 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
12879 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
12880 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
12881 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12882 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12883 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12884 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12887 (setq gnus-select-method
12888 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12889 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
12894 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12895 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12896 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12897 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
12901 @node Direct Functions
12902 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12903 @cindex direct connection functions
12905 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12906 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
12907 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12908 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12911 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12912 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12913 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12916 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
12917 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
12918 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12919 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
12920 installed. You then define a server as follows:
12923 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12924 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
12926 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12927 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
12928 (nntp-port-number )
12929 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12932 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12933 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12934 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12935 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
12936 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
12937 then define a server as follows:
12940 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12941 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
12943 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12944 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12945 (nntp-port-number 563)
12946 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12949 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12950 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12951 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12952 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12953 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12954 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12955 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12956 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12960 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12961 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12962 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12965 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12966 session, which is not a good idea.
12970 @node Indirect Functions
12971 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12972 @cindex indirect connection functions
12974 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12975 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12976 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12977 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
12978 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12979 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12982 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12983 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12984 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12985 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12986 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12988 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12991 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12992 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12993 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12994 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12996 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12997 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12998 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12999 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
13000 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
13001 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
13002 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
13003 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
13007 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
13008 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13010 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
13011 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
13012 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{netcat}
13013 (@uref{http://netcat.sourceforge.net/}) instead of @samp{telnet} to
13014 connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the intermediate host.
13016 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat}-specific variables:
13019 @item nntp-via-netcat-command
13020 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-command
13021 Command used to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the
13022 intermediate host. The default is @samp{nc}. You can also use other
13023 programs like @samp{connect}
13024 (@uref{http://www.imasy.or.jp/~gotoh/ssh/connect.html}) instead.
13026 @item nntp-via-netcat-switches
13027 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-switches
13028 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
13029 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @code{nil}.
13031 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
13032 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
13033 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
13035 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13036 List of strings to be used as the switches to
13037 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}.
13040 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13041 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13042 Does essentially also the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
13043 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
13045 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
13048 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
13049 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
13050 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
13053 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
13054 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
13055 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
13056 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
13058 @item nntp-via-user-password
13059 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
13060 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
13062 @item nntp-via-envuser
13063 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
13064 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
13065 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
13066 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
13068 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
13069 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
13070 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
13071 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
13075 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
13076 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13080 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
13085 @item nntp-via-user-name
13086 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
13087 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
13089 @item nntp-via-address
13090 @vindex nntp-via-address
13091 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
13096 @node Common Variables
13097 @subsubsection Common Variables
13099 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
13100 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
13101 affected (the values of the following variables will be used as the
13102 default if each virtual @code{nntp} server doesn't specify those server
13103 variables individually).
13107 @item nntp-pre-command
13108 @vindex nntp-pre-command
13109 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
13110 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
13111 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}). This is
13112 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
13115 @vindex nntp-address
13116 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
13118 @item nntp-port-number
13119 @vindex nntp-port-number
13120 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13121 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
13122 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you may want to use integer ports rather
13123 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
13124 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
13125 not work with named ports.
13127 @item nntp-end-of-line
13128 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
13129 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
13130 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
13131 using a non native telnet connection function.
13133 @item nntp-telnet-command
13134 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
13135 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
13136 @samp{telnet}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
13137 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13140 @item nntp-telnet-switches
13141 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
13142 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
13148 @subsubsection NNTP marks
13149 @cindex storing NNTP marks
13151 Gnus stores marks (@pxref{Marking Articles}) for @acronym{NNTP}
13152 servers in marks files. A marks file records what marks you have set
13153 in a group and each file is specific to the corresponding server.
13154 Marks files are stored in @file{~/News/marks}
13155 (@code{nntp-marks-directory}) under a classic hierarchy resembling
13156 that of a news server, for example marks for the group
13157 @samp{gmane.discuss} on the news.gmane.org server will be stored in
13158 the file @file{~/News/marks/news.gmane.org/gmane/discuss/.marks}.
13160 Marks files are useful because you can copy the @file{~/News/marks}
13161 directory (using rsync, scp or whatever) to another Gnus installation,
13162 and it will realize what articles you have read and marked. The data
13163 in @file{~/News/marks} has priority over the same data in
13164 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
13166 Note that marks files are very much server-specific: Gnus remembers
13167 the article numbers so if you don't use the same servers on both
13168 installations things are most likely to break (most @acronym{NNTP}
13169 servers do not use the same article numbers as any other server).
13170 However, if you use servers A, B, C on one installation and servers A,
13171 D, E on the other, you can sync the marks files for A and then you'll
13172 get synchronization for that server between the two installations.
13174 Using @acronym{NNTP} marks can possibly incur a performance penalty so
13175 if Gnus feels sluggish, try setting the @code{nntp-marks-is-evil}
13176 variable to @code{t}. Marks will then be stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
13182 @item nntp-marks-is-evil
13183 @vindex nntp-marks-is-evil
13184 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any marks files. The
13185 default is @code{nil}.
13187 @item nntp-marks-directory
13188 @vindex nntp-marks-directory
13189 The directory where marks for nntp groups will be stored.
13195 @subsection News Spool
13199 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
13200 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
13201 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
13204 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
13205 anything else) as the address.
13207 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
13208 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
13209 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
13210 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
13214 @item nnspool-inews-program
13215 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
13216 Program used to post an article.
13218 @item nnspool-inews-switches
13219 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
13220 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
13222 @item nnspool-spool-directory
13223 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
13224 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
13225 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
13227 @item nnspool-nov-directory
13228 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
13229 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
13230 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
13232 @item nnspool-lib-dir
13233 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
13234 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
13236 @item nnspool-active-file
13237 @vindex nnspool-active-file
13238 The name of the active file.
13240 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
13241 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
13242 The name of the group descriptions file.
13244 @item nnspool-history-file
13245 @vindex nnspool-history-file
13246 The name of the news history file.
13248 @item nnspool-active-times-file
13249 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
13250 The name of the active date file.
13252 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
13253 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
13254 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
13257 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13258 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13260 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
13261 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
13262 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
13269 @section Getting Mail
13270 @cindex reading mail
13273 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
13277 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
13278 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
13279 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
13280 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
13281 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
13282 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
13283 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
13284 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
13285 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
13286 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
13287 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
13288 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
13289 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
13293 @node Mail in a Newsreader
13294 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
13296 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
13297 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
13298 of a culture shock.
13300 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
13301 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
13303 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
13304 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
13305 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
13306 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
13308 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
13310 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
13311 deleted? How awful!
13313 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
13314 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
13315 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
13316 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
13319 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
13320 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
13321 they want to treat a message.
13323 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
13324 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
13325 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
13326 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
13327 archived somewhere else.
13329 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
13330 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
13331 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
13332 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
13333 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
13335 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
13336 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
13337 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
13339 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
13340 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
13343 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
13344 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
13345 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
13346 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
13347 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
13349 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
13350 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
13351 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
13352 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
13353 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
13354 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
13358 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
13359 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
13361 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
13362 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
13363 and things will happen automatically.
13365 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
13366 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13369 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
13372 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
13373 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
13374 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
13375 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
13376 like any other group.
13378 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
13381 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13382 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13383 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13387 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
13388 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
13389 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
13392 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
13393 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
13394 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
13397 @node Splitting Mail
13398 @subsection Splitting Mail
13399 @cindex splitting mail
13400 @cindex mail splitting
13401 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
13403 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
13404 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
13405 to be split into groups.
13408 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13409 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13410 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13411 ("mail.other" "")))
13414 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
13415 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
13416 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
13417 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
13418 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
13419 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
13420 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
13423 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
13427 In that case, @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether
13428 the inserted text should be made lowercase. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
13430 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13431 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
13432 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
13433 mail belongs in that group.
13435 @cindex @samp{bogus} group
13436 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
13437 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{""} so that it matches any mails
13438 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
13439 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first rule
13440 to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled. In
13441 that case, all matching rules will ``win''.) If no rule matched, the mail
13442 will end up in the @samp{bogus} group. When new groups are created by
13443 splitting mail, you may want to run @code{gnus-group-find-new-groups} to
13444 see the new groups. This also applies to the @samp{bogus} group.
13446 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
13447 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
13448 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
13449 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
13450 thinks should carry this mail message.
13452 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
13453 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
13454 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
13455 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
13457 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
13458 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
13459 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
13460 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
13461 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{""}) group.
13463 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
13466 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
13467 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
13468 links. If that's the case for you, set
13469 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
13470 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
13472 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
13473 @findex nnmail-split-history
13474 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
13475 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
13476 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
13477 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
13480 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
13481 Header lines longer than the value of
13482 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
13485 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
13486 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
13487 By default the splitting codes @acronym{MIME} decodes headers so you
13488 can match on non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. The
13489 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset} variable specifies the default
13490 charset for decoding. The behavior can be turned off completely by
13491 binding @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to @code{nil}, which is
13492 useful if you want to match articles based on the raw header data.
13494 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13495 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
13496 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
13497 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
13498 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
13499 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
13500 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
13501 other kinds of entries.)
13503 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
13504 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
13505 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
13506 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
13507 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
13508 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
13509 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
13510 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
13511 month's rent money.
13515 @subsection Mail Sources
13517 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
13518 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
13519 maildir, for instance.
13522 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
13523 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
13524 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
13528 @node Mail Source Specifiers
13529 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
13531 @cindex mail server
13534 @cindex mail source
13536 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
13537 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
13542 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
13545 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
13546 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
13547 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
13550 The following mail source types are available:
13554 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
13560 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
13561 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
13562 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
13566 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13569 An example file mail source:
13572 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
13575 Or using the default file name:
13581 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
13582 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
13583 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
13584 mail spool while moving the mail.
13586 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
13590 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
13593 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
13597 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
13600 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
13602 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
13605 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
13609 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
13610 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
13611 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
13612 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
13613 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
13614 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
13615 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
13616 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
13617 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
13618 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
13620 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13621 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
13622 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
13623 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
13629 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
13633 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
13637 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
13638 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
13639 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
13640 predicate are considered.
13644 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13648 An example directory mail source:
13651 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13656 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
13662 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
13663 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13666 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
13667 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13668 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13669 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13670 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13673 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
13677 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
13678 the user is prompted.
13681 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
13682 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13685 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13688 The valid format specifier characters are:
13692 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13693 included in this string.
13696 The name of the server.
13699 The port number of the server.
13702 The user name to use.
13705 The password to use.
13708 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13709 corresponding keywords.
13712 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13713 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13716 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13717 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13720 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
13721 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
13722 mail should be moved to.
13724 @item :authentication
13725 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13726 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13730 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this can be the symbol
13731 @code{ssl}, the symbol @code{tls} or others. The default is @code{nil}
13732 and use insecure connections. Note that for SSL/TLS, you need external
13733 programs and libraries:
13737 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL@. Requires OpenSSL (the program
13738 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
13739 library @samp{ssl.el}.
13741 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to SSL)@.
13742 Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13747 Non-@code{nil} if mail is to be left on the server and UIDL used for
13748 message retrieval. The default is @code{nil}.
13752 @vindex pop3-movemail
13753 @vindex pop3-leave-mail-on-server
13754 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13755 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used. If the
13756 @code{pop3-leave-mail-on-server} is non-@code{nil} the mail is to be
13757 left on the @acronym{POP} server after fetching when using
13758 @code{pop3-movemail}. Note that POP servers maintain no state
13759 information between sessions, so what the client believes is there and
13760 what is actually there may not match up. If they do not, then the whole
13761 thing can fall apart and leave you with a corrupt mailbox.
13763 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server,
13764 using the default user name, and default fetcher:
13770 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13773 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13774 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13777 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13780 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13784 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13785 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13786 contains exactly one mail.
13792 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13793 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13796 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13797 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13799 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13800 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13801 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13804 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13805 from locking problems).
13809 Two example maildir mail sources:
13812 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13813 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13817 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13822 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
13823 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
13824 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
13825 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
13826 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
13828 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
13829 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13835 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
13836 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13839 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13840 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
13843 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
13847 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
13851 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13852 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13853 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
13854 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13856 @item :authentication
13857 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13858 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13859 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13860 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13863 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13864 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
13865 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13871 The valid format specifier characters are:
13875 The name of the server.
13878 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
13881 The port number of the server.
13884 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13885 corresponding keywords.
13888 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13889 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13892 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13893 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13894 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
13895 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13896 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13897 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13900 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13901 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13902 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13903 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13906 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
13907 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
13911 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
13914 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13916 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13920 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
13921 @uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
13922 @uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
13924 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13925 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13927 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13933 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13934 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13937 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13941 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13945 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
13946 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
13950 An example webmail source:
13953 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13955 :password "secret")
13960 @item Common Keywords
13961 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13967 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
13968 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
13973 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13978 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13979 useful when you use local mail and news.
13984 @subsubsection Function Interface
13986 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13987 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13988 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13989 consider the following mail-source setting:
13992 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13993 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13996 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13997 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13998 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13999 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
14000 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
14002 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
14005 @node Mail Source Customization
14006 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
14008 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
14009 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
14013 @item mail-source-crash-box
14014 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
14015 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
14016 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
14018 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
14019 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
14020 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
14021 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
14022 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
14023 (This will only happen, when receiving new mail). You may also set
14024 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
14025 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
14027 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
14028 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
14029 If non-@code{nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
14030 files. This variable only applies when
14031 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
14033 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
14034 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
14035 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
14037 @item mail-source-directory
14038 @vindex mail-source-directory
14039 Directory where incoming mail source files (if any) will be stored. The
14040 default is @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for
14041 is to say where the incoming files will be stored if the variable
14042 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a number.
14044 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
14045 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
14046 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
14047 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
14048 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
14049 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a
14052 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
14053 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
14054 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
14056 @item mail-source-movemail-program
14057 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
14058 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
14059 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
14064 @node Fetching Mail
14065 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
14067 @vindex mail-sources
14068 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
14069 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
14070 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
14071 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
14073 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
14074 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
14077 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
14078 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
14083 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
14084 :password "secret")))
14087 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
14091 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
14092 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
14095 :password "secret")))
14099 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
14100 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
14101 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
14102 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
14103 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
14104 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
14108 @node Mail Back End Variables
14109 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
14111 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
14115 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
14116 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
14117 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
14118 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
14120 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
14121 @item nnmail-split-hook
14122 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
14123 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
14124 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
14125 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
14126 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
14127 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
14128 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
14129 in the buffer will show up in any files.
14130 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
14133 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14134 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14135 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14136 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14137 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
14138 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
14139 starting to handle the new mail) and
14140 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
14141 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
14142 default file modes the new mail files get:
14145 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14146 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
14148 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14149 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
14152 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
14153 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
14154 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
14155 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
14156 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
14157 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
14158 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
14160 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
14161 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
14162 @findex delete-file
14163 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
14165 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14166 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14167 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
14168 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
14169 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
14171 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14172 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14173 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
14174 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
14175 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
14177 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
14178 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
14179 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
14184 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
14185 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
14186 @cindex mail splitting
14187 @cindex fancy mail splitting
14189 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
14190 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
14191 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
14192 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
14193 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
14194 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
14196 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
14199 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
14200 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
14201 ;; @r{from real errors.}
14202 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
14204 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
14205 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
14206 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
14207 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
14208 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
14209 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
14210 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
14211 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
14212 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
14213 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
14214 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
14215 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
14216 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
14217 (any "mypackage@@somewhere" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
14218 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
14219 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
14220 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
14224 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
14225 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
14226 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
14231 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
14232 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
14234 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split})
14235 If the split is a list, the first element of which is a string, then
14236 store the message as specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field}
14237 (a regexp) contains @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict}
14238 (yet another regexp) matches some string after @var{field} and before
14239 the end of the matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If
14240 none of the @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
14242 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
14243 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
14244 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
14245 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
14246 stored in one or more groups.
14248 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
14249 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
14250 process all @var{split}s in the list.
14253 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
14254 this message. Use with extreme caution.
14256 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
14257 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
14258 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
14259 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
14262 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
14263 body of the messages:
14266 (defun split-on-body ()
14270 (goto-char (point-min))
14271 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
14275 The buffer is narrowed to the message in question when @var{function}
14276 is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called after
14277 @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
14278 above. Also note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will
14279 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
14280 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
14281 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
14283 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
14284 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
14285 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
14286 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
14287 should return a split.
14290 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
14294 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
14295 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
14296 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
14297 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
14298 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
14300 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
14301 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
14302 they are expanded as specified by the variable
14303 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
14304 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
14305 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
14306 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
14310 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
14312 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
14313 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
14315 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
14318 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
14319 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
14320 when all this splitting is performed.
14322 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
14323 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
14324 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
14327 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
14330 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
14331 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
14333 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
14334 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
14335 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
14336 groupings 1 through 9.
14338 @vindex nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded
14339 Where @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether the
14340 lowercase of the matched string should be used for the substitution.
14341 Setting it as non-@code{nil} is useful to avoid the creation of multiple
14342 groups when users send to an address using different case
14343 (i.e. mailing-list@@domain vs Mailing-List@@Domain). The default value
14346 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
14347 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} controls whether partial
14348 words are matched during fancy splitting.
14350 Normally, regular expressions given in @code{nnmail-split-fancy} are
14351 implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers, which are word
14352 delimiters. If this variable is true, they are not implicitly
14353 surrounded by anything.
14356 (any "joe" "joemail")
14359 In this example, messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will
14360 normally not be filed in @samp{joemail}. With
14361 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} set to @code{t},
14362 however, the match will happen. In effect, the requirement of a word
14363 boundary is removed and instead the match becomes more like a grep.
14365 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
14366 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
14367 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
14368 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
14369 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
14370 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
14371 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
14372 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
14373 it once per thread.
14375 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
14376 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
14377 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
14378 using the colon feature, like so:
14380 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
14381 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
14383 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
14384 ;; @r{other splits go here}
14388 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
14389 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
14390 in the file specified by the variable
14391 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
14392 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
14393 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
14394 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
14395 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
14396 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
14397 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
14398 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
14399 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
14400 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
14401 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
14402 300 kBytes in size.)
14403 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14404 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
14405 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
14406 messages goes into the new group.
14408 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
14409 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
14410 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
14411 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
14412 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
14413 ``outgoing'' group.
14416 @node Group Mail Splitting
14417 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
14418 @cindex mail splitting
14419 @cindex group mail splitting
14421 @findex gnus-group-split
14422 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
14423 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
14424 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
14425 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
14426 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
14427 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
14428 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
14429 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
14431 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
14432 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
14433 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
14434 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
14436 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
14437 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
14438 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
14439 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
14440 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
14441 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
14442 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
14444 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
14445 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
14446 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
14447 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
14448 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
14449 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
14450 @code{gnus-group-split}.
14452 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
14453 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
14454 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
14455 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
14456 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
14457 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
14458 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
14459 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
14460 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
14461 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
14462 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
14463 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
14464 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
14466 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
14471 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
14472 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
14474 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
14475 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
14476 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
14477 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
14479 ((split-spec . catch-all))
14482 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
14483 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
14484 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
14487 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
14488 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
14489 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
14493 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
14494 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
14495 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
14499 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
14502 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
14503 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
14504 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
14505 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
14506 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
14507 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
14508 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
14509 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
14510 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
14512 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
14513 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
14514 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
14515 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
14516 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
14517 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
14518 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
14519 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
14520 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
14522 @findex gnus-group-split-update
14523 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
14524 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
14525 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
14526 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
14527 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
14530 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
14533 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
14534 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
14535 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
14536 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
14537 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
14540 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
14541 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
14542 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
14543 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
14545 @node Incorporating Old Mail
14546 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
14547 @cindex incorporating old mail
14548 @cindex import old mail
14550 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
14551 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
14552 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
14555 Doing so can be quite easy.
14557 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
14558 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
14559 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
14560 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
14561 your @code{nnml} groups.
14567 Go to the group buffer.
14570 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
14571 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14574 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
14577 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
14578 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14581 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
14582 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
14585 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
14586 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
14587 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
14588 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
14589 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
14591 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
14592 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
14593 using the new mail back end.
14596 @node Expiring Mail
14597 @subsection Expiring Mail
14598 @cindex article expiry
14600 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
14601 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
14602 different approach to mail reading.
14604 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
14605 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
14606 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
14607 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
14608 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
14609 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
14612 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
14613 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
14614 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
14615 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
14616 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
14617 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
14618 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
14619 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
14620 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
14622 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
14623 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
14624 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
14625 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
14626 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
14627 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
14628 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
14631 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
14632 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
14633 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
14634 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
14635 into its own group.)
14637 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
14638 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
14639 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
14640 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
14641 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
14642 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
14643 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
14644 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
14647 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14648 Groups that match the regular expression
14649 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
14650 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
14651 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
14653 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
14654 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
14655 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
14656 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
14657 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14659 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
14661 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
14662 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
14663 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
14666 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
14667 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
14668 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
14669 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
14670 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
14672 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
14673 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
14676 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14677 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
14680 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
14681 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
14683 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
14684 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
14685 don't really mix very well.
14687 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
14688 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
14689 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
14690 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
14693 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
14694 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
14695 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
14696 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
14699 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14701 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14703 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
14705 ((string= group "mail.junk")
14707 ((string= group "important")
14713 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
14714 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
14716 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
14717 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
14718 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
14721 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
14722 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14724 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
14725 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
14726 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
14727 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
14728 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
14729 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
14730 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
14731 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
14732 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
14733 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
14734 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
14735 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
14736 name or @code{delete}.
14738 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
14740 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
14743 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14744 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14745 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
14746 expire mail to groups according to the variable
14747 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
14750 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14751 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14752 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
14753 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
14754 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
14757 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
14758 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
14759 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
14760 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
14761 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
14762 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14764 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14765 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14766 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14767 easier for procmail users.
14769 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14770 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14771 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14772 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14773 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14774 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14775 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14776 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14777 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14778 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14779 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14780 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14781 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14784 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14786 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14787 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14788 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14789 auto-expire turned on.
14793 @subsection Washing Mail
14794 @cindex mail washing
14795 @cindex list server brain damage
14796 @cindex incoming mail treatment
14798 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
14799 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
14800 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
14801 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
14802 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
14803 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
14805 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
14806 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
14807 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
14810 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
14811 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
14812 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
14813 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
14816 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14817 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14818 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
14819 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
14820 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
14823 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14824 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14825 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
14826 Emacs running on MS machines.
14830 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14831 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14832 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
14833 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
14836 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14837 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14838 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
14839 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
14841 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
14842 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
14843 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
14844 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
14845 into a feature by documenting it.)
14847 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14848 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14849 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
14850 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
14851 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
14852 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
14853 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
14856 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
14857 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
14860 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
14861 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14864 This can also be done non-destructively with
14865 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14867 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14868 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14869 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14871 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14872 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14874 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14875 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14876 @code{References} headers.
14880 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14881 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14882 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14886 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14887 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14888 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14895 @subsection Duplicates
14897 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14898 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14899 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14900 @cindex duplicate mails
14901 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14902 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14903 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14904 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14905 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14906 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14907 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14908 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14909 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14910 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14911 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14912 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14913 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14915 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14916 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14917 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14918 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14920 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14923 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14924 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14928 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14929 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
14930 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14931 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
14932 (any mail "mail.misc")
14933 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14939 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14940 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14941 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14945 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14946 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14947 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14948 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14949 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14952 @node Not Reading Mail
14953 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14955 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14956 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14957 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14959 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14960 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14961 mail, which should help.
14963 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14964 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14965 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14966 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14967 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14968 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14969 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old Rmail
14970 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14971 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14972 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14973 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14975 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14976 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14980 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14981 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14983 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14984 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14985 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14987 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14988 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14989 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14993 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14994 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
14995 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14996 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14997 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
14998 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14999 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
15003 @node Unix Mail Box
15004 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
15006 @cindex unix mail box
15008 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
15009 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
15010 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
15011 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
15012 which group it belongs in.
15014 Virtual server settings:
15017 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
15018 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
15019 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
15022 @item nnmbox-active-file
15023 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
15024 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
15025 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
15027 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
15028 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
15029 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
15030 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
15035 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
15039 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
15040 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
15041 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{Rmail
15042 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
15043 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
15045 Virtual server settings:
15048 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
15049 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
15050 The name of the Rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
15052 @item nnbabyl-active-file
15053 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
15054 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
15055 @file{~/.rmail-active}
15057 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
15058 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
15059 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
15065 @subsubsection Mail Spool
15067 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
15069 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
15070 format. It should be used with some caution.
15072 @vindex nnml-directory
15073 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
15074 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
15075 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
15076 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
15078 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
15081 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
15082 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
15083 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
15084 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
15085 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
15086 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
15087 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
15088 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
15090 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
15091 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
15092 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
15093 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
15095 @cindex self contained nnml servers
15097 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
15098 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15099 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15100 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
15101 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
15102 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
15103 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
15104 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
15107 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
15108 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
15109 them next time it starts.
15111 Virtual server settings:
15114 @item nnml-directory
15115 @vindex nnml-directory
15116 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
15117 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
15120 @item nnml-active-file
15121 @vindex nnml-active-file
15122 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
15123 @file{~/Mail/active}.
15125 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
15126 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
15127 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15128 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
15130 @item nnml-get-new-mail
15131 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
15132 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
15135 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
15136 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
15137 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15138 default is @code{nil}.
15140 @item nnml-nov-file-name
15141 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
15142 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
15144 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
15145 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
15146 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
15148 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
15149 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
15150 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15151 default is @code{nil}.
15153 @item nnml-marks-file-name
15154 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
15155 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
15157 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
15158 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
15159 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
15160 files. This variable requires @code{auto-compression-mode} to be
15161 enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs
15164 @item nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
15165 @vindex nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
15166 Default size threshold for compressed message files. Message files with
15167 bodies larger than that many characters will be automatically compressed
15168 if @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-nil.
15172 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
15173 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of
15174 whack, you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
15175 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
15176 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
15177 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
15178 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
15183 @subsubsection MH Spool
15185 @cindex mh-e mail spool
15187 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
15188 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks
15189 file. This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than
15190 @code{nnml}, but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts
15193 Virtual server settings:
15196 @item nnmh-directory
15197 @vindex nnmh-directory
15198 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
15199 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
15202 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
15203 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
15204 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
15208 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
15209 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
15210 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks
15211 they are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
15212 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
15213 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not
15214 have to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
15219 @subsubsection Maildir
15223 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
15224 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
15225 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
15226 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. @code{nnmaildir}
15227 also stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory
15230 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
15231 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
15232 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
15233 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
15234 can still do that with @code{nnmaildir}, but the more common
15235 configuration is to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs
15236 that appear as group in Gnus.
15238 @code{nnmaildir} is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will
15239 never corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never
15240 corrupt its data in the filesystem.
15242 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each
15243 maildir. So you can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to
15244 another, and you will keep your marks.
15246 Virtual server settings:
15250 For each of your @code{nnmaildir} servers (it's very unlikely that
15251 you'd need more than one), you need to create a directory and populate
15252 it with maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not
15253 choose a directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir
15254 will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
15255 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
15256 in the directory starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is
15257 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
15258 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
15259 @code{nnmaildir} notices at these times.
15261 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
15262 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
15263 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
15264 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
15265 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
15266 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
15267 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
15268 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
15269 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
15270 if @code{nnmaildir} uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical
15273 @item target-prefix
15274 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
15275 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
15276 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
15279 When you create a group on an @code{nnmaildir} server, the maildir is
15280 created with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
15281 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
15282 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
15283 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
15284 the group @code{foo}, @code{nnmaildir} will create
15285 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
15286 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
15287 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
15289 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
15290 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
15291 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
15292 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
15293 symlinks pointing to them will be).
15295 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
15296 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
15297 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
15298 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
15299 @code{force} argument.
15301 @item directory-files
15302 This should be a function with the same interface as
15303 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
15304 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
15305 parameter is optional; the default is
15306 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
15307 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
15308 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
15309 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
15310 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
15311 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
15314 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
15315 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
15316 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
15317 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
15318 value is @code{nil}.
15320 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
15321 an @code{nnmaildir} group. The results might happen to be useful, but
15322 that would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be
15323 different in the future. If your split rules create new groups,
15324 remember to supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
15327 @subsubsection Group parameters
15329 @code{nnmaildir} uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore
15330 all this; the default behavior for @code{nnmaildir} is the same as the
15331 default behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after
15332 one week, etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this
15333 functionality is unique to @code{nnmaildir}, so you can ignore it if
15334 you're just trying to duplicate the behavior you already have with
15337 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
15338 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
15339 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
15340 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
15341 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
15342 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
15343 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
15344 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
15345 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
15349 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article
15350 before it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
15351 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
15352 @code{nnmaildir} falls back to the usual
15353 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (the
15354 @code{expiry-wait} group parameter overrides @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}
15355 and makes @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} ineffective). If you
15356 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
15357 60 60)]}; @code{nnmaildir} will evaluate the form and use the result.
15358 An article's age is measured starting from the article file's
15359 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
15360 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
15361 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
15364 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
15366 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
15368 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
15369 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
15370 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an @code{nnmaildir}
15371 group, the article will be just as old in the destination group as it
15372 was in the source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
15373 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
15374 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
15375 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
15376 article. So that form can refer to
15377 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
15378 article. @emph{Even if this parameter is not set, @code{nnmaildir}
15379 does not fall back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
15380 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
15383 If this is set to @code{t}, @code{nnmaildir} will treat the articles
15384 in this maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed
15385 from @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in
15386 @file{new/}, not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles
15387 cannot be edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the
15388 @file{new/} directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox
15389 containing a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the
15390 maildir outside @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for
15391 a shared mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or
15392 have write permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't
15393 contain extra copies of the articles.
15395 @item directory-files
15396 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
15397 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
15398 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
15399 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
15401 @item distrust-Lines:
15402 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmaildir} will always count the lines of an
15403 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
15404 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
15407 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever
15408 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15409 say that all articles have these marks, regardless of whether the
15410 marks stored in the filesystem say so. This is a proof-of-concept
15411 feature that will probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done
15412 in Gnus proper, or abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15415 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
15416 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15417 say that no articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks
15418 stored in the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
15419 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
15420 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
15421 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15423 @item nov-cache-size
15424 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To
15425 speed things up, @code{nnmaildir} keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory
15426 for a limited number of articles in each group. (This is probably not
15427 worthwhile, and will probably be removed in the future.) This
15428 parameter's value is noticed only the first time a group is seen after
15429 the server is opened---i.e., when you first start Gnus, typically.
15430 The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized until the server is closed
15431 and reopened. The default is an estimate of the number of articles
15432 that would be displayed in the summary buffer: a count of articles
15433 that are either marked with @code{tick} or not marked with
15434 @code{read}, plus a little extra.
15437 @subsubsection Article identification
15438 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
15439 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
15440 contains no colons. @code{nnmaildir} ignores, but preserves, the
15441 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
15442 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
15443 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
15444 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
15445 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
15446 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
15447 request the article in the summary buffer.
15449 @subsubsection NOV data
15450 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used
15451 to generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
15452 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
15453 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
15454 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically
15455 when the article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can
15456 force @code{nnmaildir} to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a
15457 single article simply by deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV}
15458 file, but @emph{beware}: this will also cause @code{nnmaildir} to
15459 assign a new article number for this article, which may cause trouble
15460 with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
15462 @subsubsection Article marks
15463 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
15464 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
15465 When Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for a group's marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15466 looks for such files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus
15467 asks @code{nnmaildir} to store a new set of marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15468 creates and deletes the corresponding files as needed. (Actually,
15469 rather than create a new file for each mark, it just creates hard
15470 links to @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
15472 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
15473 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
15474 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
15475 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
15476 this while Gnus is running and your @code{nnmaildir} server is open,
15477 it's best to exit all summary buffers for @code{nnmaildir} groups and
15478 type @kbd{s} in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or
15479 @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not
15480 pick up the changes, and might undo them.
15484 @subsubsection Mail Folders
15486 @cindex mbox folders
15487 @cindex mail folders
15489 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a
15490 separate file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.
15491 @code{nnfolder} will add extra headers to keep track of article
15492 numbers and arrival dates.
15494 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
15496 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
15497 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15498 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15499 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
15500 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
15501 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
15502 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder}
15503 directory. Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to
15504 backup, use @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup
15505 into the @code{nnfolder} directory).
15507 Virtual server settings:
15510 @item nnfolder-directory
15511 @vindex nnfolder-directory
15512 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this
15513 directory. The default is the value of @code{message-directory}
15514 (whose default is @file{~/Mail})
15516 @item nnfolder-active-file
15517 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
15518 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
15520 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15521 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15522 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15523 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
15525 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
15526 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
15527 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The
15528 default is @code{t}
15530 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15531 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15532 @cindex backup files
15533 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
15534 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If
15535 you wish to switch this off, you could say something like the
15536 following in your @file{.emacs} file:
15539 (defun turn-off-backup ()
15540 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
15542 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
15545 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15546 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15547 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
15548 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
15549 extract some information from it before removing it.
15551 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15552 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15553 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15554 default is @code{nil}.
15556 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15557 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15558 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
15560 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
15561 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
15562 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
15563 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15565 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15566 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15567 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15568 default is @code{nil}.
15570 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15571 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15572 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
15574 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
15575 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
15576 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
15577 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15582 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
15583 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
15584 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
15585 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
15586 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
15587 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
15590 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
15591 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
15593 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
15594 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
15595 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
15596 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
15597 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
15599 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
15600 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
15601 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
15602 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
15603 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
15604 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
15605 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
15606 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
15609 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
15610 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
15611 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
15612 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
15617 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
15618 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
15619 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
15620 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
15621 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
15622 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
15623 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
15624 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
15625 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
15626 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
15627 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
15628 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
15629 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
15634 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
15635 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
15636 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
15637 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
15638 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
15639 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
15640 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
15641 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
15642 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
15643 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
15644 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
15645 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
15646 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
15647 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
15649 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
15650 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
15655 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
15656 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
15657 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
15658 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
15659 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
15660 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
15661 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
15662 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
15663 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
15664 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
15665 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
15666 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
15667 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
15668 provided by the active file and overviews.
15670 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
15671 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
15672 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
15673 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
15674 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
15677 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
15678 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
15683 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
15684 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
15685 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
15686 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
15687 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
15688 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
15689 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
15693 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
15694 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
15695 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
15696 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
15697 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
15698 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
15699 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
15700 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
15701 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
15703 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
15704 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
15705 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
15706 friendly mail back end all over.
15710 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
15711 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
15714 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
15715 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
15716 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
15717 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
15718 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
15719 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
15720 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
15721 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
15724 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
15725 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
15726 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
15727 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
15728 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
15729 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
15730 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
15731 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
15732 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
15733 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
15734 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
15736 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
15737 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
15738 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
15739 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
15740 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
15743 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
15744 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
15745 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
15746 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
15747 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
15748 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
15749 removed in the future.
15751 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
15752 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
15753 on your file system.
15755 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
15756 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
15761 @node Browsing the Web
15762 @section Browsing the Web
15764 @cindex browsing the web
15768 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
15769 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
15770 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
15771 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
15772 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
15773 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
15774 even know what a news group is.
15776 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
15777 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
15778 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
15779 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
15780 you mad in the end.
15782 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
15785 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
15786 interfaces to these sources.
15790 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
15791 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
15792 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
15793 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
15794 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
15795 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
15798 All the web sources require Emacs/W3 and the url library or those
15799 alternatives to work.
15801 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
15802 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
15803 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
15804 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
15805 though, you should be ok.
15807 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
15808 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
15809 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
15810 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
15811 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
15813 @node Archiving Mail
15814 @subsection Archiving Mail
15815 @cindex archiving mail
15816 @cindex backup of mail
15818 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
15819 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
15820 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
15821 marks is fairly simple.
15823 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
15824 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
15827 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
15828 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
15829 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
15830 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
15831 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
15832 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
15833 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
15834 before you restore the data.
15836 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
15837 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
15838 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
15839 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
15840 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
15841 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
15842 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
15843 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
15844 is unnecessary in that case.
15847 @subsection Web Searches
15852 @cindex Usenet searches
15853 @cindex searching the Usenet
15855 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
15856 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
15857 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
15858 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
15859 searches without having to use a browser.
15861 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
15862 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
15863 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
15864 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
15865 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
15867 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
15868 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
15869 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
15870 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
15871 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
15872 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
15873 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
15874 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
15875 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
15876 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
15879 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
15880 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
15881 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'@^etre} is to
15882 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
15883 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
15884 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
15886 You must have the @code{url} and @code{W3} package or those alternatives
15887 (try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{mm-url} variable group)
15888 installed to be able to use @code{nnweb}.
15890 Virtual server variables:
15895 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
15896 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
15897 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
15900 @vindex nnweb-search
15901 The search string to feed to the search engine.
15903 @item nnweb-max-hits
15904 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
15905 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
15908 @item nnweb-type-definition
15909 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
15910 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
15911 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
15916 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
15920 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
15923 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
15926 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
15930 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
15937 @subsection Slashdot
15941 @uref{http://slashdot.org/, Slashdot} is a popular news site, with
15942 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
15943 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
15945 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
15946 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
15949 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15950 '((nnslashdot "")))
15953 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
15954 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
15955 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
15956 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
15957 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
15960 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
15961 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
15963 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
15964 comments), some light @acronym{HTML}izations will be performed. In
15965 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
15966 @samp{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @samp{br} added to
15967 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @acronym{HTML}
15968 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
15969 @acronym{HTML} forms.
15971 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
15974 @item nnslashdot-threaded
15975 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
15976 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
15977 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
15978 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
15979 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
15980 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
15982 @item nnslashdot-login-name
15983 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
15984 The login name to use when posting.
15986 @item nnslashdot-password
15987 @vindex nnslashdot-password
15988 The password to use when posting.
15990 @item nnslashdot-directory
15991 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
15992 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
15993 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
15995 @item nnslashdot-active-url
15996 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
15997 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the
15998 information on news articles and comments. The default is@*
15999 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
16001 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
16002 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
16003 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch comments.
16005 @item nnslashdot-article-url
16006 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
16007 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the news
16008 article. The default is
16009 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
16011 @item nnslashdot-threshold
16012 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
16013 The score threshold. The default is -1.
16015 @item nnslashdot-group-number
16016 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
16017 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
16018 updated. The default is 0.
16025 @subsection Ultimate
16027 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
16029 @uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/, The Ultimate Bulletin Board} is
16030 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
16031 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
16032 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
16034 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
16035 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
16036 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @acronym{URL}
16037 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
16038 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
16039 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
16040 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
16042 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
16045 @item nnultimate-directory
16046 @vindex nnultimate-directory
16047 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is@*
16048 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
16053 @subsection Web Archive
16055 @cindex Web Archive
16057 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
16058 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
16059 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
16060 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
16063 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
16064 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
16065 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
16066 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET @var{an_egroup} RET egroups RET
16067 www.egroups.com RET @var{your@@email.address} RET}. (Substitute the
16068 @var{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
16069 @var{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
16070 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
16072 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
16075 @item nnwarchive-directory
16076 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
16077 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is@*
16078 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
16080 @item nnwarchive-login
16081 @vindex nnwarchive-login
16082 The account name on the web server.
16084 @item nnwarchive-passwd
16085 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
16086 The password for your account on the web server.
16094 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
16095 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
16096 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
16097 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
16098 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
16100 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
16101 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
16103 Note: you had better use Emacs which supports the @code{utf-8} coding
16104 system because @acronym{RSS} uses UTF-8 for encoding non-@acronym{ASCII}
16105 text by default. It is also used by default for non-@acronym{ASCII}
16108 @kindex G R (Group)
16109 Use @kbd{G R} from the group buffer to subscribe to a feed---you will be
16110 prompted for the location, the title and the description of the feed.
16111 The title, which allows any characters, will be used for the group name
16112 and the name of the group data file. The description can be omitted.
16114 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
16115 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET y}, then
16116 subscribe to groups.
16118 The @code{nnrss} back end saves the group data file in
16119 @code{nnrss-directory} (see below) for each @code{nnrss} group. File
16120 names containing non-@acronym{ASCII} characters will be encoded by the
16121 coding system specified with the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}
16122 variable. If it is @code{nil}, in Emacs the coding system defaults to
16123 the value of @code{default-file-name-coding-system}. If you are using
16124 XEmacs and want to use non-@acronym{ASCII} group names, you should set
16125 the value for the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} variable properly.
16128 You can also use the following commands to import and export your
16129 subscriptions from a file in @acronym{OPML} format (Outline Processor
16132 @defun nnrss-opml-import file
16133 Prompt for an @acronym{OPML} file, and subscribe to each feed in the
16137 @defun nnrss-opml-export
16138 Write your current @acronym{RSS} subscriptions to a buffer in
16139 @acronym{OPML} format.
16142 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
16145 @item nnrss-directory
16146 @vindex nnrss-directory
16147 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
16148 @file{~/News/rss/}.
16150 @item nnrss-file-coding-system
16151 @vindex nnrss-file-coding-system
16152 The coding system used when reading and writing the @code{nnrss} groups
16153 data files. The default is the value of
16154 @code{mm-universal-coding-system} (which defaults to @code{emacs-mule}
16155 in Emacs or @code{escape-quoted} in XEmacs).
16157 @item nnrss-use-local
16158 @vindex nnrss-use-local
16159 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
16160 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
16161 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
16162 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
16163 download script using @command{wget}.
16166 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
16167 the summary buffer.
16170 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
16171 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
16173 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
16175 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
16176 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
16179 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
16182 (require 'browse-url)
16184 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
16186 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
16189 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
16190 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
16193 (browse-url (cdr url))
16194 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
16195 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
16197 (eval-after-load "gnus"
16198 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
16199 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
16200 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
16203 @node Customizing W3
16204 @subsection Customizing W3
16210 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/W3 (or those
16211 alternatives) to display web pages. Emacs/W3 is documented in its own
16212 manual, but there are some things that may be more relevant for Gnus
16215 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/W3 follow links
16216 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
16217 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
16220 (eval-after-load "w3"
16222 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
16223 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
16224 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
16225 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
16227 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
16230 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in W3-rendered
16231 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
16238 @cindex @acronym{IMAP}
16240 @acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
16241 think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
16242 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
16243 specify the network address of the server.
16245 @acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
16246 everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
16247 @acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
16248 similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
16249 @acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
16250 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
16252 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
16253 entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
16254 the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
16255 not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
16257 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
16258 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
16259 manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
16260 usage explained in this section.
16262 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP}
16263 servers might look something like the following. (Note that for
16264 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you need external programs and libraries,
16268 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
16269 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
16270 ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
16272 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16273 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
16274 ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
16276 (nnimap-server-port 143)
16277 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16278 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
16279 ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
16280 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
16281 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
16282 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
16283 (nnimap-stream network))
16284 ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
16286 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
16287 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
16288 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
16291 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
16292 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
16293 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
16294 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
16296 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
16301 @item nnimap-address
16302 @vindex nnimap-address
16304 The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
16305 server name if not specified.
16307 @item nnimap-server-port
16308 @vindex nnimap-server-port
16309 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
16311 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
16314 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16315 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
16318 @item nnimap-list-pattern
16319 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
16320 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
16321 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
16322 interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
16323 @acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
16324 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
16326 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
16327 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
16328 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
16331 Example server specification:
16334 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16335 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
16336 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
16339 @item nnimap-stream
16340 @vindex nnimap-stream
16341 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
16342 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
16343 of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over
16344 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can
16345 be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
16347 Example server specification:
16350 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16351 (nnimap-stream ssl))
16354 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
16358 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
16359 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
16361 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
16363 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
16364 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
16367 @dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
16368 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
16370 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
16371 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
16373 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
16375 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
16378 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
16379 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
16380 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
16381 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
16382 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
16383 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
16384 restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
16385 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
16386 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
16389 For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
16390 needed. It is available from
16391 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
16393 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
16394 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
16395 authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
16396 sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
16397 exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
16398 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
16399 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
16402 @vindex imap-ssl-program
16403 For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
16404 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
16405 and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
16406 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
16407 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
16408 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
16411 @vindex imap-shell-program
16412 @vindex imap-shell-host
16413 For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
16414 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
16416 @item nnimap-authenticator
16417 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
16419 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
16420 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
16422 Example server specification:
16425 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16426 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
16429 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
16433 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
16434 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
16436 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
16439 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
16440 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
16442 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
16444 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
16446 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as ``anonymous'', supplying your email address as password.
16449 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
16451 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
16452 Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers have decided things that
16453 don't exist actually do exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
16454 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
16455 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
16456 nnimap does when you delete an article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
16459 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
16460 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
16461 running in circles yet?
16463 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
16464 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
16467 The possible options are:
16472 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
16475 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
16476 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
16477 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
16478 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
16480 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
16485 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
16486 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
16488 If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
16489 well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
16490 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
16491 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
16492 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
16495 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
16496 enable per-user persistent dormant flags, using something like:
16499 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
16500 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16501 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
16502 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16505 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
16506 as ticked for other users.
16508 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
16510 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
16512 This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
16513 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
16514 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
16515 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
16517 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
16518 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
16519 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
16520 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
16522 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
16523 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
16525 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
16526 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
16527 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
16528 @ref{NNTP}. An example of an .authinfo line for an IMAP server, is:
16531 machine students.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis port imap
16534 Note that it should be @code{port imap}, or @code{port 143}, if you
16535 use a @code{nnimap-stream} of @code{tls} or @code{ssl}, even if the
16536 actual port number used is port 993 for secured IMAP. For
16537 convenience, Gnus will accept @code{port imaps} as a synonym of
16540 @item nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16541 @vindex nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16543 Unselect mailboxes before looking for new mail in them. Some servers
16544 seem to need this under some circumstances; it was reported that
16550 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
16551 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
16552 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
16553 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
16554 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
16555 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
16560 @node Splitting in IMAP
16561 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
16562 @cindex splitting imap mail
16564 Splitting is something Gnus users have loved and used for years, and now
16565 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
16566 @acronym{IMAP} servers have server side splitting and those that have
16567 splitting seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that
16568 @acronym{IMAP} support for Gnus has to do its own splitting.
16572 (Incidentally, people seem to have been dreaming on, and Sieve has
16573 gaining a market share and is supported by several IMAP servers.
16574 Fortunately, Gnus support it too, @xref{Sieve Commands}.)
16576 Here are the variables of interest:
16580 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
16581 @cindex splitting, crosspost
16583 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
16585 If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
16586 mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
16587 found will be used.
16589 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
16591 @item nnimap-split-inbox
16592 @cindex splitting, inbox
16594 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
16596 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
16597 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
16598 splitting is disabled!
16601 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
16602 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
16605 No nnmail equivalent.
16607 @item nnimap-split-rule
16608 @cindex splitting, rules
16609 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
16611 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
16614 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
16615 sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
16616 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
16617 Neither did I, we need examples.
16620 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16622 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
16623 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
16624 ("INBOX.private" "")))
16627 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
16628 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
16629 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
16631 The first string may contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by
16632 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
16636 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
16639 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
16640 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
16642 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
16643 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
16644 containing the headers of the article. It should return a
16645 non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
16647 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
16648 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
16649 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
16650 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
16651 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
16652 them every time you fetch new mail.)
16654 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
16655 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
16656 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
16658 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
16659 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
16660 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16662 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
16664 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
16665 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
16666 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
16669 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16670 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
16671 ("junk" "From:.*Simon"))))
16672 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
16673 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
16674 ("junk" my-junk-func))))))
16677 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
16678 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
16679 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
16680 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
16681 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
16682 group/function elements.
16684 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16686 @item nnimap-split-predicate
16688 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
16690 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
16691 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
16693 This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
16694 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
16695 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
16698 @item nnimap-split-fancy
16699 @cindex splitting, fancy
16700 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
16701 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
16703 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16704 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
16705 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
16707 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
16708 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16709 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
16710 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16715 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
16716 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
16719 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
16721 @item nnimap-split-download-body
16722 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
16723 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
16725 Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
16726 This is generally not required, and will slow things down
16727 considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
16728 splitting function that analyzes the body to split the article.
16732 @node Expiring in IMAP
16733 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
16734 @cindex expiring imap mail
16736 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
16737 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
16738 Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
16739 IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
16740 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
16741 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
16744 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
16745 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
16746 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
16747 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
16748 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
16749 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
16750 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
16751 messages. Most do, fortunately.
16755 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
16756 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16758 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
16759 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
16761 @item nnmail-expiry-target
16763 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
16764 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
16765 that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
16766 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
16770 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
16771 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
16772 @cindex editing imap acls
16773 @cindex Access Control Lists
16774 @cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
16775 @kindex G l (Group)
16776 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
16778 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
16779 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
16780 @acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
16783 To edit an ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
16784 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with an ACL
16785 editing window with detailed instructions.
16787 Some possible uses:
16791 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
16792 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
16793 follow the list without subscribing to it.
16795 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
16796 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
16797 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
16801 @node Expunging mailboxes
16802 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
16806 @cindex manual expunging
16807 @kindex G x (Group)
16808 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
16810 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
16811 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
16812 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
16814 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
16817 @node A note on namespaces
16818 @subsection A note on namespaces
16819 @cindex IMAP namespace
16822 The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
16823 by the following text in the RFC2060:
16826 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
16828 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
16829 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
16830 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
16831 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
16833 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
16834 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
16835 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
16836 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
16837 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
16838 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
16841 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
16842 @acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
16843 prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
16845 Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
16846 mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
16847 in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
16848 created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
16849 without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
16850 not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
16851 mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
16852 you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
16855 See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
16856 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
16857 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
16859 @node Debugging IMAP
16860 @subsection Debugging IMAP
16861 @cindex IMAP debugging
16862 @cindex protocol dump (IMAP)
16864 @acronym{IMAP} is a complex protocol, more so than @acronym{NNTP} or
16865 @acronym{POP3}. Implementation bugs are not unlikely, and we do our
16866 best to fix them right away. If you encounter odd behavior, chances
16867 are that either the server or Gnus is buggy.
16869 If you are familiar with network protocols in general, you will
16870 probably be able to extract some clues from the protocol dump of the
16871 exchanges between Gnus and the server. Even if you are not familiar
16872 with network protocols, when you include the protocol dump in
16873 @acronym{IMAP}-related bug reports you are helping us with data
16874 critical to solving the problem. Therefore, we strongly encourage you
16875 to include the protocol dump when reporting IMAP bugs in Gnus.
16879 Because the protocol dump, when enabled, generates lots of data, it is
16880 disabled by default. You can enable it by setting @code{imap-log} as
16887 This instructs the @code{imap.el} package to log any exchanges with
16888 the server. The log is stored in the buffer @samp{*imap-log*}. Look
16889 for error messages, which sometimes are tagged with the keyword
16890 @code{BAD}---but when submitting a bug, make sure to include all the
16893 @node Other Sources
16894 @section Other Sources
16896 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
16897 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
16901 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
16902 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
16903 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
16904 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
16905 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
16909 @node Directory Groups
16910 @subsection Directory Groups
16912 @cindex directory groups
16914 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
16915 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
16918 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
16919 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
16920 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
16921 back end to read directories. Big deal.
16923 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
16924 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
16925 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
16926 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
16927 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
16929 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
16931 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
16932 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
16933 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
16934 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
16937 @node Anything Groups
16938 @subsection Anything Groups
16941 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
16942 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
16943 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
16946 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
16947 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
16948 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
16949 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
16950 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
16951 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
16952 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
16953 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
16954 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
16955 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
16958 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
16959 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
16960 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
16961 in the article buffer, just as usual.
16963 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
16964 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
16965 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
16966 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
16968 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
16969 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
16970 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
16971 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
16972 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
16973 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
16974 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
16975 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
16980 @item nneething-map-file-directory
16981 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
16982 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
16983 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
16985 @item nneething-exclude-files
16986 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
16987 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
16988 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
16990 @item nneething-include-files
16991 @vindex nneething-include-files
16992 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
16993 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
16995 @item nneething-map-file
16996 @vindex nneething-map-file
16997 Name of the map files.
17001 @node Document Groups
17002 @subsection Document Groups
17004 @cindex documentation group
17007 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
17008 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
17014 The Babyl (Rmail) mail box.
17019 The standard Unix mbox file.
17021 @cindex MMDF mail box
17023 The MMDF mail box format.
17026 Several news articles appended into a file.
17028 @cindex rnews batch files
17030 The rnews batch transport format.
17033 Netscape mail boxes.
17036 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
17038 @item standard-digest
17039 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
17042 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
17044 @item lanl-gov-announce
17045 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
17047 @cindex forwarded messages
17048 @item rfc822-forward
17049 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
17052 The Outlook mail box.
17055 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
17058 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
17061 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
17064 An RFC934-forwarded message.
17070 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
17073 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
17079 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
17080 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
17081 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
17084 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
17085 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
17086 group. And that's it.
17088 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
17089 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
17090 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
17091 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
17092 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
17093 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
17094 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
17095 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
17096 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
17097 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
17099 Virtual server variables:
17102 @item nndoc-article-type
17103 @vindex nndoc-article-type
17104 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
17105 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
17106 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
17107 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
17108 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
17110 @item nndoc-post-type
17111 @vindex nndoc-post-type
17112 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
17113 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
17118 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
17122 @node Document Server Internals
17123 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
17125 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
17126 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
17127 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
17128 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
17130 First, here's an example document type definition:
17134 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
17135 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
17138 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
17139 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
17140 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
17141 types can be defined with very few settings:
17144 @item first-article
17145 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
17146 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
17149 @item article-begin
17150 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
17151 says what the beginning of each article looks like. To do more
17152 complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you can
17153 use @code{article-begin-function} instead of this.
17155 @item article-begin-function
17156 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the beginning
17157 of each article. This setting overrides @code{article-begin}.
17160 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
17161 article. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a
17162 simple regexp, you can use @code{head-begin-function} instead of this.
17164 @item head-begin-function
17165 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
17166 the article. This setting overrides @code{head-begin}.
17169 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
17170 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
17173 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
17174 to @samp{^\n}. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with
17175 a simple regexp, you can use @code{body-begin-function} instead of this.
17177 @item body-begin-function
17178 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
17179 of the article. This setting overrides @code{body-begin}.
17182 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article. To do
17183 more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you
17184 can use @code{body-end-function} instead of this.
17186 @item body-end-function
17187 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
17188 the article. This setting overrides @code{body-end}.
17191 If present, this should match the beginning of the file. All text
17192 before this regexp will be totally ignored.
17195 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
17196 regexp will be totally ignored.
17200 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
17201 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
17202 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
17203 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
17204 something that's palatable for Gnus:
17207 @item prepare-body-function
17208 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
17209 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
17210 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
17212 @item article-transform-function
17213 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
17214 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
17215 body of the article.
17217 @item generate-head-function
17218 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
17219 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
17220 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
17221 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
17223 @item generate-article-function
17224 If present, this function is called to generate an entire article that
17225 Gnus can understand. It is called with the article number as a
17226 parameter when requesting all articles.
17228 @item dissection-function
17229 If present, this function is called to dissect a document by itself,
17230 overriding @code{first-article}, @code{article-begin},
17231 @code{article-begin-function}, @code{head-begin},
17232 @code{head-begin-function}, @code{head-end}, @code{body-begin},
17233 @code{body-begin-function}, @code{body-end}, @code{body-end-function},
17234 @code{file-begin}, and @code{file-end}.
17238 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
17243 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17244 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17245 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
17246 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
17247 (head-end . "^ ?$")
17248 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
17249 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
17250 (subtype digest guess))
17253 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
17254 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
17255 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
17256 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
17257 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
17259 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
17260 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
17261 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
17262 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
17263 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
17264 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
17265 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
17266 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
17267 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
17268 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
17269 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
17270 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
17278 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
17279 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
17280 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
17282 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
17283 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
17284 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
17287 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
17288 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
17289 that interested in doing things properly.
17291 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
17292 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
17295 First some terminology:
17300 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
17301 get news and/or mail from.
17304 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
17305 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
17308 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
17312 @item message packets
17313 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
17314 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
17315 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17317 @item response packets
17318 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
17319 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
17320 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17330 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
17331 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
17332 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
17333 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
17336 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
17339 You put the packet in your home directory.
17342 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
17343 the native or secondary server.
17346 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
17347 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
17350 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
17354 You transfer this packet to the server.
17357 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
17360 You then repeat until you die.
17364 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
17365 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
17368 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
17369 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
17370 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
17374 @node SOUP Commands
17375 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
17377 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
17381 @kindex G s b (Group)
17382 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
17383 Pack all unread articles in the current group
17384 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
17385 process/prefix convention.
17388 @kindex G s w (Group)
17389 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
17390 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
17393 @kindex G s s (Group)
17394 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
17395 Send all replies from the replies packet
17396 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
17399 @kindex G s p (Group)
17400 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
17401 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
17404 @kindex G s r (Group)
17405 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
17406 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
17409 @kindex O s (Summary)
17410 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
17411 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
17412 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
17413 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17418 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
17423 @item gnus-soup-directory
17424 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
17425 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
17426 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
17428 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
17429 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
17430 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
17431 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
17433 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
17434 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
17435 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
17436 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
17438 @item gnus-soup-packer
17439 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
17440 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17441 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
17443 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
17444 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
17445 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17446 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17448 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
17449 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
17450 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
17452 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17453 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17454 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
17455 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
17461 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
17464 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
17465 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
17466 you can read them at leisure.
17468 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
17472 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
17473 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
17474 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
17475 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
17477 @item nnsoup-directory
17478 @vindex nnsoup-directory
17479 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
17480 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
17482 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
17483 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
17484 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
17485 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
17487 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
17488 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
17489 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
17490 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
17491 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
17493 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
17494 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
17495 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
17496 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
17498 @item nnsoup-active-file
17499 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
17500 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
17501 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
17502 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
17503 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
17505 @item nnsoup-packer
17506 @vindex nnsoup-packer
17507 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
17508 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
17510 @item nnsoup-unpacker
17511 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
17512 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
17513 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17515 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
17516 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
17517 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
17520 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
17521 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
17522 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
17525 @item nnsoup-always-save
17526 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
17527 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
17533 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
17535 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
17536 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
17537 more for that to happen.
17539 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
17540 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
17541 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
17544 In specific, this is what it does:
17547 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
17548 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
17551 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
17552 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
17553 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
17556 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
17557 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
17558 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
17561 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
17562 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
17563 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
17565 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
17571 @item nngateway-address
17572 @vindex nngateway-address
17573 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
17575 @item nngateway-header-transformation
17576 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
17577 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
17578 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
17579 transformation should be called, and defaults to
17580 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
17581 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
17584 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
17585 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
17586 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
17589 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
17592 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
17595 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
17598 The following pre-defined functions exist:
17600 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17603 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17604 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17605 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
17607 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17609 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17610 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17611 @code{nngateway-address}.
17619 (setq gnus-post-method
17621 "mail2news@@replay.com"
17622 (nngateway-header-transformation
17623 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
17626 So, to use this, simply say something like:
17629 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
17634 @node Combined Groups
17635 @section Combined Groups
17637 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
17641 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
17642 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
17646 @node Virtual Groups
17647 @subsection Virtual Groups
17649 @cindex virtual groups
17650 @cindex merging groups
17652 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
17655 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
17656 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
17657 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
17659 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
17660 regexp to match component groups.
17662 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
17663 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
17664 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
17665 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
17666 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
17667 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
17668 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
17669 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
17671 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
17672 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
17675 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
17678 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
17679 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
17681 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
17682 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
17683 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
17684 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
17687 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
17690 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
17691 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
17692 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
17694 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
17695 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
17696 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
17697 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
17698 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
17700 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
17701 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
17702 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
17704 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
17705 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
17706 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
17707 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
17708 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
17709 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
17710 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
17711 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
17712 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
17713 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
17714 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
17716 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
17717 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
17718 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
17719 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
17720 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
17721 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
17722 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
17724 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
17725 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
17727 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
17728 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
17732 @node Kibozed Groups
17733 @subsection Kibozed Groups
17737 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by the @acronym{OED} as ``grepping through
17738 (parts of) the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will
17739 do this for you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @acronym{NNTP} server
17740 down to a halt with useless requests! Oh happiness!
17742 @kindex G k (Group)
17743 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
17746 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
17747 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
17748 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between
17749 @code{nnkiboze} and @code{nnvirtual} end.
17751 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an
17752 @code{nnkiboze} group must have a score file to say what articles are
17753 to be included in the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
17755 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
17756 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
17757 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
17758 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time.
17759 Lots of time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the
17760 headers from all the articles in all the component groups and run them
17761 through the scoring process to determine if there are any articles in
17762 the groups that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
17764 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
17765 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
17766 @acronym{NNTP} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
17767 Stranger things have happened.
17769 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
17770 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
17772 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
17773 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
17774 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/kiboze/} by default.
17775 One contains the @acronym{NOV} header lines for all the articles in
17776 the group, and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store
17777 information on what groups have been searched through to find
17778 component articles.
17780 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
17781 their @acronym{NOV} lines removed from the @acronym{NOV} file.
17784 @node Email Based Diary
17785 @section Email Based Diary
17787 @cindex email based diary
17790 This section describes a special mail back end called @code{nndiary},
17791 and its companion library @code{gnus-diary}. It is ``special'' in the
17792 sense that it is not meant to be one of the standard alternatives for
17793 reading mail with Gnus. See @ref{Choosing a Mail Back End} for that.
17794 Instead, it is used to treat @emph{some} of your mails in a special way,
17795 namely, as event reminders.
17797 Here is a typical scenario:
17801 You've got a date with Andy Mc Dowell or Bruce Willis (select according
17802 to your sexual preference) in one month. You don't want to forget it.
17804 So you send a ``reminder'' message (actually, a diary one) to yourself.
17806 You forget all about it and keep on getting and reading new mail, as usual.
17808 From time to time, as you type `g' in the group buffer and as the date
17809 is getting closer, the message will pop up again to remind you of your
17810 appointment, just as if it were new and unread.
17812 Read your ``new'' messages, this one included, and start dreaming again
17813 of the night you're gonna have.
17815 Once the date is over (you actually fell asleep just after dinner), the
17816 message will be automatically deleted if it is marked as expirable.
17819 The Gnus Diary back end has the ability to handle regular appointments
17820 (that wouldn't ever be deleted) as well as punctual ones, operates as a
17821 real mail back end and is configurable in many ways. All of this is
17822 explained in the sections below.
17825 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
17826 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
17827 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
17831 @node The NNDiary Back End
17832 @subsection The NNDiary Back End
17834 @cindex the nndiary back end
17836 @code{nndiary} is a back end very similar to @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
17837 Spool}). Actually, it could appear as a mix of @code{nnml} and
17838 @code{nndraft}. If you know @code{nnml}, you're already familiar with
17839 the message storing scheme of @code{nndiary}: one file per message, one
17840 directory per group.
17842 Before anything, there is one requirement to be able to run
17843 @code{nndiary} properly: you @emph{must} use the group timestamp feature
17844 of Gnus. This adds a timestamp to each group's parameters. @ref{Group
17845 Timestamp} to see how it's done.
17848 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
17849 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
17850 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
17853 @node Diary Messages
17854 @subsubsection Diary Messages
17855 @cindex nndiary messages
17856 @cindex nndiary mails
17858 @code{nndiary} messages are just normal ones, except for the mandatory
17859 presence of 7 special headers. These headers are of the form
17860 @code{X-Diary-<something>}, @code{<something>} being one of
17861 @code{Minute}, @code{Hour}, @code{Dom}, @code{Month}, @code{Year},
17862 @code{Time-Zone} and @code{Dow}. @code{Dom} means ``Day of Month'', and
17863 @code{dow} means ``Day of Week''. These headers actually behave like
17864 crontab specifications and define the event date(s):
17868 For all headers except the @code{Time-Zone} one, a header value is
17869 either a star (meaning all possible values), or a list of fields
17870 (separated by a comma).
17872 A field is either an integer, or a range.
17874 A range is two integers separated by a dash.
17876 Possible integer values are 0--59 for @code{Minute}, 0--23 for
17877 @code{Hour}, 1--31 for @code{Dom}, 1--12 for @code{Month}, above 1971
17878 for @code{Year} and 0--6 for @code{Dow} (0 meaning Sunday).
17880 As a special case, a star in either @code{Dom} or @code{Dow} doesn't
17881 mean ``all possible values'', but ``use only the other field''. Note
17882 that if both are star'ed, the use of either one gives the same result.
17884 The @code{Time-Zone} header is special in that it can only have one
17885 value (@code{GMT}, for instance). A star doesn't mean ``all possible
17886 values'' (because it makes no sense), but ``the current local time
17887 zone''. Most of the time, you'll be using a star here. However, for a
17888 list of available time zone values, see the variable
17889 @code{nndiary-headers}.
17892 As a concrete example, here are the diary headers to add to your message
17893 for specifying ``Each Monday and each 1st of month, at 12:00, 20:00,
17894 21:00, 22:00, 23:00 and 24:00, from 1999 to 2010'' (I'll let you find
17899 X-Diary-Hour: 12, 20-24
17902 X-Diary-Year: 1999-2010
17904 X-Diary-Time-Zone: *
17907 @node Running NNDiary
17908 @subsubsection Running NNDiary
17909 @cindex running nndiary
17910 @cindex nndiary operation modes
17912 @code{nndiary} has two modes of operation: ``traditional'' (the default)
17913 and ``autonomous''. In traditional mode, @code{nndiary} does not get new
17914 mail by itself. You have to move (@kbd{B m}) or copy (@kbd{B c}) mails
17915 from your primary mail back end to nndiary groups in order to handle them
17916 as diary messages. In autonomous mode, @code{nndiary} retrieves its own
17917 mail and handles it independently from your primary mail back end.
17919 One should note that Gnus is not inherently designed to allow several
17920 ``master'' mail back ends at the same time. However, this does make
17921 sense with @code{nndiary}: you really want to send and receive diary
17922 messages to your diary groups directly. So, @code{nndiary} supports
17923 being sort of a ``second primary mail back end'' (to my knowledge, it is
17924 the only back end offering this feature). However, there is a limitation
17925 (which I hope to fix some day): respooling doesn't work in autonomous
17928 In order to use @code{nndiary} in autonomous mode, you have several
17933 Allow @code{nndiary} to retrieve new mail by itself. Put the following
17934 line in your @file{gnusrc} file:
17937 (setq nndiary-get-new-mail t)
17940 You must arrange for diary messages (those containing @code{X-Diary-*}
17941 headers) to be split in a private folder @emph{before} Gnus treat them.
17942 Again, this is needed because Gnus cannot (yet ?) properly handle
17943 multiple primary mail back ends. Getting those messages from a separate
17944 source will compensate this misfeature to some extent.
17946 As an example, here's my procmailrc entry to store diary files in
17947 @file{~/.nndiary} (the default @code{nndiary} mail source file):
17956 Once this is done, you might want to customize the following two options
17957 that affect the diary mail retrieval and splitting processes:
17959 @defvar nndiary-mail-sources
17960 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
17961 @code{mail-sources} variable. It obeys the same syntax, and defaults to
17962 @code{(file :path "~/.nndiary")}.
17965 @defvar nndiary-split-methods
17966 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
17967 @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable. It obeys the same syntax.
17970 Finally, you may add a permanent @code{nndiary} virtual server
17971 (something like @code{(nndiary "diary")} should do) to your
17972 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}.
17974 Hopefully, almost everything (see the TODO section in
17975 @file{nndiary.el}) will work as expected when you restart Gnus: in
17976 autonomous mode, typing @kbd{g} and @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer, will
17977 also get your new diary mails and split them according to your
17978 diary-specific rules, @kbd{F} will find your new diary groups etc.
17980 @node Customizing NNDiary
17981 @subsubsection Customizing NNDiary
17982 @cindex customizing nndiary
17983 @cindex nndiary customization
17985 Now that @code{nndiary} is up and running, it's time to customize it.
17986 The custom group is called @code{nndiary} (no, really ?!). You should
17987 browse it to figure out which options you'd like to tweak. The following
17988 two variables are probably the only ones you will want to change:
17990 @defvar nndiary-reminders
17991 This is the list of times when you want to be reminded of your
17992 appointements (e.g. 3 weeks before, then 2 days before, then 1 hour
17993 before and that's it). Remember that ``being reminded'' means that the
17994 diary message will pop up as brand new and unread again when you get new
17998 @defvar nndiary-week-starts-on-monday
17999 Rather self-explanatory. Otherwise, Sunday is assumed (this is the
18004 @node The Gnus Diary Library
18005 @subsection The Gnus Diary Library
18007 @cindex the gnus diary library
18009 Using @code{nndiary} manually (I mean, writing the headers by hand and
18010 so on) would be rather boring. Fortunately, there is a library called
18011 @code{gnus-diary} written on top of @code{nndiary}, that does many
18012 useful things for you.
18014 In order to use it, add the following line to your @file{gnusrc} file:
18017 (require 'gnus-diary)
18020 Also, you shouldn't use any @code{gnus-user-format-function-[d|D]}
18021 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} provides both of these
18022 (sorry if you used them before).
18026 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
18027 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
18028 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
18029 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
18032 @node Diary Summary Line Format
18033 @subsubsection Diary Summary Line Format
18034 @cindex diary summary buffer line
18035 @cindex diary summary line format
18037 Displaying diary messages in standard summary line format (usually
18038 something like @samp{From Joe: Subject}) is pretty useless. Most of
18039 the time, you're the one who wrote the message, and you mostly want to
18040 see the event's date.
18042 @code{gnus-diary} provides two supplemental user formats to be used in
18043 summary line formats. @code{D} corresponds to a formatted time string
18044 for the next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00''),
18045 while @code{d} corresponds to an approximative remaining time until the
18046 next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``in 6 months, 1 week'').
18048 For example, here's how Joe's birthday is displayed in my
18049 @code{nndiary+diary:birthdays} summary buffer (note that the message is
18050 expirable, but will never be deleted, as it specifies a periodic event):
18053 E Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00: Joe's birthday (in 6 months, 1 week)
18056 In order to get something like the above, you would normally add the
18057 following line to your diary groups'parameters:
18060 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z %uD: %(%s%) (%ud)\n")
18063 However, @code{gnus-diary} does it automatically (@pxref{Diary Group
18064 Parameters}). You can however customize the provided summary line format
18065 with the following user options:
18067 @defvar gnus-diary-summary-line-format
18068 Defines the summary line format used for diary groups (@pxref{Summary
18069 Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} uses it to automatically update the
18070 diary groups'parameters.
18073 @defvar gnus-diary-time-format
18074 Defines the format to display dates in diary summary buffers. This is
18075 used by the @code{D} user format. See the docstring for details.
18078 @defvar gnus-diary-delay-format-function
18079 Defines the format function to use for displaying delays (remaining
18080 times) in diary summary buffers. This is used by the @code{d} user
18081 format. There are currently built-in functions for English and French;
18082 you can also define your own. See the docstring for details.
18085 @node Diary Articles Sorting
18086 @subsubsection Diary Articles Sorting
18087 @cindex diary articles sorting
18088 @cindex diary summary lines sorting
18089 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule
18090 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule
18091 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-schedule
18093 @code{gnus-diary} provides new sorting functions (@pxref{Sorting the
18094 Summary Buffer} ) called @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule},
18095 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule} and
18096 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-schedule}. These functions let you organize
18097 your diary summary buffers from the closest event to the farthest one.
18099 @code{gnus-diary} automatically installs
18100 @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule} as a menu item in the summary
18101 buffer's ``sort'' menu, and the two others as the primary (hence
18102 default) sorting functions in the group parameters (@pxref{Diary Group
18105 @node Diary Headers Generation
18106 @subsubsection Diary Headers Generation
18107 @cindex diary headers generation
18108 @findex gnus-diary-check-message
18110 @code{gnus-diary} provides a function called
18111 @code{gnus-diary-check-message} to help you handle the @code{X-Diary-*}
18112 headers. This function ensures that the current message contains all the
18113 required diary headers, and prompts you for values or corrections if
18116 This function is hooked into the @code{nndiary} back end, so that
18117 moving or copying an article to a diary group will trigger it
18118 automatically. It is also bound to @kbd{C-c D c} in @code{message-mode}
18119 and @code{article-edit-mode} in order to ease the process of converting
18120 a usual mail to a diary one.
18122 This function takes a prefix argument which will force prompting of
18123 all diary headers, regardless of their presence or validity. That way,
18124 you can very easily reschedule an already valid diary message, for
18127 @node Diary Group Parameters
18128 @subsubsection Diary Group Parameters
18129 @cindex diary group parameters
18131 When you create a new diary group, or visit one, @code{gnus-diary}
18132 automatically checks your group parameters and if needed, sets the
18133 summary line format to the diary-specific value, installs the
18134 diary-specific sorting functions, and also adds the different
18135 @code{X-Diary-*} headers to the group's posting-style. It is then easier
18136 to send a diary message, because if you use @kbd{C-u a} or @kbd{C-u m}
18137 on a diary group to prepare a message, these headers will be inserted
18138 automatically (although not filled with proper values yet).
18140 @node Sending or Not Sending
18141 @subsection Sending or Not Sending
18143 Well, assuming you've read of of the above, here are two final notes on
18144 mail sending with @code{nndiary}:
18148 @code{nndiary} is a @emph{real} mail back end. You really send real diary
18149 messsages for real. This means for instance that you can give
18150 appointements to anybody (provided they use Gnus and @code{nndiary}) by
18151 sending the diary message to them as well.
18153 However, since @code{nndiary} also has a @code{request-post} method, you
18154 can also use @kbd{C-u a} instead of @kbd{C-u m} on a diary group and the
18155 message won't actually be sent; just stored locally in the group. This
18156 comes in very handy for private appointments.
18159 @node Gnus Unplugged
18160 @section Gnus Unplugged
18165 @cindex Gnus unplugged
18167 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
18168 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
18169 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
18170 read news. Believe it or not.
18172 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
18173 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
18174 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
18175 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
18176 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
18178 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
18179 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
18180 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
18181 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
18182 reading news on a machine.
18184 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
18185 fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
18186 by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
18188 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
18191 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
18192 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
18193 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
18194 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
18195 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
18196 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
18197 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
18198 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
18199 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
18200 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
18201 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
18202 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
18203 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
18208 @subsection Agent Basics
18210 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
18212 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
18213 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
18214 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
18215 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
18217 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
18218 connected to the net continuously.
18220 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
18221 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
18223 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
18224 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
18225 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
18226 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
18227 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
18229 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
18230 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
18231 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
18232 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
18233 they're kinda like plugged always).
18235 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
18236 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
18237 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
18240 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
18241 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
18242 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
18243 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
18244 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
18246 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
18251 @findex gnus-unplugged
18252 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
18253 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
18254 already fetched while in this mode.
18257 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
18258 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
18259 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
18260 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
18261 Source Specifiers}).
18264 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
18265 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
18266 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
18267 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
18268 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
18271 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
18272 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
18273 then you read the news offline.
18276 And then you go to step 2.
18279 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
18285 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
18286 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
18287 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
18288 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
18289 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
18290 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
18291 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
18292 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
18295 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
18296 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
18297 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
18298 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
18300 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
18301 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
18302 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
18303 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
18304 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
18305 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
18309 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
18313 @node Agent Categories
18314 @subsection Agent Categories
18316 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
18317 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
18318 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
18319 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
18320 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
18321 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
18322 you're interested in the articles anyway.
18324 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
18325 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
18326 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
18327 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
18328 buffer for creating and managing categories.
18330 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
18331 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
18332 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
18333 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
18334 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
18337 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
18338 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
18339 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
18340 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
18341 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
18342 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
18346 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
18347 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
18348 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
18352 @node Category Syntax
18353 @subsubsection Category Syntax
18355 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
18356 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
18357 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
18360 @cindex Agent Parameters
18362 @item agent-cat-name
18363 The name of the category.
18366 The list of groups that are in this category.
18368 @item agent-predicate
18369 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
18370 are eligible for downloading; and
18372 @item agent-score-file
18373 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
18374 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
18375 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
18377 @item agent-enable-expiration
18378 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
18379 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
18380 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
18381 only groups that should not be expired.
18383 @item agent-days-until-old
18384 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
18385 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
18387 @item agent-low-score
18388 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
18390 @item agent-high-score
18391 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
18393 @item agent-length-when-short
18394 an integer that overrides the value of
18395 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
18397 @item agent-length-when-long
18398 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
18400 @item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
18401 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
18402 undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
18403 faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
18404 undownloaded faces.
18407 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
18410 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
18411 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
18412 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
18415 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
18416 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
18417 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
18418 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
18420 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
18421 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
18422 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
18424 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
18425 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
18426 operators sprinkled in between.
18428 Perhaps some examples are in order.
18430 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
18431 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
18437 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
18438 short (for some value of ``short'').
18440 Here's a more complex predicate:
18449 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
18450 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
18453 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
18454 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
18455 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
18457 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
18458 you want to do, you can write your own.
18460 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
18461 bound to the value determined by calling
18462 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
18463 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
18464 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
18465 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
18466 predicate to individual groups.
18470 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
18471 lines; default 100.
18474 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
18475 lines; default 200.
18478 True iff the article has a download score less than
18479 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
18482 True iff the article has a download score greater than
18483 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
18486 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
18487 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
18488 checksum and sees whether articles match.
18497 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
18498 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
18499 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
18502 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
18503 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
18504 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
18505 something along the lines of the following:
18508 (defun my-article-old-p ()
18509 "Say whether an article is old."
18510 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
18511 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
18514 with the predicate then defined as:
18517 (not my-article-old-p)
18520 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
18521 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
18525 (require 'gnus-agent)
18526 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
18527 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
18528 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
18531 and simply specify your predicate as:
18537 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
18538 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
18539 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
18540 just don't give a damn.
18542 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
18543 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
18544 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
18545 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
18546 parameters like so:
18549 (agent-predicate . short)
18552 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
18553 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
18554 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
18556 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
18559 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
18562 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
18563 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
18564 predicate is assumed to be a list.
18567 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
18568 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
18569 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
18570 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
18571 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
18572 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
18574 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
18575 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
18576 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
18577 if it's to be specific to that group.
18579 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
18586 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
18587 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
18593 Category specification
18597 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18603 Group/Topic Parameter specification
18606 (agent-score ("from"
18607 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18612 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
18618 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
18619 keywords stated above.
18625 Category specification
18628 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
18634 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
18638 Group Parameter specification
18641 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
18644 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
18649 Use @code{normal} score files
18651 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
18652 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
18653 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
18654 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
18656 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
18657 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
18658 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
18659 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
18663 Category Specification
18670 Group Parameter specification
18673 (agent-score . file)
18678 @node Category Buffer
18679 @subsubsection Category Buffer
18681 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
18682 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
18683 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
18685 The following commands are available in this buffer:
18689 @kindex q (Category)
18690 @findex gnus-category-exit
18691 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
18694 @kindex e (Category)
18695 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
18696 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
18697 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
18700 @kindex k (Category)
18701 @findex gnus-category-kill
18702 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
18705 @kindex c (Category)
18706 @findex gnus-category-copy
18707 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
18710 @kindex a (Category)
18711 @findex gnus-category-add
18712 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
18715 @kindex p (Category)
18716 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
18717 Edit the predicate of the current category
18718 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
18721 @kindex g (Category)
18722 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
18723 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
18724 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
18727 @kindex s (Category)
18728 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
18729 Edit the download score rule of the current category
18730 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
18733 @kindex l (Category)
18734 @findex gnus-category-list
18735 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
18739 @node Category Variables
18740 @subsubsection Category Variables
18743 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
18744 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
18745 Hook run in category buffers.
18747 @item gnus-category-line-format
18748 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
18749 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
18750 Variables}). Valid elements are:
18754 The name of the category.
18757 The number of groups in the category.
18760 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
18761 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
18762 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
18764 @item gnus-agent-short-article
18765 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
18766 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
18768 @item gnus-agent-long-article
18769 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
18770 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
18772 @item gnus-agent-low-score
18773 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
18774 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
18777 @item gnus-agent-high-score
18778 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
18779 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
18782 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
18783 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18784 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
18785 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
18786 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
18787 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
18788 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
18789 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
18793 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18794 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18795 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
18796 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
18797 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
18798 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
18799 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
18804 @node Agent Commands
18805 @subsection Agent Commands
18806 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
18807 @kindex J j (Agent)
18809 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
18810 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
18811 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
18815 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
18816 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
18817 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
18823 @node Group Agent Commands
18824 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
18828 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
18829 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
18830 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
18831 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
18834 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
18835 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
18836 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
18839 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
18840 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
18841 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
18842 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
18845 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
18846 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
18847 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
18848 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
18851 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
18852 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
18853 Add the current group to an Agent category
18854 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
18855 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18858 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
18859 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
18860 Remove the current group from its category, if any
18861 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
18862 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18865 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
18866 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18867 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
18873 @node Summary Agent Commands
18874 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
18878 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
18879 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
18880 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
18883 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
18884 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
18885 Remove the downloading mark from the article
18886 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
18890 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
18891 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
18892 Toggle whether to download the article
18893 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
18897 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
18898 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
18899 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
18902 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
18903 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
18904 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
18905 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
18908 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
18909 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-series
18910 Download all processable articles in this group.
18911 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-series}).
18914 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
18915 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
18916 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
18917 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
18922 @node Server Agent Commands
18923 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
18927 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
18928 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
18929 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
18930 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
18933 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
18934 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
18935 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
18936 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
18941 @node Agent Visuals
18942 @subsection Agent Visuals
18944 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
18945 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
18946 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
18947 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
18948 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
18949 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
18950 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
18951 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
18952 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
18953 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
18955 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
18956 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
18957 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
18958 way, ``If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
18959 less than satisfying unplugged session''. For this reason, the Agent
18960 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
18961 the download status of each article so that you always know which
18962 articles will be available when unplugged.
18964 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
18965 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
18966 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
18967 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
18968 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
18969 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
18970 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
18971 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
18973 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
18974 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
18975 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
18976 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
18977 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
18978 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
18979 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
18980 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
18981 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
18983 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
18984 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
18985 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
18986 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
18987 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
18988 users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
18989 database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
18990 to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
18991 of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
18992 normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
18994 If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
18995 undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
18996 group parameter to @code{t}. This parameter, like all other agent
18997 parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}),
18998 a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an individual group
18999 (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
19001 The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
19002 can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
19003 even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
19004 is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
19005 This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
19006 fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
19007 the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
19008 expiring'' articles.
19010 @node Agent as Cache
19011 @subsection Agent as Cache
19013 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
19014 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
19015 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
19016 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
19017 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
19018 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
19019 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
19020 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
19021 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
19023 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
19024 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
19025 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
19026 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
19027 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
19030 @subsection Agent Expiry
19032 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
19033 @findex gnus-agent-expire
19034 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
19035 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
19036 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
19037 @cindex agent expiry
19038 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
19041 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
19042 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
19043 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
19044 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
19045 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
19046 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
19047 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
19048 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
19050 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
19051 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
19052 synchronized with the group.
19054 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
19055 prevent expiration in selected groups.
19057 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
19058 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
19059 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
19060 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
19061 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
19062 be kept indefinitely.
19064 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
19065 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
19066 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
19067 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
19069 @node Agent Regeneration
19070 @subsection Agent Regeneration
19072 @cindex agent regeneration
19073 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
19074 @cindex regeneration
19076 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
19077 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
19078 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
19079 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
19080 internal inconsistencies.
19082 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
19083 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
19084 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
19085 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
19086 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
19087 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
19089 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
19090 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
19091 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
19092 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
19093 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
19094 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
19096 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19097 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19098 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
19099 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
19100 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
19101 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
19104 @node Agent and IMAP
19105 @subsection Agent and IMAP
19107 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
19108 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
19109 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
19110 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
19112 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
19113 are kept on the @acronym{IMAP} server, rather than in @file{.newsrc} as is the
19114 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
19115 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
19117 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
19118 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
19119 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
19120 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
19122 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19123 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19124 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19125 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19126 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19127 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19129 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
19130 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
19131 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
19132 in the group buffer.
19134 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
19135 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
19140 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
19143 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
19147 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
19148 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
19149 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
19150 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group and
19151 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
19152 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
19153 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
19154 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
19157 @node Outgoing Messages
19158 @subsection Outgoing Messages
19160 By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
19161 and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
19162 You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
19164 You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
19165 (see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
19166 news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
19168 You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
19169 commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
19170 group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
19171 Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
19174 If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
19175 about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
19176 ask you to confirm your action (see
19177 @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
19179 @node Agent Variables
19180 @subsection Agent Variables
19185 Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
19186 the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
19187 automatically mark some back ends as agentized. You may change which
19188 back ends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
19190 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
19191 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
19194 @item gnus-agent-directory
19195 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
19196 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
19197 @file{~/News/agent/}.
19199 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
19200 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
19201 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
19202 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
19203 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
19206 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19207 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19208 Hook run when connecting to the network.
19210 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19211 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19212 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
19214 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19215 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19216 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
19218 @item gnus-agent-cache
19219 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
19220 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
19221 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
19222 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
19224 @item gnus-agent-go-online
19225 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
19226 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
19227 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
19228 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
19229 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
19230 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
19233 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19234 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19235 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
19236 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
19237 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
19238 read. The default is @code{t}.
19240 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19241 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19242 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
19243 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
19244 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
19245 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
19246 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
19247 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
19248 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
19249 over and over again.
19251 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19252 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19253 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
19254 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
19255 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
19256 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
19257 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
19258 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
19259 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
19260 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
19261 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
19262 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
19265 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
19266 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
19267 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
19268 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
19269 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
19270 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
19271 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
19272 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
19273 is only valid if the Agent is used.
19275 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19276 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19277 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
19278 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
19279 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
19280 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
19282 The valid values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
19283 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
19284 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
19285 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
19286 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
19288 @item gnus-agent-queue-mail
19289 @vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
19290 When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
19291 queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
19292 will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
19293 mail. The default is @code{t}.
19295 @item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19296 @vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19297 When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
19298 prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
19299 @kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
19301 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19302 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19303 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
19304 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
19305 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
19306 which back ends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
19307 to agentize remote back ends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
19308 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
19309 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
19310 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
19311 start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
19316 @node Example Setup
19317 @subsection Example Setup
19319 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
19320 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
19321 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
19324 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
19325 ;;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
19326 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
19328 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
19329 ;;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
19330 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
19332 ;;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
19333 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
19335 ;;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
19336 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
19337 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
19340 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
19341 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
19344 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
19345 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
19346 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
19347 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
19348 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
19351 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
19352 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
19353 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
19354 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
19355 back all the killed groups.)
19357 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
19358 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
19359 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
19362 @node Batching Agents
19363 @subsection Batching Agents
19364 @findex gnus-agent-batch
19366 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
19367 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
19368 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
19370 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
19371 following incantation:
19375 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
19379 @node Agent Caveats
19380 @subsection Agent Caveats
19382 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
19383 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
19387 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
19389 @strong{No}. If you want this behavior, add
19390 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
19391 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
19393 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
19394 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
19396 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
19400 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
19401 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
19402 locally stored articles.
19409 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
19410 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
19411 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
19414 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
19415 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
19416 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
19417 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
19418 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
19420 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
19421 before generating the summary buffer.
19423 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
19424 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
19425 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
19427 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
19428 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
19429 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
19430 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
19433 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
19434 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
19435 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
19436 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
19437 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
19438 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
19439 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
19440 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
19441 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
19442 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
19443 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
19444 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
19445 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
19446 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
19447 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
19448 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
19452 @node Summary Score Commands
19453 @section Summary Score Commands
19454 @cindex score commands
19456 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
19457 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
19458 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
19459 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
19460 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
19462 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
19463 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
19464 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
19465 score file the current one.
19467 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
19472 @kindex V s (Summary)
19473 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
19474 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
19477 @kindex V S (Summary)
19478 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
19479 Display the score of the current article
19480 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
19483 @kindex V t (Summary)
19484 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
19485 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
19486 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
19487 may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
19488 current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
19489 score file and edit it.
19492 @kindex V w (Summary)
19493 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
19494 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
19497 @kindex V R (Summary)
19498 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
19499 Run the current summary through the scoring process
19500 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
19501 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
19502 effect you're having.
19505 @kindex V c (Summary)
19506 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
19507 Make a different score file the current
19508 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
19511 @kindex V e (Summary)
19512 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
19513 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
19514 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
19518 @kindex V f (Summary)
19519 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
19520 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
19521 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
19524 @kindex V F (Summary)
19525 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19526 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
19527 after editing score files.
19530 @kindex V C (Summary)
19531 @findex gnus-score-customize
19532 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
19533 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
19537 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
19542 @kindex V m (Summary)
19543 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
19544 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
19545 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
19548 @kindex V x (Summary)
19549 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
19550 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
19551 expunge all articles below this score
19552 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
19555 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
19556 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
19559 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
19560 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
19564 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
19565 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
19567 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
19568 keys are available:
19572 Score on the author name.
19575 Score on the subject line.
19578 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
19581 Score on the @code{References} line.
19587 Score on the number of lines.
19590 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
19593 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
19594 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
19597 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
19598 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
19599 @file{ADAPT} files.)
19608 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
19614 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
19615 what headers you are scoring on.
19627 Substring matching.
19630 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
19659 Greater than number.
19664 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
19665 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
19666 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
19671 Temporary score entry.
19674 Permanent score entry.
19677 Immediately scoring.
19681 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
19682 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
19683 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
19687 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
19688 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
19689 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
19690 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
19692 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
19693 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
19694 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
19695 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
19696 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
19698 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
19699 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
19700 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
19701 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
19702 current score file.
19704 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
19705 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
19706 pretend they are keymaps or not.
19709 @node Group Score Commands
19710 @section Group Score Commands
19711 @cindex group score commands
19713 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
19718 @kindex W e (Group)
19719 @findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
19720 Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
19721 a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
19724 @kindex W f (Group)
19725 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19726 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
19727 all the time. This command will flush the cache
19728 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
19732 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
19734 @findex gnus-batch-score
19735 @cindex batch scoring
19737 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
19741 @node Score Variables
19742 @section Score Variables
19743 @cindex score variables
19747 @item gnus-use-scoring
19748 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
19749 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
19750 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
19752 @item gnus-kill-killed
19753 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
19754 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
19755 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
19756 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
19757 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
19758 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
19759 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
19761 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
19762 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
19763 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
19764 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
19765 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
19767 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
19768 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
19769 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
19770 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
19772 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19773 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19774 @cindex score cache
19775 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
19776 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
19777 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
19778 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
19779 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
19780 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
19781 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
19784 @item gnus-save-score
19785 @vindex gnus-save-score
19786 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
19787 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
19788 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
19790 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
19791 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
19792 across group visits.
19794 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19795 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19796 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
19797 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
19798 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
19799 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
19800 manually entered data.
19802 @item gnus-summary-default-score
19803 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
19804 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
19806 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
19807 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
19808 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
19809 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
19810 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
19811 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
19813 @item gnus-score-over-mark
19814 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
19815 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
19816 default. Default is @samp{+}.
19818 @item gnus-score-below-mark
19819 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
19820 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
19821 default. Default is @samp{-}.
19823 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19824 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19825 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
19826 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
19828 Predefined functions available are:
19831 @item gnus-score-find-single
19832 @findex gnus-score-find-single
19833 Only apply the group's own score file.
19835 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
19836 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
19837 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
19838 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
19839 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
19840 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
19841 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
19842 then a regexp match is done.
19844 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
19845 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
19847 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
19848 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
19849 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
19850 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
19852 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19853 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19854 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
19855 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
19856 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
19860 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
19861 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
19862 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
19863 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
19864 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
19865 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
19866 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
19869 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
19870 overall score file, you could use the value
19872 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
19873 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
19876 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
19877 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
19878 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
19879 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
19880 are expired. It's 7 by default.
19882 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19883 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19884 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
19885 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
19886 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
19887 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
19888 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
19889 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
19891 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19892 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19893 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
19895 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
19896 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
19897 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
19898 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
19899 threading---according to the current value of
19900 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
19901 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
19902 simplified in this manner.
19907 @node Score File Format
19908 @section Score File Format
19909 @cindex score file format
19911 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
19912 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
19913 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
19915 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
19919 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
19921 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
19923 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
19925 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
19930 (mark-and-expunge -10)
19934 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
19935 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
19936 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
19937 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
19941 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
19942 Scoring}, for a different approach.
19944 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
19945 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
19946 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
19948 Six keys are supported by this alist:
19953 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
19954 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
19955 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
19956 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
19957 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
19958 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
19959 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
19960 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
19961 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
19962 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
19963 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
19964 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
19965 to articles that matches these score entries.
19967 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
19968 score entry has one to four elements.
19972 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
19973 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
19977 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
19978 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
19979 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
19980 is successful. If this element is not present, the
19981 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
19982 instead. This is 1000 by default.
19985 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
19986 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
19987 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
19988 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
19989 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
19992 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
19993 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
19994 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
19995 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
19998 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
19999 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
20000 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
20001 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
20002 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
20003 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
20004 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
20005 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
20006 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
20007 instead, if you feel like.
20010 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
20011 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
20012 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
20013 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
20014 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
20015 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
20019 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
20020 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
20024 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
20025 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
20027 These predicates are true if
20030 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
20033 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
20034 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
20041 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
20042 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
20043 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
20044 it's not. I think.)
20046 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
20047 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
20048 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
20049 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
20052 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
20053 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
20054 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
20055 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
20056 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
20057 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
20058 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
20062 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
20063 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
20064 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
20065 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
20066 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
20067 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
20068 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
20069 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
20072 @item Head, Body, All
20073 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
20077 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
20078 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
20079 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
20080 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
20081 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
20082 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
20083 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
20087 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
20088 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
20089 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
20090 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
20091 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
20092 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
20093 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
20094 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
20095 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
20096 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
20097 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
20101 @cindex score file atoms
20103 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20104 lower than this number will be marked as read.
20107 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20108 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
20110 @item mark-and-expunge
20111 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20112 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
20115 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
20116 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
20117 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
20118 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
20119 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
20122 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
20123 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
20126 @item exclude-files
20127 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
20128 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
20132 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
20133 ignored when handling global score files.
20136 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
20137 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
20138 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
20139 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
20142 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
20143 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
20144 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
20145 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
20147 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
20151 (mark-and-expunge -100)
20154 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
20155 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
20156 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
20157 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
20158 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
20160 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
20161 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
20162 scoring rules exist.
20165 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
20166 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
20167 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
20168 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
20169 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
20170 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
20171 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20172 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
20173 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
20174 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
20175 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
20179 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
20180 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
20181 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
20182 file for a number of groups.
20185 @cindex local variables
20186 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
20187 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
20188 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
20189 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
20190 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
20195 @node Score File Editing
20196 @section Score File Editing
20198 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
20199 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
20200 with a mode for that.
20202 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
20203 additional commands:
20208 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
20209 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
20210 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
20211 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
20214 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
20215 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
20216 Insert the current date in numerical format
20217 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
20218 you were wondering.
20221 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
20222 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
20223 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
20224 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
20225 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
20230 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
20232 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
20233 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
20235 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
20236 @kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
20239 @node Adaptive Scoring
20240 @section Adaptive Scoring
20241 @cindex adaptive scoring
20243 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
20244 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
20245 stupidity, to be precise.
20247 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
20248 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
20249 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
20250 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
20251 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20252 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
20253 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
20254 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
20255 variable to @code{(word line)}.
20257 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20258 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
20259 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
20260 might look something like this:
20263 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20264 '((gnus-unread-mark)
20265 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
20266 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
20267 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
20268 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
20269 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
20270 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
20271 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
20272 (gnus-ancient-mark)
20273 (gnus-low-score-mark)
20274 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
20277 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
20278 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
20279 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
20280 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
20281 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
20282 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
20285 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
20286 will be applied to each article.
20288 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
20289 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
20290 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
20291 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
20293 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
20294 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
20295 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
20296 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
20298 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
20299 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
20300 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
20301 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
20303 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
20304 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
20305 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
20306 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
20307 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
20308 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
20310 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
20311 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
20312 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
20314 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
20315 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
20316 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
20318 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
20319 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
20320 let you use different rules in different groups.
20322 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
20323 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
20324 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
20327 @vindex gnus-adaptive-pretty-print
20328 Adaptive score files can get huge and are not meant to be edited by
20329 human hands. If @code{gnus-adaptive-pretty-print} is @code{nil} (the
20330 deafult) those files will not be written in a human readable way.
20332 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
20333 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
20334 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
20335 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
20336 the length of the match is less than
20337 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
20338 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
20341 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20342 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
20343 headers. If you adapt on words, the
20344 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
20345 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
20348 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20349 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
20350 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
20351 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
20352 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
20355 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
20356 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
20357 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
20358 score with 30 points.
20360 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
20361 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
20362 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
20363 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
20364 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
20366 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
20367 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
20368 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
20369 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
20370 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
20372 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
20373 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
20374 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
20375 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
20377 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
20378 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
20379 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
20380 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
20382 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
20383 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
20384 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
20385 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
20386 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
20388 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
20389 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
20390 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
20392 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
20393 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
20394 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
20395 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
20398 @node Home Score File
20399 @section Home Score File
20401 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
20402 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
20403 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
20404 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
20406 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
20407 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
20408 could perhaps use the same home score file.
20410 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
20411 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
20416 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
20420 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
20421 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
20425 A list. The elements in this list can be:
20429 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
20430 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
20433 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
20434 be used as the home score file. The function will be called with the
20435 name of the group as the parameter.
20438 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
20441 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
20446 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
20449 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20450 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
20453 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
20454 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
20456 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
20458 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20459 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
20462 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
20463 Other functions include
20466 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
20467 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
20468 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
20469 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
20473 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
20474 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
20475 their own home score files:
20478 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20479 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
20480 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
20481 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
20482 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
20485 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
20486 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
20487 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
20488 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
20489 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
20491 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
20492 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
20493 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
20494 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
20495 precedence over this variable.
20498 @node Followups To Yourself
20499 @section Followups To Yourself
20501 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
20502 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
20503 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
20504 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
20505 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
20506 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
20510 @item gnus-score-followup-article
20511 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
20512 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
20515 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
20516 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
20517 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
20521 @vindex message-sent-hook
20522 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
20523 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
20525 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
20529 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
20530 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
20534 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20535 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20538 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
20539 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
20544 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
20548 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
20549 is system-dependent.
20552 @node Scoring On Other Headers
20553 @section Scoring On Other Headers
20554 @cindex scoring on other headers
20556 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
20557 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
20558 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
20559 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
20560 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
20562 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
20563 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
20564 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
20565 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
20566 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
20568 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
20571 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
20572 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
20575 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
20576 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
20577 time if you have much mail.
20579 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
20580 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
20586 @section Scoring Tips
20587 @cindex scoring tips
20593 @cindex scoring crossposts
20594 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
20595 the @code{Xref} header.
20597 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
20600 @item Multiple crossposts
20601 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
20602 more than, say, 3 groups:
20605 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
20609 @item Matching on the body
20610 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
20611 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
20612 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
20613 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
20614 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
20615 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
20616 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
20619 @item Marking as read
20620 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
20621 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
20622 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
20626 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
20628 @item Negated character classes
20629 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
20630 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
20631 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
20635 @node Reverse Scoring
20636 @section Reverse Scoring
20637 @cindex reverse scoring
20639 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
20640 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
20641 like this in your score file:
20645 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
20650 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
20651 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
20654 @node Global Score Files
20655 @section Global Score Files
20656 @cindex global score files
20658 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
20659 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
20660 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
20662 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
20663 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
20664 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
20666 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
20667 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
20668 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
20669 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
20670 files are applicable to which group.
20672 To use the score file
20673 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
20674 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
20678 (setq gnus-global-score-files
20679 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
20680 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
20683 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
20685 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
20686 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
20687 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
20688 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
20690 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
20691 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
20693 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
20694 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
20695 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
20696 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
20697 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
20698 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
20700 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
20706 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
20708 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
20710 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
20712 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
20713 lowered out of existence.
20715 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
20716 articles completely.
20719 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
20720 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
20721 old articles for a long time.
20724 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
20725 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
20726 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
20727 holding our breath yet?
20731 @section Kill Files
20734 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
20735 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
20736 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
20738 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
20739 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
20740 files into score files.
20742 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
20743 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
20744 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
20745 that isn't a very good idea.
20747 Normal kill files look like this:
20750 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20751 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
20755 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
20756 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
20758 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
20759 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
20762 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
20767 @kindex M-k (Summary)
20768 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
20769 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
20772 @kindex M-K (Summary)
20773 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
20774 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
20777 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
20782 @kindex M-k (Group)
20783 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
20784 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
20787 @kindex M-K (Group)
20788 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
20789 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
20792 Kill file variables:
20795 @item gnus-kill-file-name
20796 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
20797 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
20798 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
20799 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
20800 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
20801 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
20803 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20804 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20805 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
20806 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
20809 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
20810 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
20811 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
20812 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
20813 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
20814 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
20815 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
20816 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
20817 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
20819 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20820 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20821 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
20826 @node Converting Kill Files
20827 @section Converting Kill Files
20829 @cindex converting kill files
20831 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
20832 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
20833 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
20836 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
20837 You can fetch it from
20838 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
20840 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
20841 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
20842 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
20846 @node Advanced Scoring
20847 @section Advanced Scoring
20849 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
20850 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
20851 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
20852 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
20853 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
20855 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
20859 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
20860 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
20861 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
20865 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
20866 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
20868 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
20869 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
20870 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
20871 non-@code{nil} value.
20873 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
20874 operator, and various match operators.
20881 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20882 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
20883 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
20888 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20889 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
20890 then this operator will return @code{false}.
20895 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
20896 logical negation of the value of its argument.
20900 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
20901 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
20902 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
20903 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
20904 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
20905 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
20906 the ancestry you want to go.
20908 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
20909 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
20910 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
20911 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
20912 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
20915 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
20916 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
20918 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
20919 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
20922 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
20923 when he's talking about Gnus:
20928 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20929 ("subject" "Gnus"))
20936 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
20940 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20947 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
20948 really don't want to read what he's written:
20952 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20953 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
20957 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
20958 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
20959 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
20966 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
20967 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
20968 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
20969 ("body" "white.*socks"))
20973 Suppose you're reading a high volume group and you're only interested
20974 in replies. The plan is to score down all articles that don't have
20975 subject that begin with "Re:", "Fw:" or "Fwd:" and then score up all
20976 parents of articles that have subjects that begin with reply marks.
20979 ((! ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
20981 ((1- ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
20985 The possibilities are endless.
20987 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
20988 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
20990 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
20991 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
20992 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
20993 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
20994 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
20995 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
20996 @samp{subject}) first.
20998 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
20999 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
21010 Then that means ``score on the from header of the grandparent of the
21011 current article''. An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
21017 ("subject" "Gnus")))
21024 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
21025 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
21030 @section Score Decays
21031 @cindex score decays
21034 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
21035 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
21036 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
21037 use them in any sensible way.
21039 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
21040 @findex gnus-decay-score
21041 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
21042 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
21043 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
21044 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
21045 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
21046 If @code{gnus-decay-scores} is a regexp, only score files matching this
21047 regexp are treated. E.g. you may set it to @samp{\\.ADAPT\\'} if only
21048 @emph{adaptive} score files should be decayed. The decay itself if
21049 performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function} function, which is
21050 @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the definition of that
21054 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
21055 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
21056 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
21058 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
21060 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
21062 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
21063 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
21064 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
21065 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
21066 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
21068 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
21072 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
21073 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
21074 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
21075 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
21079 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
21082 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
21085 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
21089 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
21090 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
21091 the new score, which should be an integer.
21093 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
21094 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
21099 @include message.texi
21100 @chapter Emacs MIME
21101 @include emacs-mime.texi
21103 @include sieve.texi
21105 @c @include pgg.texi
21107 @c @include sasl.texi
21115 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
21116 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
21117 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
21118 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
21119 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
21120 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
21121 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
21122 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
21123 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
21124 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
21125 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
21126 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
21127 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
21128 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
21129 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
21130 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
21131 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
21132 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
21133 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
21134 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
21135 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
21139 @node Process/Prefix
21140 @section Process/Prefix
21141 @cindex process/prefix convention
21143 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
21144 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
21146 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
21147 command to be performed on.
21151 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
21152 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
21153 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
21154 with the current one.
21156 @vindex transient-mark-mode
21157 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
21158 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
21160 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
21161 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
21164 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
21165 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
21167 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
21170 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
21171 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
21172 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
21173 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
21175 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
21176 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
21177 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
21178 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
21179 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
21180 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
21181 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
21182 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
21184 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
21185 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
21186 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
21187 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
21188 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
21192 @section Interactive
21193 @cindex interaction
21197 @item gnus-novice-user
21198 @vindex gnus-novice-user
21199 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
21200 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
21201 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
21202 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
21205 @item gnus-expert-user
21206 @vindex gnus-expert-user
21207 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
21208 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
21209 matter how strange.
21211 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
21212 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
21213 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
21214 is @code{t} by default.
21216 @item gnus-interactive-exit
21217 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
21218 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21223 @node Symbolic Prefixes
21224 @section Symbolic Prefixes
21225 @cindex symbolic prefixes
21227 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
21228 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
21229 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
21230 rule of 900 to the current article.
21232 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
21233 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
21234 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
21235 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
21236 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
21237 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
21238 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
21240 @kindex M-i (Summary)
21241 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
21242 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
21243 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
21244 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
21245 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
21246 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
21247 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
21248 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
21250 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
21251 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
21252 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
21254 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
21258 @node Formatting Variables
21259 @section Formatting Variables
21260 @cindex formatting variables
21262 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
21263 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
21264 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
21265 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
21266 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
21269 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
21270 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
21271 lots of percentages everywhere.
21274 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
21275 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
21276 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
21277 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
21278 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
21279 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
21280 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
21281 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
21284 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
21285 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
21286 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
21287 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
21288 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
21289 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
21290 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
21291 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
21293 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
21294 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
21296 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
21297 @findex gnus-update-format
21298 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
21299 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
21300 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
21301 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
21305 @node Formatting Basics
21306 @subsection Formatting Basics
21308 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
21309 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
21310 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
21312 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
21313 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
21314 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
21315 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
21316 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
21319 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
21320 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
21321 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
21322 less than 4 characters wide.
21324 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
21325 @samp{%&user-date;}.
21328 @node Mode Line Formatting
21329 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
21331 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
21332 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
21333 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
21334 with the following two differences:
21339 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
21342 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
21343 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
21344 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
21345 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
21346 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
21347 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
21348 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
21353 @node Advanced Formatting
21354 @subsection Advanced Formatting
21356 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
21357 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
21358 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
21359 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
21361 These are the valid modifiers:
21366 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
21370 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
21375 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
21378 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
21383 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
21386 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
21389 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
21392 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
21398 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
21403 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
21404 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
21405 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
21406 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
21407 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
21408 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
21409 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
21411 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
21412 last operation, padding.
21414 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
21415 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
21416 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
21417 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
21418 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
21419 the look of your lines.
21420 @xref{Compilation}.
21423 @node User-Defined Specs
21424 @subsection User-Defined Specs
21426 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
21427 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
21428 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
21429 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
21430 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
21431 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
21432 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
21433 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
21434 should protect against that.
21436 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
21437 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
21439 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
21440 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
21441 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
21442 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
21446 @node Formatting Fonts
21447 @subsection Formatting Fonts
21449 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
21450 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
21451 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
21452 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
21455 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
21456 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
21457 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
21458 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
21459 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
21460 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
21462 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
21463 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
21464 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
21465 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
21466 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
21467 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
21468 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
21469 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
21470 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
21471 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
21472 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
21475 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
21478 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
21479 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
21480 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
21482 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
21483 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
21484 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
21485 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
21486 ;; @r{Set the color.}
21487 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
21488 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
21490 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
21491 (setq gnus-group-line-format
21492 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
21495 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
21496 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
21498 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
21499 mode-line variables.
21501 @node Positioning Point
21502 @subsection Positioning Point
21504 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
21505 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
21506 line. You can customize this behavior in three different ways.
21508 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
21510 @findex gnus-goto-colon
21511 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
21512 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
21514 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
21515 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
21516 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
21521 @subsection Tabulation
21523 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
21524 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
21525 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
21526 about lining up the following text afterwards.
21528 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
21529 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
21531 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
21532 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
21533 This is the soft tabulator.
21535 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
21536 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
21537 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
21540 @node Wide Characters
21541 @subsection Wide Characters
21543 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
21544 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
21545 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
21547 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
21548 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
21549 these countries, that's not true.
21551 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
21552 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
21553 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
21554 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
21558 @node Window Layout
21559 @section Window Layout
21560 @cindex window layout
21562 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
21564 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
21565 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
21566 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
21567 @code{t} by default.
21569 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
21570 glitches. Use at your own peril.
21572 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
21573 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
21574 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
21577 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
21578 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
21579 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
21583 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
21584 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
21585 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
21586 possible names is listed below.
21588 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
21589 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
21592 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
21596 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
21597 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
21598 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
21599 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
21600 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
21601 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
21602 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
21603 size spec per split.
21605 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
21606 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
21607 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
21608 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
21609 present) gets focus.
21611 Here's a more complicated example:
21614 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
21615 (summary 0.25 point)
21616 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
21620 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
21621 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
21622 occupy, not a percentage.
21624 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
21625 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
21626 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
21627 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
21628 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
21631 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
21634 (article (horizontal 1.0
21639 (summary 0.25 point)
21644 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
21645 @code{horizontal} thingie?
21647 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
21648 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
21649 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
21650 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
21651 the screen is to be given to this strip.
21653 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
21654 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
21655 lines from the splits.
21657 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
21662 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
21663 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
21664 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
21665 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
21666 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
21667 size = number | frame-params
21668 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
21672 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
21673 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
21674 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
21675 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
21677 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
21678 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
21679 @cindex window height
21680 @cindex window width
21681 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
21682 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
21683 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
21684 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
21685 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
21686 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
21688 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
21689 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
21690 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
21691 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
21693 @findex gnus-configure-frame
21694 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
21695 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
21696 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
21697 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
21698 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
21699 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
21700 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
21701 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
21702 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
21703 configuration list.
21706 (gnus-configure-frame
21710 (article 0.3 point))
21718 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
21719 @code{frame} split:
21722 (gnus-configure-frame
21725 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
21727 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
21728 (user-position . t)
21729 (left . -1) (top . 1))
21734 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
21735 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
21736 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
21737 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
21738 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
21739 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
21740 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
21741 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
21743 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
21744 be found in its default value.
21746 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
21747 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
21748 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
21752 (message (horizontal 1.0
21753 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
21755 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
21760 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
21761 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
21762 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
21767 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
21768 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
21769 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
21770 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
21771 (name . "Message"))
21772 (message 1.0 point))))
21775 @findex gnus-add-configuration
21776 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
21777 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
21778 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
21779 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
21782 (gnus-add-configuration
21783 '(article (vertical 1.0
21785 (summary .25 point)
21789 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
21790 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
21791 Gnus has been loaded.
21793 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
21794 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
21795 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
21796 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
21797 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
21799 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
21800 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
21801 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
21804 @subsection Example Window Configurations
21808 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
21809 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
21824 (gnus-add-configuration
21827 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21829 (summary 0.16 point)
21832 (gnus-add-configuration
21835 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21836 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
21842 @node Faces and Fonts
21843 @section Faces and Fonts
21848 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
21849 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
21850 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
21855 @section Compilation
21856 @cindex compilation
21857 @cindex byte-compilation
21859 @findex gnus-compile
21861 Remember all those line format specification variables?
21862 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
21863 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
21864 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
21865 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
21866 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
21867 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
21868 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
21871 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
21872 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
21873 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
21874 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
21875 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
21878 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
21879 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
21880 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
21881 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
21882 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
21887 @section Mode Lines
21890 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
21891 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
21892 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
21893 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
21894 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
21895 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
21896 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
21899 @cindex display-time
21901 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
21902 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
21903 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
21904 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
21905 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
21906 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
21907 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
21908 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
21911 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
21913 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
21914 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
21916 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
21917 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
21918 (length display-time-string)))))
21921 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
21922 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
21923 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
21924 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
21925 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
21928 @node Highlighting and Menus
21929 @section Highlighting and Menus
21931 @cindex highlighting
21934 @vindex gnus-visual
21935 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
21936 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
21937 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
21940 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
21941 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
21944 @item group-highlight
21945 Do highlights in the group buffer.
21946 @item summary-highlight
21947 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
21948 @item article-highlight
21949 Do highlights in the article buffer.
21951 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
21953 Create menus in the group buffer.
21955 Create menus in the summary buffers.
21957 Create menus in the article buffer.
21959 Create menus in the browse buffer.
21961 Create menus in the server buffer.
21963 Create menus in the score buffers.
21965 Create menus in all buffers.
21968 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
21969 buffers, you could say something like:
21972 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
21975 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
21978 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
21981 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
21982 in all Gnus buffers.
21984 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
21987 @item gnus-mouse-face
21988 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
21989 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
21990 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
21994 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
21998 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
21999 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
22000 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
22002 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
22003 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
22004 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
22006 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
22007 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
22008 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
22010 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
22011 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
22012 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
22014 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
22015 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
22016 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
22018 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
22019 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
22020 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
22031 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
22032 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
22033 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
22034 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
22035 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
22039 @vindex gnus-carpal
22040 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
22041 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
22042 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
22047 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
22048 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
22049 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
22051 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
22052 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
22053 Face used on buttons.
22055 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
22056 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
22057 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
22059 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
22060 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
22061 Buttons in the group buffer.
22063 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
22064 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
22065 Buttons in the summary buffer.
22067 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
22068 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
22069 Buttons in the server buffer.
22071 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
22072 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
22073 Buttons in the browse buffer.
22076 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
22077 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
22078 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
22086 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
22087 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
22088 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
22089 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
22090 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
22092 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
22093 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
22094 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
22096 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
22097 been idle for thirty minutes:
22100 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
22103 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
22107 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
22110 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
22111 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
22112 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
22114 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
22115 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
22116 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
22117 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
22119 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
22120 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
22121 @var{idle} minutes.
22123 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
22124 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
22127 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
22128 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
22129 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
22131 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
22132 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
22133 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
22134 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
22136 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
22137 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22139 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
22141 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
22144 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
22145 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
22146 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
22147 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
22148 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
22149 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
22150 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
22151 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
22152 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
22153 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
22154 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
22156 @findex gnus-demon-init
22157 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
22158 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
22159 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
22160 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
22161 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
22163 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
22164 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
22165 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
22174 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
22175 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
22177 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
22178 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
22179 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
22180 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
22183 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
22184 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
22185 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
22186 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
22188 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
22189 this will make spam disappear.
22191 There are some variables to customize, of course:
22194 @item gnus-use-nocem
22195 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
22196 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
22199 @item gnus-nocem-groups
22200 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
22201 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
22204 ("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
22205 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")
22208 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
22209 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
22210 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
22211 people you want to listen to. The default is
22213 ("Automoose-1" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
22214 "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo" "hweede@@snafu.de")
22216 fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
22218 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
22219 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
22221 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
22222 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
22223 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
22224 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
22225 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
22226 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
22227 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
22228 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
22229 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
22230 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
22232 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
22233 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
22236 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
22239 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
22240 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
22243 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
22246 The specs are applied left-to-right.
22249 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
22250 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
22251 @findex pgg-verify-region
22252 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
22253 says she is. The default is the function using @code{pgg-verify-region}
22258 (pgg-verify-region (point-min) (point-max)))
22261 It returns non-@code{nil} if the verification is successful, otherwise
22262 (including the case the NoCeM message was not signed) returns
22263 @code{nil}. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
22264 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
22266 Formerly the default was @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
22267 function. While you can still use it, you can change it into the
22268 default function running with GnuPG if you are willing to add the
22269 @acronym{PGP} public keys to GnuPG's keyring.
22271 @item gnus-nocem-directory
22272 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
22273 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
22274 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
22276 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
22277 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
22278 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
22279 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
22280 might then see old spam.
22282 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
22283 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
22284 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
22285 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
22286 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
22289 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
22290 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
22291 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
22292 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
22296 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
22297 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
22298 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
22299 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
22306 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
22307 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
22308 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
22310 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
22311 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
22312 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
22313 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
22314 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
22315 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
22316 @code{undo} function.
22318 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
22319 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
22320 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
22321 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
22322 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
22323 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
22324 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
22325 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
22326 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
22327 never be totally undoable.
22329 @findex gnus-undo-mode
22330 @vindex gnus-use-undo
22332 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
22333 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
22334 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
22335 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
22339 @node Predicate Specifiers
22340 @section Predicate Specifiers
22341 @cindex predicate specifiers
22343 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
22344 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
22345 to type all that much.
22347 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
22352 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
22353 gnus-article-unread-p)
22356 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
22357 functions all take one parameter.
22359 @findex gnus-make-predicate
22360 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
22361 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
22362 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
22367 @section Moderation
22370 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
22371 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
22372 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
22375 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
22379 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
22382 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
22384 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
22389 You split your incoming mail by matching on
22390 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
22391 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
22394 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
22395 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
22398 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
22399 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
22403 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
22406 (setq gnus-moderated-list
22407 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
22411 @node Fetching a Group
22412 @section Fetching a Group
22413 @cindex fetching a group
22415 @findex gnus-fetch-group
22416 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
22417 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
22418 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
22419 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
22420 It takes the group name as a parameter.
22423 @node Image Enhancements
22424 @section Image Enhancements
22426 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
22427 support images yet.}, is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has
22428 taken advantage of that.
22431 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
22432 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
22433 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
22434 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
22435 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
22443 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
22444 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
22445 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
22449 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
22450 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
22451 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
22459 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
22460 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
22461 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
22462 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
22464 The variable that controls this is the
22465 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
22466 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
22467 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
22468 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
22469 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
22471 The default action under Emacs without image support is to fork off the
22472 @code{display} program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick
22473 package. For the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look
22474 for a package like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux
22475 system.} to view the face.
22477 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
22478 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
22479 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
22480 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
22481 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
22482 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
22483 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
22484 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
22486 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
22494 @vindex gnus-x-face
22495 Face to show X-Face. The colors from this face are used as the
22496 foreground and background colors of the displayed X-Faces. The
22497 default colors are black and white.
22499 @item gnus-face-properties-alist
22500 @vindex gnus-face-properties-alist
22501 Alist of image types and properties applied to Face (@pxref{Face}) and
22502 X-Face images. The default value is @code{((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face))
22503 (png . nil))} for Emacs or @code{((xface . (:face gnus-x-face)))} for
22504 XEmacs. Here are examples:
22507 ;; Specify the altitude of Face and X-Face images in the From header.
22508 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
22509 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :ascent 80))
22510 (png . (:ascent 80))))
22512 ;; Show Face and X-Face images as pressed buttons.
22513 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
22514 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :relief -2))
22515 (png . (:relief -2))))
22518 @pxref{Image Descriptors, ,Image Descriptors, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
22519 Reference Manual} for the valid properties for various image types.
22520 Currently, @code{pbm} is used for X-Face images and @code{png} is used
22521 for Face images in Emacs. Only the @code{:face} property is effective
22522 on the @code{xface} image type in XEmacs if it is built with the
22523 @samp{libcompface} library.
22526 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
22527 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
22529 @findex gnus-random-x-face
22530 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
22531 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
22532 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
22533 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
22534 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
22535 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
22536 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
22537 header data as a string.
22539 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
22540 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
22541 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
22542 randomly generated data.
22544 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
22545 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
22546 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
22547 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
22548 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
22550 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
22551 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22554 (setq message-required-news-headers
22555 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22556 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
22559 Using the last function would be something like this:
22562 (setq message-required-news-headers
22563 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22564 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
22565 (gnus-x-face-from-file
22566 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
22574 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces'implementations should really be harmonized.
22576 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
22577 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
22578 represent the author of the message.
22581 @findex gnus-article-display-face
22582 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
22583 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
22586 The @code{gnus-face-properties-alist} variable affects the appearance of
22587 displayed Face images. @xref{X-Face}.
22589 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
22590 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
22592 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
22593 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
22594 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
22596 @findex gnus-face-from-file
22597 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
22598 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
22599 converts the file to Face format by using the
22600 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
22602 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
22603 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22606 (setq message-required-news-headers
22607 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22608 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
22609 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
22614 @subsection Smileys
22619 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
22624 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
22625 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
22627 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
22628 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22631 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
22634 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
22635 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
22636 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
22637 text and maps that to file names.
22639 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
22640 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
22641 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
22642 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
22643 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
22646 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
22651 @item smiley-data-directory
22652 @vindex smiley-data-directory
22653 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
22655 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
22656 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
22657 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
22671 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
22672 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
22673 over your shoulder as you read news.
22675 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
22684 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
22685 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
22686 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
22687 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
22688 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
22689 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
22690 @code{GIF} formats.
22693 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
22694 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
22695 point your Web browser at
22696 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
22698 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
22699 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
22701 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
22702 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
22705 @vindex gnus-picon-style
22706 The variable @code{gnus-picon-style} controls how picons are displayed.
22707 If @code{inline}, the textual representation is replaced. If
22708 @code{right}, picons are added right to the textual representation.
22710 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
22714 @item gnus-picon-databases
22715 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
22716 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
22717 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
22718 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
22719 "/usr/local/faces")}.
22721 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
22722 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
22723 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22724 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
22726 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
22727 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
22728 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
22729 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
22731 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
22732 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
22733 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22734 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
22735 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
22737 @item gnus-picon-file-types
22738 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
22739 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
22740 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
22746 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
22749 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22750 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22751 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
22752 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
22753 unusual directory structure.
22755 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22756 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22757 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
22762 @subsubsection Toolbar
22766 @item gnus-use-toolbar
22767 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
22768 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
22769 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
22770 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
22772 @item gnus-group-toolbar
22773 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
22774 The toolbar in the group buffer.
22776 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
22777 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
22778 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
22780 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22781 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22782 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
22793 @node Fuzzy Matching
22794 @section Fuzzy Matching
22795 @cindex fuzzy matching
22797 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
22798 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
22800 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
22801 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
22802 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
22804 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
22805 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
22806 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
22807 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
22808 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
22811 @node Thwarting Email Spam
22812 @section Thwarting Email Spam
22816 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22818 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
22819 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
22820 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
22821 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
22822 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
22823 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
22824 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
22825 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
22828 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
22829 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
22830 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
22831 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
22832 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
22833 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
22835 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
22838 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
22839 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
22840 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
22841 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
22842 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
22843 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
22846 @node The problem of spam
22847 @subsection The problem of spam
22849 @cindex spam filtering approaches
22850 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
22852 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22854 First, some background on spam.
22856 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
22857 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it
22858 exists because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail,
22859 so only a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to
22860 make it worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most
22861 common spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for
22862 further spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers},
22863 but terms like @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, @emph{sociopaths}, and
22864 @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
22866 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
22867 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
22868 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
22869 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
22870 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
22871 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
22872 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
22873 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
22874 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
22877 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering, at the mail
22878 server or when you sort through incoming mail. If you get 200 spam
22879 messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you block
22880 @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about @samp{VIAGRA}, you
22881 discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the message. If you get
22882 lots of spam from Bulgaria, for example, you try to filter all mail
22883 from Bulgarian IPs.
22885 This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate e-mail. The
22886 risks of blocking a whole country (Bulgaria, Norway, Nigeria, China,
22887 etc.) or even a continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) from contacting
22888 you should be obvious, so don't do it if you have the choice.
22890 In another instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest has
22891 been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it @strong{contained}
22892 words that were common in spam messages. Nevertheless, in isolated
22893 cases, with great care, direct filtering of mail can be useful.
22895 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
22896 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
22897 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
22898 Ghana, Estonia, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
22899 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into a
22900 database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the number
22901 of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When a user
22902 of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a message is
22903 spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
22905 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
22906 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
22907 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
22908 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
22909 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
22910 sending spam, and their web sites and mailing lists have been shut
22911 down for some time because of the incident.
22913 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
22914 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
22915 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
22916 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
22917 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
22918 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
22919 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
22920 to store the database of spam analyses. Statistical analysis on the
22921 server is gaining popularity. This has the advantage of letting the
22922 user Just Read Mail, but has the disadvantage that it's harder to tell
22923 the server that it has misclassified mail.
22925 Fighting spam is not easy, no matter what anyone says. There is no
22926 magic switch that will distinguish Viagra ads from Mom's e-mails.
22927 Even people are having a hard time telling spam apart from non-spam,
22928 because spammers are actively looking to fool us into thinking they
22929 are Mom, essentially. Spamming is irritating, irresponsible, and
22930 idiotic behavior from a bunch of people who think the world owes them
22931 a favor. We hope the following sections will help you in fighting the
22934 @node Anti-Spam Basics
22935 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
22939 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22941 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
22942 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
22944 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
22945 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
22946 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
22947 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
22948 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
22949 part of the mail address.)
22952 (setq message-default-news-headers
22953 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
22956 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
22957 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22961 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
22962 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
22963 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
22968 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
22969 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
22970 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
22971 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
22973 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
22974 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
22975 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
22976 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
22977 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
22978 your fancy split rule in this way:
22983 (to "larsi" "misc")
22987 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
22988 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
22989 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
22990 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
22991 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
22993 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
22994 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
22995 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
22996 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
22998 Be careful with this approach. Spammers are wise to it.
23002 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
23003 @cindex SpamAssassin
23004 @cindex Vipul's Razor
23007 The days where the hints in the previous section were sufficient in
23008 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
23009 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
23010 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
23011 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
23012 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
23013 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
23015 Note that this section does not involve the @code{spam.el} package,
23016 which is discussed in the next section. If you don't care for all
23017 the features of @code{spam.el}, you can make do with these simple
23020 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
23021 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
23022 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
23023 Specifiers}) follow.
23027 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
23031 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
23034 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
23035 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
23036 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
23039 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
23043 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
23046 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
23047 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
23051 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
23052 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
23053 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
23054 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
23057 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
23059 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
23063 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
23064 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
23068 Note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will not be
23069 downloaded by default. You need to set
23070 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
23071 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
23073 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
23074 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
23075 spam. And here is the nifty function:
23078 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
23079 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
23081 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
23082 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
23083 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
23087 @subsection Hashcash
23090 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
23091 costly and demonstrably unique for each message they send. This has
23092 the obvious drawback that you cannot rely on everyone in the world
23093 using this technique, since it is not part of the Internet standards,
23094 but it may be useful in smaller communities.
23096 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
23097 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
23098 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
23099 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
23100 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
23101 instead prefers that everyone you contact through e-mail supports the
23102 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
23103 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
23104 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
23105 one of them separately.
23108 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
23109 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
23110 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:} header.
23111 For more details, and for the external application @code{hashcash} you
23112 need to install to use this feature, see
23113 @uref{http://www.hashcash.org/}. Even more information can be found
23114 at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
23116 If you wish to generate hashcash for each message you send, you can
23117 customize @code{message-generate-hashcash} (@pxref{Mail Headers, ,Mail
23118 Headers,message, The Message Manual}), as in:
23121 (setq message-generate-hashcash t)
23124 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
23128 @item hashcash-default-payment
23129 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
23130 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
23131 should consist of. By default this is 20. Suggested useful values
23134 @item hashcash-payment-alist
23135 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
23136 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
23137 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
23138 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
23139 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
23140 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
23141 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
23142 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
23144 @item hashcash-path
23145 @vindex hashcash-path
23146 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed. This variable should
23147 be automatically set by @code{executable-find}, but if it's @code{nil}
23148 (usually because the @code{hashcash} binary is not in your path)
23149 you'll get a warning when you check hashcash payments and an error
23150 when you generate hashcash payments.
23154 Gnus can verify hashcash cookies, although this can also be done by
23155 hand customized mail filtering scripts. To verify a hashcash cookie
23156 in a message, use the @code{mail-check-payment} function in the
23157 @code{hashcash.el} library. You can also use the @code{spam.el}
23158 package with the @code{spam-use-hashcash} back end to validate hashcash
23159 cookies in incoming mail and filter mail accordingly (@pxref{Anti-spam
23160 Hashcash Payments}).
23162 @node Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
23163 @subsection Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
23164 @cindex spam filtering
23167 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
23168 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
23169 filters new mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
23170 @dfn{Ham} is the name used throughout @code{spam.el} to indicate
23173 Make sure you read the section on the @code{spam.el} sequence of
23174 events. See @xref{Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events}.
23176 @cindex spam-initialize
23177 To use @code{spam.el}, you @strong{must} run the function
23178 @code{spam-initialize} to autoload @file{spam.el} and to install the
23179 @code{spam.el} hooks. There is one exception: if you use the
23180 @code{spam-use-stat} (@pxref{spam-stat spam filtering}) setting, you
23181 should turn it on before @code{spam-initialize}:
23184 (setq spam-use-stat t) ;; if needed
23188 So, what happens when you load @file{spam.el}?
23190 First, some hooks will get installed by @code{spam-initialize}. There
23191 are some hooks for @code{spam-stat} so it can save its databases, and
23192 there are hooks so interesting things will happen when you enter and
23193 leave a group. More on the sequence of events later (@pxref{Spam
23194 ELisp Package Sequence of Events}).
23196 You get the following keyboard commands:
23206 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
23207 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
23209 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark.
23210 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
23211 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
23212 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
23218 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
23219 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
23221 You must have Bogofilter installed for that command to work properly.
23227 Also, when you load @file{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
23228 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
23232 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
23233 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
23234 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
23235 * Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer::
23236 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
23237 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
23238 * BBDB Whitelists::
23239 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
23240 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
23242 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
23244 * SpamAssassin back end::
23245 * ifile spam filtering::
23246 * spam-stat spam filtering::
23248 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
23251 @node Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events
23252 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events
23253 @cindex spam filtering
23254 @cindex spam filtering sequence of events
23256 You must read this section to understand how @code{spam.el} works.
23257 Do not skip, speed-read, or glance through this section.
23259 There are two @emph{contact points}, if you will, between
23260 @code{spam.el} and the rest of Gnus: checking new mail for spam, and
23263 Getting new mail in Gnus is done in one of two ways. You can either
23264 split your incoming mail or you can classify new articles as ham or
23265 spam when you enter the group.
23267 Splitting incoming mail is better suited to mail back ends such as
23268 @code{nnml} or @code{nnimap} where new mail appears in a single file
23269 called a @dfn{Spool File}. See @xref{Spam ELisp Package Filtering of
23272 @vindex gnus-spam-autodetect
23273 @vindex gnus-spam-autodetect-methods
23274 For back ends such as @code{nntp} there is no incoming mail spool, so
23275 an alternate mechanism must be used. This may also happen for
23276 back ends where the server is in charge of splitting incoming mail, and
23277 Gnus does not do further splitting. The @code{spam-autodetect} and
23278 @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameters (accessible with
23279 @kbd{G c} and @kbd{G p} as usual), and the corresponding variables
23280 @code{gnus-spam-autodetect} and @code{gnus-spam-autodetect-methods}
23281 (accessible with @kbd{M-x customize-variable} as usual) can help.
23283 When @code{spam-autodetect} is used (you can turn it on for a
23284 group/topic or wholesale by regular expression matches, as needed), it
23285 hooks into the process of entering a group. Thus, entering a group
23286 with unseen or unread articles becomes the substitute for checking
23287 incoming mail. Whether only unseen articles or all unread articles
23288 will be processed is determined by the
23289 @code{spam-autodetect-recheck-messages}. When set to @code{t}, unread
23290 messages will be rechecked. You should probably stick with the
23291 default of only checking unseen messages.
23293 @code{spam-autodetect} grants the user at once more and less control
23294 of spam filtering. The user will have more control over each group's
23295 spam methods, so for instance the @samp{ding} group may have
23296 @code{spam-use-BBDB} as the autodetection method, while the
23297 @samp{suspect} group may have the @code{spam-use-blacklist} and
23298 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} methods enabled. Every article detected to
23299 be spam will be marked with the spam mark @samp{$} and processed on
23300 exit from the group as normal spam. The user has less control over
23301 the @emph{sequence} of checks, as he might with @code{spam-split}.
23303 When the newly split mail goes into groups, or messages are
23304 autodetected to be ham or spam, those groups must be exited (after
23305 entering, if needed) for further spam processing to happen. It
23306 matters whether the group is considered a ham group, a spam group, or
23307 is unclassified, based on its @code{spam-content} parameter
23308 (@pxref{Spam ELisp Package Global Variables}). Spam groups have the
23309 additional characteristic that, when entered, any unseen or unread
23310 articles (depending on the @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam}
23311 variable) will be marked as spam. Thus, mail split into a spam group
23312 gets automatically marked as spam when you enter the group.
23314 Thus, when you exit a group, the @code{spam-processors} are applied,
23315 if any are set, and the processed mail is moved to the
23316 @code{ham-process-destination} or the @code{spam-process-destination}
23317 depending on the article's classification. If the
23318 @code{ham-process-destination} or the @code{spam-process-destination},
23319 whichever is appropriate, are @code{nil}, the article is left in the
23322 If a spam is found in any group (this can be changed to only non-spam
23323 groups with @code{spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only}), it is
23324 processed by the active @code{spam-processors} (@pxref{Spam ELisp
23325 Package Global Variables}) when the group is exited. Furthermore, the
23326 spam is moved to the @code{spam-process-destination} (@pxref{Spam
23327 ELisp Package Global Variables}) for further training or deletion.
23328 You have to load the @code{gnus-registry.el} package and enable the
23329 @code{spam-log-to-registry} variable if you want spam to be processed
23330 no more than once. Thus, spam is detected and processed everywhere,
23331 which is what most people want. If the
23332 @code{spam-process-destination} is @code{nil}, the spam is marked as
23333 expired, which is usually the right thing to do.
23335 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23336 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23338 If a ham mail is found in a ham group, as determined by the
23339 @code{ham-marks} parameter, it is processed as ham by the active ham
23340 @code{spam-processor} when the group is exited. With the variables
23341 @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} and
23342 @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} the behavior can be further
23343 altered so ham found anywhere can be processed. You have to load the
23344 @code{gnus-registry.el} package and enable the
23345 @code{spam-log-to-registry} variable if you want ham to be processed
23346 no more than once. Thus, ham is detected and processed only when
23347 necessary, which is what most people want. More on this in
23348 @xref{Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples}.
23350 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23351 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23353 If all this seems confusing, don't worry. Soon it will be as natural
23354 as typing Lisp one-liners on a neural interface@dots{} err, sorry, that's
23355 50 years in the future yet. Just trust us, it's not so bad.
23357 @node Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail
23358 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail
23359 @cindex spam filtering
23360 @cindex spam filtering incoming mail
23363 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
23364 must add the following to your fancy split list
23365 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
23371 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
23372 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
23373 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
23375 Also, @code{spam-split} will not modify incoming mail in any way.
23377 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
23378 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
23379 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
23380 but you can customize @code{spam-split-group}. Make sure the contents
23381 of @code{spam-split-group} are an @emph{unqualified} group name, for
23382 instance in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server} the value
23383 @samp{spam} will turn out to be @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The
23384 value @samp{nnimap+server:spam}, therefore, is wrong and will
23385 actually give you the group
23386 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam} which may or may not
23387 work depending on your server's tolerance for strange group names.
23389 You can also give @code{spam-split} a parameter,
23390 e.g. @code{spam-use-regex-headers} or @code{"maybe-spam"}. Why is
23393 Take these split rules (with @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and
23394 @code{spam-use-blackholes} set):
23397 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
23398 (any "ding" "ding")
23400 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23404 Now, the problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the
23405 ding folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam
23406 detected by SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through,
23407 when it's sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to
23408 the ding list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the
23409 invocation of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
23411 You can let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, but all other
23412 @code{spam-split} rules (including a second invocation of the
23413 regex-headers check) will be after the ding rule:
23418 ;; @r{all spam detected by @code{spam-use-regex-headers} goes to @samp{regex-spam}}
23419 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
23420 (any "ding" "ding")
23421 ;; @r{all other spam detected by spam-split goes to @code{spam-split-group}}
23423 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23427 This lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks depending on
23428 your particular needs, and to target the results of those checks to a
23429 particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail into all the
23430 spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that messages to
23431 mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have resource-intensive
23432 blackhole checks performed on them. You could also specify different
23433 spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap split. Go crazy.
23435 You should still have specific checks such as
23436 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} set to @code{t}, even if you
23437 specifically invoke @code{spam-split} with the check. The reason is
23438 that when loading @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done
23439 depending on what @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set. This
23440 is usually not critical, though.
23442 @emph{Note for IMAP users}
23444 The boolean variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} needs to be
23445 set, if you want to split based on the whole message instead of just
23446 the headers. By default, the nnimap back end will only retrieve the
23447 message headers. If you use a @emph{statistical} filter,
23448 e.g. @code{spam-check-bogofilter}, @code{spam-check-ifile}, or
23449 @code{spam-check-stat} (the splitters that can benefit from the full
23450 message body), this variable will be set automatically. It is not set
23451 for non-statistical back ends by default because it will slow
23452 @acronym{IMAP} down.
23454 @xref{Splitting in IMAP}.
23456 @node Spam ELisp Package Global Variables
23457 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Global Variables
23458 @cindex spam filtering
23459 @cindex spam filtering variables
23460 @cindex spam variables
23463 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
23464 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
23465 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
23466 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
23467 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
23468 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
23469 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
23470 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
23471 will be detected later.
23473 The format of the spam or ham processor entry used to be a symbol,
23474 but now it is a @sc{cons} cell. See the individual spam processor entries
23475 for more information.
23477 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
23478 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
23479 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
23480 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
23481 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
23482 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
23483 by customizing the corresponding variable
23484 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
23485 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
23486 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
23487 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
23488 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
23489 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
23490 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
23493 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
23495 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
23496 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
23497 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
23498 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
23499 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
23500 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
23501 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
23502 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
23503 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
23504 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
23505 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
23506 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
23507 processor which will study them as spam samples.
23509 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
23510 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
23511 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
23512 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
23513 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
23514 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
23515 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
23516 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
23519 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
23520 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
23521 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks (the idea is
23522 that these articles have been read, but are not spam). It can be
23523 useful to also include the tick mark in the ham marks. It is not
23524 recommended to make the unread mark a ham mark, because it normally
23525 indicates a lack of classification. But you can do it, and we'll be
23530 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
23531 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
23532 the spam mark. It is not recommended to change that, but you can if
23533 you really want to.
23536 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
23537 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
23538 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
23539 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
23540 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
23541 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
23544 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
23545 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
23546 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
23547 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
23548 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
23549 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
23550 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
23551 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
23552 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with @kbd{M-x
23553 customize-variable @key{RET} gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
23554 group name list is a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize
23555 the variable manually. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
23556 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
23557 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
23558 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
23560 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23561 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23563 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
23564 expression! This enables you to send your ham to a regular mail
23565 group and to a @emph{ham training} group.
23567 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
23568 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
23570 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
23571 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
23572 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
23573 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
23574 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
23576 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
23577 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
23578 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
23579 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
23580 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
23583 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
23584 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
23585 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
23586 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
23587 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
23588 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
23589 customize this variable with @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET}
23590 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each group name list is a standard
23591 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. If the
23592 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
23593 articles are only expired. The group name is fully qualified, meaning
23594 that if you see @samp{nntp:servername} before the group name in the
23595 group buffer then you need it here as well.
23597 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23598 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23600 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
23601 expression! This enables you to send your spam to multiple @emph{spam
23604 @vindex spam-log-to-registry
23605 The problem with processing ham and spam is that Gnus doesn't track
23606 this processing by default. Enable the @code{spam-log-to-registry}
23607 variable so @code{spam.el} will use @code{gnus-registry.el} to track
23608 what articles have been processed, and avoid processing articles
23609 multiple times. Keep in mind that if you limit the number of registry
23610 entries, this won't work as well as it does without a limit.
23612 @vindex spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam
23613 Set this variable if you want only unseen articles in spam groups to
23614 be marked as spam. By default, it is set. If you set it to
23615 @code{nil}, unread articles will also be marked as spam.
23617 @vindex spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group
23618 Set this variable if you want ham to be unmarked before it is moved
23619 out of the spam group. This is very useful when you use something
23620 like the tick mark @samp{!} to mark ham---the article will be placed
23621 in your @code{ham-process-destination}, unmarked as if it came fresh
23622 from the mail server.
23624 @vindex spam-autodetect-recheck-messages
23625 When autodetecting spam, this variable tells @code{spam.el} whether
23626 only unseen articles or all unread articles should be checked for
23627 spam. It is recommended that you leave it off.
23629 @node Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer
23630 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer
23631 @cindex spam scoring
23632 @cindex spam sorting
23633 @cindex spam score summary buffer
23634 @cindex spam sort summary buffer
23637 You can display the spam score of articles in your summary buffer, and
23638 you can sort articles by their spam score.
23640 First you need to decide which back end you will be using. If you use
23641 the @code{spam-use-spamassassin},
23642 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}, or @code{spam-use-regex-headers}
23643 back end, the @code{X-Spam-Status} header will be used. If you use
23644 @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, the @code{X-Bogosity} header will be used.
23645 If you use @code{spam-use-crm114}, any header that matches the CRM114
23646 score format will be used. As long as you set the appropriate back end
23647 variable to t @emph{before} you load @file{spam.el}, you will be
23648 fine. @code{spam.el} will automatically add the right header to the
23649 internal Gnus list of required headers.
23651 To show the spam score in your summary buffer, add this line to your
23652 @code{gnus.el} file (note @code{spam.el} does not do that by default
23653 so it won't override any existing @code{S} formats you may have).
23656 (defalias 'gnus-user-format-function-S 'spam-user-format-function-S)
23659 Now just set your summary line format to use @code{%uS}. Here's an
23660 example that formats the spam score in a 5-character field:
23663 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
23664 "%U%R %10&user-date; $%5uS %6k %B %(%4L: %*%-25,25a%) %s \n")
23667 Finally, to sort by spam status, either do it globally:
23671 gnus-show-threads nil
23672 gnus-article-sort-functions
23673 '(spam-article-sort-by-spam-status))
23676 or per group (@pxref{Sorting the Summary Buffer}).
23678 @node Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples
23679 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples
23680 @cindex spam filtering
23681 @cindex spam filtering configuration examples
23682 @cindex spam configuration examples
23685 @subsubheading Ted's setup
23687 From Ted Zlatanov <tzz@@lifelogs.com>.
23689 ;; @r{for @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent} and spam autodetection}
23690 ;; @r{see @file{gnus-registry.el} for more information}
23691 (gnus-registry-initialize)
23694 ;; @r{I like @kbd{C-s} for marking spam}
23695 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map "\C-s" 'gnus-summary-mark-as-spam)
23698 spam-log-to-registry t ; @r{for spam autodetection}
23700 spam-use-regex-headers t ; @r{catch X-Spam-Flag (SpamAssassin)}
23701 ;; @r{all groups with @samp{spam} in the name contain spam}
23702 gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
23703 '(("spam" gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23704 ;; @r{see documentation for these}
23705 spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
23706 spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
23707 spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
23708 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
23709 ;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
23710 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
23711 ;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
23712 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
23713 ;; @r{this will catch server-side SpamAssassin tags}
23714 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
23715 (any "ding" "ding")
23716 ;; @r{note that spam by default will go to @samp{spam}}
23718 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23721 ;; @r{my parameters, set with @kbd{G p}}
23723 ;; @r{all nnml groups, and all nnimap groups except}
23724 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} and}
23725 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam}: any spam goes to nnimap training,}
23726 ;; @r{because it must have been detected manually}
23728 ((spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
23730 ;; @r{all @acronym{NNTP} groups}
23731 ;; @r{autodetect spam with the blacklist and ham with the BBDB}
23732 ((spam-autodetect-methods spam-use-blacklist spam-use-BBDB)
23733 ;; @r{send all spam to the training group}
23734 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
23736 ;; @r{only some @acronym{NNTP} groups, where I want to autodetect spam}
23737 ((spam-autodetect . t))
23739 ;; @r{my nnimap @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam} group}
23741 ;; @r{this is a spam group}
23742 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam)
23744 ;; @r{any spam (which happens when I enter for all unseen messages,}
23745 ;; @r{because of the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} setting above), goes to}
23746 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} unless I mark it as ham}
23748 (spam-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train")
23750 ;; @r{any ham goes to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail} folder, but}
23751 ;; @r{also to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham} folder for training}
23753 (ham-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail"
23754 "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham")
23755 ;; @r{in this group, only @samp{!} marks are ham}
23757 (gnus-ticked-mark))
23758 ;; @r{remembers senders in the blacklist on the way out---this is}
23759 ;; @r{definitely not needed, it just makes me feel better}
23760 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist)))
23762 ;; @r{Later, on the @acronym{IMAP} server I use the @samp{train} group for training}
23763 ;; @r{SpamAssassin to recognize spam, and the @samp{trainham} group fora}
23764 ;; @r{recognizing ham---but Gnus has nothing to do with it.}
23768 @subsubheading Using @code{spam.el} on an IMAP server with a statistical filter on the server
23769 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
23771 My provider has set up bogofilter (in combination with @acronym{DCC}) on
23772 the mail server (@acronym{IMAP}). Recognized spam goes to
23773 @samp{spam.detected}, the rest goes through the normal filter rules,
23774 i.e. to @samp{some.folder} or to @samp{INBOX}. Training on false
23775 positives or negatives is done by copying or moving the article to
23776 @samp{training.ham} or @samp{training.spam} respectively. A cron job on
23777 the server feeds those to bogofilter with the suitable ham or spam
23778 options and deletes them from the @samp{training.ham} and
23779 @samp{training.spam} folders.
23781 With the following entries in @code{gnus-parameters}, @code{spam.el}
23782 does most of the job for me:
23785 ("nnimap:spam\\.detected"
23786 (gnus-article-sort-functions '(gnus-article-sort-by-chars))
23787 (ham-process-destination "nnimap:INBOX" "nnimap:training.ham")
23788 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23789 ("nnimap:\\(INBOX\\|other-folders\\)"
23790 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap:training.spam")
23791 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham))
23796 @item @b{The Spam folder:}
23798 In the folder @samp{spam.detected}, I have to check for false positives
23799 (i.e. legitimate mails, that were wrongly judged as spam by
23800 bogofilter or DCC).
23802 Because of the @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam} entry, all
23803 messages are marked as spam (with @code{$}). When I find a false
23804 positive, I mark the message with some other ham mark (@code{ham-marks},
23805 @ref{Spam ELisp Package Global Variables}). On group exit, those
23806 messages are copied to both groups, @samp{INBOX} (where I want to have
23807 the article) and @samp{training.ham} (for training bogofilter) and
23808 deleted from the @samp{spam.detected} folder.
23810 The @code{gnus-article-sort-by-chars} entry simplifies detection of
23811 false positives for me. I receive lots of worms (sweN, @dots{}), that all
23812 have a similar size. Grouping them by size (i.e. chars) makes finding
23813 other false positives easier. (Of course worms aren't @i{spam}
23814 (@acronym{UCE}, @acronym{UBE}) strictly speaking. Anyhow, bogofilter is
23815 an excellent tool for filtering those unwanted mails for me.)
23817 @item @b{Ham folders:}
23819 In my ham folders, I just hit @kbd{S x}
23820 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) whenever I see an unrecognized spam
23821 mail (false negative). On group exit, those messages are moved to
23822 @samp{training.spam}.
23825 @subsubheading Reporting spam articles in Gmane groups with @code{spam-report.el}
23827 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
23829 With following entry in @code{gnus-parameters}, @kbd{S x}
23830 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) marks articles in @code{gmane.*}
23831 groups as spam and reports the to Gmane at group exit:
23835 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane)))
23838 Additionally, I use @code{(setq spam-report-gmane-use-article-number nil)}
23839 because I don't read the groups directly from news.gmane.org, but
23840 through my local news server (leafnode). I.e. the article numbers are
23841 not the same as on news.gmane.org, thus @code{spam-report.el} has to check
23842 the @code{X-Report-Spam} header to find the correct number.
23844 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
23845 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
23846 @cindex spam filtering
23847 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
23848 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
23851 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
23853 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
23854 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
23855 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
23856 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
23861 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
23863 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
23864 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
23865 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
23866 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
23867 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23871 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
23873 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
23874 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
23875 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
23879 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
23881 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23882 customizing the group parameters or the
23883 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23884 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23885 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
23889 Instead of the obsolete
23890 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist}, it is recommended
23891 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-blacklist)}. Everything will work
23892 the same way, we promise.
23896 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
23898 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23899 customizing the group parameters or the
23900 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23901 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23902 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
23907 Instead of the obsolete
23908 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist}, it is recommended
23909 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-whitelist)}. Everything will work
23910 the same way, we promise.
23914 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
23915 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
23916 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
23917 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
23918 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
23920 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
23921 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
23922 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
23923 Emacs regular expression syntax.
23925 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
23926 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
23927 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
23928 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
23929 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
23930 @file{blacklist} respectively.
23932 @node BBDB Whitelists
23933 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
23934 @cindex spam filtering
23935 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
23936 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
23939 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
23941 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
23942 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
23943 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
23944 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
23945 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
23946 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
23947 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23951 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
23953 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
23954 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
23955 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
23956 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
23957 classified as spammers.
23959 While @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} @emph{can} be used as an alias
23960 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} as far as @code{spam.el} is concerned, it is
23961 @emph{not} a separate back end. If you set
23962 @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} to t, @emph{all} your BBDB splitting
23967 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
23969 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23970 customizing the group parameters or the
23971 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23972 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23973 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
23978 Instead of the obsolete
23979 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB}, it is recommended
23980 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-BBDB)}. Everything will work
23981 the same way, we promise.
23985 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
23986 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
23987 @cindex spam reporting
23988 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
23989 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
23992 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
23994 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23995 customizing the group parameters or the
23996 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23997 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
23998 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
24001 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
24005 Instead of the obsolete
24006 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane}, it is recommended
24007 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-gmane)}. Everything will work the
24008 same way, we promise.
24012 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
24014 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
24015 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
24016 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
24017 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
24018 @code{spam-report.el} will use the @code{X-Report-Spam} header that
24023 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
24024 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
24025 @cindex spam filtering
24026 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
24029 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
24031 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
24032 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
24033 instead of the sender address. Messages without a hashcash payment
24034 token will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an explicit
24035 filter, meaning that unless a hashcash token is found, the messages
24036 are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24041 @subsubsection Blackholes
24042 @cindex spam filtering
24043 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
24046 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
24048 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
24049 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
24050 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
24051 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
24052 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
24053 contains outdated servers.
24055 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
24056 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
24057 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
24058 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
24059 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
24060 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
24064 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
24066 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
24070 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
24072 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
24073 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
24077 @defvar spam-use-dig
24079 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
24080 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
24084 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
24085 ham processor for blackholes.
24087 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
24088 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
24089 @cindex spam filtering
24090 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
24093 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
24095 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
24096 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
24097 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
24098 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
24099 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
24100 message is spam or ham, respectively.
24104 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
24106 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
24107 the message, positively identify it as spam.
24111 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
24113 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
24114 the message, positively identify it as ham.
24118 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
24119 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
24122 @subsubsection Bogofilter
24123 @cindex spam filtering
24124 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
24127 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
24129 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
24132 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
24133 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
24134 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
24135 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
24136 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
24137 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
24139 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
24140 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
24143 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
24144 processing will be turned off.
24146 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
24150 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
24152 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
24153 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
24154 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
24155 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
24156 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
24157 installation documents for details.
24159 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
24163 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
24164 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24165 customizing the group parameters or the
24166 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24167 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
24168 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
24172 Instead of the obsolete
24173 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
24174 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
24175 the same way, we promise.
24178 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
24179 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24180 customizing the group parameters or the
24181 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24182 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
24183 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
24184 of non-spam messages.
24188 Instead of the obsolete
24189 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
24190 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
24191 the same way, we promise.
24194 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
24196 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
24197 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
24198 database directory.
24202 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
24203 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
24204 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
24205 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
24206 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
24207 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
24209 @node SpamAssassin back end
24210 @subsubsection SpamAssassin back end
24211 @cindex spam filtering
24212 @cindex spamassassin, spam filtering
24215 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin
24217 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use SpamAssassin.
24219 SpamAssassin assigns a score to each article based on a set of rules
24220 and tests, including a Bayesian filter. The Bayesian filter can be
24221 trained by associating the @samp{$} mark for spam articles. The
24222 spam score can be viewed by using the command @kbd{S t} in summary
24225 If you set this variable, each article will be processed by
24226 SpamAssassin when @code{spam-split} is called. If your mail is
24227 preprocessed by SpamAssassin, and you want to just use the
24228 SpamAssassin headers, set @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}
24231 You should not enable this is you use
24232 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}.
24236 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin-headers
24238 Set this variable if your mail is preprocessed by SpamAssassin and
24239 want @code{spam-split} to split based on the SpamAssassin headers.
24241 You should not enable this is you use @code{spam-use-spamassassin}.
24245 @defvar spam-spamassassin-path
24247 This variable points to the SpamAssassin executable. If you have
24248 @code{spamd} running, you can set this variable to the @code{spamc}
24249 executable for faster processing. See the SpamAssassin documentation
24250 for more information on @code{spamd}/@code{spamc}.
24254 SpamAssassin is a powerful and flexible spam filter that uses a wide
24255 variety of tests to identify spam. A ham and a spam processors are
24256 provided, plus the @code{spam-use-spamassassin} and
24257 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers} variables to indicate to
24258 spam-split that SpamAssassin should be either used, or has already
24259 been used on the article. The 2.63 version of SpamAssassin was used
24260 to test this functionality.
24262 @node ifile spam filtering
24263 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
24264 @cindex spam filtering
24265 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
24268 @defvar spam-use-ifile
24270 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
24271 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
24275 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
24277 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
24278 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
24279 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
24283 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
24285 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
24286 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
24287 the default value of @samp{spam}.
24290 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
24292 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
24293 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
24297 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
24298 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
24299 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
24300 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
24303 @node spam-stat spam filtering
24304 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
24305 @cindex spam filtering
24306 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
24310 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat}.
24312 @defvar spam-use-stat
24314 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
24315 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
24319 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
24320 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24321 customizing the group parameters or the
24322 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24323 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
24324 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
24328 Instead of the obsolete
24329 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
24330 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
24331 the same way, we promise.
24334 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
24335 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24336 customizing the group parameters or the
24337 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24338 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
24339 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
24340 of non-spam messages.
24344 Instead of the obsolete
24345 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
24346 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
24347 the same way, we promise.
24350 This enables @code{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
24351 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
24352 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
24353 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
24354 @code{spam-split} are provided.
24357 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
24358 @cindex spam filtering
24362 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
24363 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
24364 installed separately.
24366 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
24367 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
24368 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
24369 mail as a spam mail or not.
24371 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
24372 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
24373 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
24375 The easiest method is to make @code{spam.el} (@pxref{Filtering Spam
24376 Using The Spam ELisp Package}) call SpamOracle.
24378 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
24379 To enable SpamOracle usage by @code{spam.el}, set the variable
24380 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
24381 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy} as described in
24382 the section @xref{Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package}. In
24383 this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is filtered using
24384 SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be moved to
24385 @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham messages stay
24389 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
24390 spam-split-group "Junk"
24391 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
24392 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
24393 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
24396 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
24397 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
24401 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
24402 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
24403 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
24407 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
24408 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
24409 store its analyses. This is controlled by the variable
24410 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
24411 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
24412 database to live somewhere special, set
24413 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
24416 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
24417 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
24418 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns the
24419 characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
24420 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
24421 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary buffer
24422 and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using @code{spam.el}'s
24423 spam- and ham-processors, which is much more convenient. For a
24424 detailed description of spam- and ham-processors, @xref{Filtering Spam
24425 Using The Spam ELisp Package}.
24427 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
24428 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24429 customizing the group parameter or the
24430 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
24431 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
24432 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
24436 Instead of the obsolete
24437 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
24438 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
24439 the same way, we promise.
24442 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
24443 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24444 customizing the group parameter or the
24445 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
24446 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
24447 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
24452 Instead of the obsolete
24453 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
24454 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
24455 the same way, we promise.
24458 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of a group that has been
24459 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
24462 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
24463 (spam-process ((ham spam-use-spamoracle)
24464 (spam spam-use-spamoracle))))
24466 For this group the @code{spam-use-spamoracle} is installed for both
24467 ham and spam processing. If the group contains spam message
24468 (e.g. because SpamOracle has not had enough sample messages yet) and
24469 the user marks some messages as spam messages, these messages will be
24470 processed by SpamOracle. The processor sends the messages to
24471 SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
24473 @node Extending the Spam ELisp package
24474 @subsubsection Extending the Spam ELisp package
24475 @cindex spam filtering
24476 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
24477 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
24479 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
24480 incoming mail, provide the following:
24488 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
24489 "True if blackbox should be used.")
24492 Write @code{spam-check-blackbox} if Blackbox can check incoming mail.
24494 Write @code{spam-blackbox-register-routine} and
24495 @code{spam-blackbox-unregister-routine} using the bogofilter
24496 register/unregister routines as a start, or other restister/unregister
24497 routines more appropriate to Blackbox, if Blackbox can
24498 register/unregister spam and ham.
24503 The @code{spam-check-blackbox} function should return @samp{nil} or
24504 @code{spam-split-group}, observing the other conventions. See the
24505 existing @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can
24506 do, and stick to the template unless you fully understand the reasons
24511 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
24518 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
24519 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
24521 Also, ham and spam processors are being phased out as single
24522 variables. Instead the form @code{(spam spam-use-blackbox)} or
24523 @code{(ham spam-use-blackbox)} is favored. For now, spam/ham
24524 processor variables are still around but they won't be for long.
24527 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-spam"
24528 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
24529 Only applicable to spam groups.")
24531 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-ham"
24532 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
24533 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
24542 (const :tag "Spam: Blackbox" (spam spam-use-blackbox))
24543 (const :tag "Ham: Blackbox" (ham spam-use-blackbox))
24545 to the @code{spam-process} group parameter in @code{gnus.el}. Make
24546 sure you do it twice, once for the parameter and once for the
24547 variable customization.
24551 (variable-item spam-use-blackbox)
24553 to the @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameter in
24554 @code{gnus.el} if Blackbox can check incoming mail for spam contents.
24556 Finally, use the appropriate @code{spam-install-*-backend} function in
24557 @code{spam.el}. Here are the available functions.
24563 @code{spam-install-backend-alias}
24565 This function will simply install an alias for a back end that does
24566 everything like the original back end. It is currently only used to
24567 make @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} act like @code{spam-use-BBDB}.
24570 @code{spam-install-nocheck-backend}
24572 This function installs a back end that has no check function, but can
24573 register/unregister ham or spam. The @code{spam-use-gmane} back end is
24577 @code{spam-install-checkonly-backend}
24579 This function will install a back end that can only check incoming mail
24580 for spam contents. It can't register or unregister messages.
24581 @code{spam-use-blackholes} and @code{spam-use-hashcash} are such
24585 @code{spam-install-statistical-checkonly-backend}
24587 This function installs a statistical back end (one which requires the
24588 full body of a message to check it) that can only check incoming mail
24589 for contents. @code{spam-use-regex-body} is such a filter.
24592 @code{spam-install-statistical-backend}
24594 This function install a statistical back end with incoming checks and
24595 registration/unregistration routines. @code{spam-use-bogofilter} is
24599 @code{spam-install-backend}
24601 This is the most normal back end installation, where a back end that can
24602 check and register/unregister messages is set up without statistical
24603 abilities. The @code{spam-use-BBDB} is such a back end.
24606 @code{spam-install-mover-backend}
24608 Mover back ends are internal to @code{spam.el} and specifically move
24609 articles around when the summary is exited. You will very probably
24610 never install such a back end.
24616 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
24617 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
24618 @cindex Paul Graham
24619 @cindex Graham, Paul
24620 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
24621 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
24622 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
24624 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
24625 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
24626 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
24627 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
24628 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
24629 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
24630 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
24631 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
24632 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
24635 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
24636 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
24637 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
24638 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
24639 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
24640 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
24641 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
24642 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
24644 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
24645 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
24646 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
24647 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
24648 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
24651 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
24652 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
24653 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
24656 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
24657 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
24659 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
24660 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
24661 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
24662 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
24663 need several hundred emails in both collections.
24665 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
24666 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
24667 per mail. Use the following:
24669 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
24670 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
24671 is treated as one spam mail.
24674 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
24675 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
24676 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
24679 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
24680 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
24681 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
24682 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
24683 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
24684 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
24686 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
24687 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
24688 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
24689 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
24690 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
24693 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
24694 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
24695 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
24696 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
24699 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
24700 reset the dictionary.
24702 @defun spam-stat-reset
24703 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
24706 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
24707 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
24708 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
24709 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
24710 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
24711 only non-spam mails.
24713 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
24714 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
24715 to update the dictionary incrementally.
24718 @defun spam-stat-save
24719 Save the dictionary.
24722 @defvar spam-stat-file
24723 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
24724 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
24727 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
24728 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
24730 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
24731 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
24734 (require 'spam-stat)
24738 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
24741 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
24742 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
24743 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
24744 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
24746 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
24747 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
24748 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
24749 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
24752 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24753 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24757 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
24758 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
24761 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
24762 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
24763 expression are considered potential spam.
24766 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24767 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24768 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24772 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
24773 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
24774 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
24775 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
24776 mails, when creating the dictionary!
24779 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24780 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24781 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24785 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
24786 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
24787 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
24788 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
24789 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
24793 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24794 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
24795 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24796 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24801 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
24802 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
24804 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
24806 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
24807 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
24808 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
24811 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
24812 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
24813 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
24816 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
24817 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
24818 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
24819 already been processed as non-spam.
24822 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
24823 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
24824 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
24825 been processed as spam.
24828 @defun spam-stat-save
24829 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
24830 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
24833 @defun spam-stat-load
24834 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
24835 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
24838 @defun spam-stat-score-word
24839 Return the spam score for a word.
24842 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
24843 Return the spam score for a buffer.
24846 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
24847 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
24848 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
24851 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
24852 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
24855 (require 'spam-stat)
24859 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
24862 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
24863 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24864 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24865 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24866 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
24867 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
24868 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24869 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24870 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
24871 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24872 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
24873 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
24874 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24875 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24878 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
24881 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
24882 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24883 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24884 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
24885 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
24886 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24890 @section Interaction with other modes
24895 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} provided some useful functions for dired
24896 buffers. It is enabled with
24898 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
24903 @findex gnus-dired-attach
24904 Send dired's marked files as an attachment (@code{gnus-dired-attach}).
24905 You will be prompted for a message buffer.
24908 @findex gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap
24909 Visit a file according to the appropriate mailcap entry
24910 (@code{gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap}). With prefix, open file in a new
24914 @findex gnus-dired-print
24915 Print file according to the mailcap entry (@code{gnus-dired-print}). If
24916 there is no print command, print in a PostScript image.
24919 @node Various Various
24920 @section Various Various
24926 @item gnus-home-directory
24927 @vindex gnus-home-directory
24928 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
24929 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
24931 @item gnus-directory
24932 @vindex gnus-directory
24933 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
24934 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
24935 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
24937 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
24938 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
24939 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
24940 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
24942 @item gnus-default-directory
24943 @vindex gnus-default-directory
24944 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
24945 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
24946 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
24947 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
24948 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
24949 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
24952 @vindex gnus-verbose
24953 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
24954 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
24955 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
24956 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
24957 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
24959 @item gnus-verbose-backends
24960 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
24961 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
24962 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
24964 @item nnheader-max-head-length
24965 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
24966 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
24967 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
24968 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
24969 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
24970 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
24971 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
24972 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
24973 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
24975 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
24976 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
24977 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
24978 read when doing the operation described above.
24980 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24981 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24983 @cindex invalid characters in file names
24984 @cindex characters in file names
24985 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
24986 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
24987 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
24991 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24996 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
24997 Windows (phooey) systems.
24999 @item gnus-hidden-properties
25000 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
25001 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
25002 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
25003 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
25005 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
25006 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
25007 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
25008 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
25009 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
25011 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
25012 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
25013 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
25015 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
25016 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
25018 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
25019 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
25020 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
25021 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
25024 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
25032 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
25033 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
25035 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
25037 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
25043 Not because of victories @*
25046 but for the common sunshine,@*
25048 the largess of the spring.
25052 but for the day's work done@*
25053 as well as I was able;@*
25054 not for a seat upon the dais@*
25055 but at the common table.@*
25060 @chapter Appendices
25063 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
25064 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
25065 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
25066 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
25067 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
25068 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
25069 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
25070 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
25071 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
25078 @cindex installing under XEmacs
25080 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
25081 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
25082 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{mail-lib}, @samp{xemacs-base},
25083 @samp{eterm}, @samp{sh-script}, @samp{net-utils}, @samp{os-utils},
25084 @samp{dired}, @samp{mh-e}, @samp{sieve}, @samp{ps-print}, @samp{W3},
25085 @samp{pgg}, @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{ecrypto}, and @samp{sasl}.
25092 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
25093 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
25095 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
25096 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
25097 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
25098 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
25099 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
25101 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
25102 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
25103 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
25104 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
25105 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
25106 appropriate name, don't you think?)
25108 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
25109 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
25110 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
25111 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
25114 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
25115 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
25116 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
25117 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
25118 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
25119 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
25120 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
25121 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
25122 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
25126 @node Gnus Versions
25127 @subsection Gnus Versions
25129 @cindex September Gnus
25131 @cindex Quassia Gnus
25132 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
25135 @cindex Gnus versions
25137 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
25138 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
25139 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
25141 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
25142 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
25144 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
25145 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
25147 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
25148 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
25150 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
25151 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
25154 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
25156 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
25157 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
25158 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
25159 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
25160 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
25161 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
25164 @node Other Gnus Versions
25165 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
25168 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
25169 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
25170 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
25171 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
25173 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
25174 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
25175 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
25176 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
25183 What's the point of Gnus?
25185 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
25186 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
25187 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
25188 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
25189 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
25190 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
25191 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
25192 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
25193 keep track of millions of people who post?
25195 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
25196 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
25197 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
25198 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
25199 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
25200 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
25201 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
25202 every one of you to explore and invent.
25204 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
25205 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
25208 @node Compatibility
25209 @subsection Compatibility
25211 @cindex compatibility
25212 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
25213 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
25214 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
25219 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
25223 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
25226 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
25229 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
25230 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
25231 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
25232 important variables have their values copied into their global
25233 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
25234 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
25236 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
25237 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
25238 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
25239 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
25240 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
25244 @cindex highlighting
25245 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
25246 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
25247 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
25248 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
25249 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
25250 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
25253 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
25254 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
25255 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
25256 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
25258 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
25259 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
25260 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
25261 to stop doing it the old way.
25263 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
25265 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
25267 @cindex reporting bugs
25269 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
25270 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
25271 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
25273 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
25274 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
25275 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
25276 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
25281 @subsection Conformity
25283 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
25284 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
25292 There are no known breaches of this standard.
25296 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
25298 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
25299 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
25300 We do have some breaches to this one.
25306 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
25307 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
25308 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
25309 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
25310 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
25315 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
25316 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
25317 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
25318 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
25320 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
25321 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
25322 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
25324 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
25325 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
25327 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
25330 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
25331 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
25332 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
25333 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
25334 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
25337 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
25338 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
25339 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RFC 1991/2440 format.
25340 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
25342 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
25343 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
25345 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
25346 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
25347 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
25348 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
25349 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
25350 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
25351 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
25352 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
25356 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
25357 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
25362 @subsection Emacsen
25368 Gnus should work on:
25376 XEmacs 21.4 and up.
25380 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
25381 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
25382 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
25383 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
25384 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
25386 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
25387 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
25388 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
25392 @node Gnus Development
25393 @subsection Gnus Development
25395 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
25396 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
25397 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
25398 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
25399 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
25400 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
25401 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
25402 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
25404 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
25405 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
25406 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
25407 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
25408 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
25411 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
25412 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
25413 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
25414 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
25415 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
25417 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
25418 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
25419 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
25420 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
25421 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
25422 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
25423 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
25424 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
25425 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
25426 can't be assumed to do so.
25431 @subsection Contributors
25432 @cindex contributors
25434 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
25435 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
25436 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
25437 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
25438 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
25439 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
25440 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
25441 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
25442 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
25443 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
25445 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
25451 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
25454 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
25455 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
25456 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
25457 functionality and stuff.
25460 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
25461 well as numerous other things).
25464 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
25467 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
25470 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
25473 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
25476 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
25477 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
25480 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
25483 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section.
25486 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
25489 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
25492 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
25495 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
25498 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
25499 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
25502 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
25505 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
25508 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
25511 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
25515 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
25518 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
25521 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
25524 Fran@,{c}ois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
25525 well as autoconf support.
25529 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
25530 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
25532 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
25547 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
25549 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
25553 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
25563 Alexei V. Barantsev,
25578 Massimo Campostrini,
25583 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
25584 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
25588 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
25591 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
25597 Michael Welsh Duggan,
25602 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
25606 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
25614 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
25616 Michelangelo Grigni,
25620 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
25622 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
25624 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
25631 Fran@,{c}ois Felix Ingrand,
25632 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
25633 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
25635 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
25645 Peter Skov Knudsen,
25646 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
25648 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
25649 Thor Kristoffersen,
25652 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
25670 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
25671 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
25678 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
25683 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
25687 John McClary Prevost,
25693 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
25698 Christian von Roques,
25701 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
25708 Philippe Schnoebelen,
25710 Randal L. Schwartz,
25724 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
25729 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
25749 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
25750 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
25751 (550kB and counting).
25753 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
25756 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
25757 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
25761 @subsection New Features
25762 @cindex new features
25765 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
25766 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
25767 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
25768 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
25769 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
25770 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
25771 * No Gnus:: Lars, FIXME!
25774 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
25775 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
25776 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
25779 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
25781 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
25786 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
25787 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
25790 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
25791 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
25794 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
25797 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
25798 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
25799 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
25802 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
25803 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
25804 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
25805 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
25808 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
25809 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25812 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
25813 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
25814 (@pxref{The Active File}).
25817 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
25818 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
25821 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
25822 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
25823 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
25826 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
25827 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
25828 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
25831 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
25832 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
25835 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
25836 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
25839 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
25840 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
25843 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
25844 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25847 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
25848 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
25851 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
25852 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
25855 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
25858 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
25859 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
25862 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
25863 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
25866 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
25867 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
25870 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
25873 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
25874 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
25877 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
25881 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
25885 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
25886 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
25889 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
25895 @node September Gnus
25896 @subsubsection September Gnus
25900 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
25904 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
25909 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
25910 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
25914 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
25915 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
25919 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
25923 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
25924 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
25927 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
25931 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions.
25934 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
25937 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
25940 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
25944 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
25945 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
25948 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
25952 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
25956 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
25960 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
25964 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
25967 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
25968 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
25971 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
25975 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
25976 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
25979 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
25982 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
25983 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
25984 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
25987 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
25991 The Gnus cache is much faster.
25994 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
25998 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
25999 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
26002 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
26003 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
26006 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
26007 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
26010 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
26011 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
26012 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
26015 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
26016 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
26019 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
26022 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
26025 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
26028 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
26031 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
26032 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
26035 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
26039 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
26042 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
26047 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
26050 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
26054 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
26057 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
26061 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
26064 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
26067 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
26068 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
26071 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
26072 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
26076 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
26077 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
26080 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
26084 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
26085 buffer to allow easier treatment.
26088 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
26091 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
26095 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
26099 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
26100 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
26103 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
26107 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
26108 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
26111 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
26112 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
26115 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
26119 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
26122 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
26125 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
26131 @subsubsection Red Gnus
26133 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
26137 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
26144 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
26147 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
26148 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
26151 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
26152 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
26156 Article washing status can be displayed in the
26157 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
26160 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
26163 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
26164 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
26167 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
26171 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
26172 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
26176 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
26177 Server Internals}).
26180 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
26184 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
26187 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
26188 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
26191 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
26192 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
26193 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
26196 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
26197 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
26200 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
26201 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
26204 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
26208 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
26209 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
26212 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
26213 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
26216 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
26220 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
26223 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
26227 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
26228 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
26231 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
26232 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
26235 A new command for reading collections of documents
26236 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
26237 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
26240 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
26244 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
26245 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
26248 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
26249 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
26250 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
26253 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
26254 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
26258 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
26262 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
26266 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
26271 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
26275 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
26279 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
26280 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
26283 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
26289 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
26291 New features in Gnus 5.6:
26296 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
26297 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
26298 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
26301 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
26302 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
26303 group, which is created automatically.
26306 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
26310 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
26313 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
26314 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
26317 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
26321 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
26324 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
26325 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
26328 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
26331 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
26335 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
26336 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
26339 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
26340 control over simplification.
26343 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
26346 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
26350 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
26353 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
26356 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
26357 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
26358 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
26361 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
26362 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
26365 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
26369 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
26370 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
26373 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
26374 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
26377 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
26381 A history of where mails have been split is available.
26384 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
26387 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
26388 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
26391 A new function for citing in Message has been
26392 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
26395 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
26398 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
26402 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
26403 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
26406 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
26407 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
26410 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
26413 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
26417 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
26418 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
26420 New features in Gnus 5.8:
26425 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
26426 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
26428 If you used procmail like in
26431 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
26432 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
26433 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
26434 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
26437 this now has changed to
26441 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
26445 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
26448 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
26449 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
26452 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
26453 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
26456 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
26457 called to position point.
26460 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
26461 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
26464 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
26465 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
26468 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
26469 subtly different manner.
26472 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
26473 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
26474 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
26477 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
26482 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
26485 New features in Gnus 5.10:
26490 @kbd{F} (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}) and @kbd{R}
26491 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}) only yank the text in the
26492 region if the region is active.
26495 @code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group} can be called interactively,
26499 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
26500 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
26503 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
26504 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
26507 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
26509 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
26510 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
26511 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
26512 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
26513 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
26514 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
26515 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
26516 isn't save in general.
26521 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
26522 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
26523 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
26524 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
26529 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} (see @ref{Other modes}) installs key
26530 bindings in dired buffers to send a file as an attachment, open a file
26531 using the appropriate mailcap entry, and print a file using the mailcap
26535 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
26538 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
26543 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
26544 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
26546 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
26547 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
26551 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
26552 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
26555 Retrieval of charters and control messages
26557 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
26558 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
26563 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
26564 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
26565 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
26568 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
26569 decompressed when activated.
26572 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
26573 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
26576 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
26579 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
26580 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
26583 Warn about email replies to news
26585 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
26586 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
26590 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
26591 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
26595 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
26596 opposed to old but unread messages).
26599 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
26600 Gcc articles as read.
26603 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
26606 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
26607 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
26610 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
26611 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
26614 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
26615 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
26618 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
26619 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
26622 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
26624 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
26625 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
26626 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
26627 @file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
26630 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
26632 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
26633 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
26634 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, iff you want
26635 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
26636 the second parameter.
26638 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
26639 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
26640 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
26641 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
26642 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
26643 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
26644 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
26645 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
26646 cycle used under Unix systems.
26648 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} superfluous, so it has
26652 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
26654 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
26655 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
26656 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
26657 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
26658 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
26662 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
26664 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
26665 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
26666 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
26667 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
26671 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
26673 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
26674 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
26675 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
26676 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
26678 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
26679 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
26680 message cited below.
26683 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
26686 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
26688 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
26689 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
26690 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
26691 variable in @file{~/.emacs} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
26692 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
26695 (setq gnus-parameters
26697 (gnus-show-threads nil)
26698 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
26699 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
26700 (to-group . "\\1"))))
26704 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now iconized for Emacs too.
26706 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.emacs} to
26710 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
26712 Earlier it was generated iff the user configurable email address was
26713 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
26714 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
26715 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
26716 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
26717 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
26718 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
26719 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
26720 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
26723 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
26725 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
26726 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
26727 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
26728 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
26729 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
26730 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
26733 References and X-Draft-Headers are no longer generated when you start
26734 composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
26738 Improved anti-spam features.
26740 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
26741 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
26742 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
26743 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
26744 are also new. @xref{Thwarting Email Spam}.
26747 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers.
26750 Face headers handling.
26753 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
26754 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
26757 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
26760 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
26762 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
26763 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
26764 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
26765 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
26766 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
26767 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
26768 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
26769 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
26770 when getting new mail, remove the function.
26773 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
26775 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
26776 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
26777 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
26778 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
26779 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
26780 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
26781 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
26782 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
26783 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
26784 was inserted directly.
26787 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
26789 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
26790 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
26796 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
26797 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
26798 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
26799 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
26800 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
26801 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
26802 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
26803 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
26804 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
26805 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
26806 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
26807 behavior of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
26808 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
26809 is not needed any more.
26812 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
26814 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
26815 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
26816 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
26817 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
26818 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
26822 @file{deuglify.el} (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article})
26824 A new file from Raymond Scholz @email{rscholz@@zonix.de} for deuglifying
26825 broken Outlook (Express) articles.
26828 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
26830 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
26831 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
26832 lisp directory into load-path.
26834 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
26835 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
26838 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
26840 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
26843 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
26845 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
26846 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
26847 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
26848 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
26851 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
26853 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
26855 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
26856 'bbdb-complete-name)
26860 Externalizing and deleting of attachments.
26862 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
26863 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
26864 local files as external parts.
26866 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
26867 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
26868 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
26869 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
26870 that support editing.
26873 @code{gnus-default-charset}
26875 The default value is determined from the
26876 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
26877 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
26878 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
26881 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
26883 Add a new format of match like
26885 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
26886 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
26888 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
26890 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
26891 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
26895 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
26897 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
26898 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
26899 need add those two headers too.
26902 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
26904 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
26905 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
26906 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
26909 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
26910 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
26911 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
26915 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
26917 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
26920 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
26922 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
26925 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
26927 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
26928 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
26929 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
26932 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
26934 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
26938 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
26940 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
26941 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
26942 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
26943 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
26944 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
26945 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
26946 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
26947 The behavior can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
26950 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
26952 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
26953 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
26954 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
26955 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
26956 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
26959 Extended format specs.
26961 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
26962 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
26963 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
26964 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
26965 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
26966 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
26969 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
26971 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
26972 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
26973 out other articles.
26975 @item Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
26977 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
26978 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
26979 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
26980 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
26983 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
26985 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
26986 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
26987 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
26990 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
26992 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
26993 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
26994 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
26995 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
26996 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
26997 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
26998 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
26999 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
27000 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
27001 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
27002 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
27005 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
27006 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
27009 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
27010 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
27011 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
27012 message, Message Manual}).
27015 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
27016 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
27018 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
27019 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
27020 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
27022 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
27026 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
27027 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
27029 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
27030 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
27031 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
27032 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
27035 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
27038 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
27041 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
27042 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
27045 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to symbol @code{best}.
27047 The behavior for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
27048 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
27049 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
27050 invalidate the digital signature.
27054 @subsubsection No Gnus
27057 New features in No Gnus:
27058 @c FIXME: Gnus 5.12?
27060 @include gnus-news.texi
27066 @section The Manual
27070 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
27071 either @code{texi2dvi}
27073 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
27074 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
27076 to get what you hold in your hands now.
27078 The following conventions have been used:
27083 This is a @samp{string}
27086 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
27089 This is a @file{file}
27092 This is a @code{symbol}
27096 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
27100 (setq flargnoze "yes")
27103 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
27106 (setq flumphel 'yes)
27109 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
27110 ever get them confused.
27114 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
27115 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
27116 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
27117 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
27118 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
27119 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
27120 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
27126 @node On Writing Manuals
27127 @section On Writing Manuals
27129 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
27130 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
27131 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
27132 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
27133 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
27134 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
27137 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
27138 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
27139 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
27142 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
27143 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
27148 @section Terminology
27150 @cindex terminology
27155 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
27156 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
27157 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
27158 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
27159 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
27163 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
27164 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
27165 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
27166 not posting, and replying is not following up.
27170 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
27174 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
27179 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
27180 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
27181 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
27182 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
27183 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
27184 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
27185 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
27186 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
27187 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
27190 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
27191 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
27192 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
27193 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
27194 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
27195 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
27197 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
27198 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
27199 access the articles.
27201 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
27202 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
27203 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
27208 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
27209 default, way of getting news.
27213 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
27214 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
27219 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
27220 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
27224 A message that has been posted as news.
27227 @cindex mail message
27228 A message that has been mailed.
27232 A mail message or news article
27236 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
27241 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
27246 A line from the head of an article.
27250 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
27251 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
27253 @item @acronym{NOV}
27254 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
27255 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
27256 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
27257 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
27258 normal @sc{head} format.
27262 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
27263 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
27264 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
27265 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
27266 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
27267 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
27269 @item killed groups
27270 @cindex killed groups
27271 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
27272 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
27274 @item zombie groups
27275 @cindex zombie groups
27276 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
27279 @cindex active file
27280 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
27281 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
27282 is rather large, as you might surmise.
27285 @cindex bogus groups
27286 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
27287 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
27288 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
27291 @cindex activating groups
27292 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
27293 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
27294 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
27298 News servers store their articles locally in one fashion or other.
27299 One old-fashioned storage method is to have just one file per
27300 article. That's called a ``traditional spool''.
27304 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
27306 @item select method
27307 @cindex select method
27308 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
27311 @item virtual server
27312 @cindex virtual server
27313 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
27314 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
27315 whole is a virtual server.
27319 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
27320 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
27323 @item ephemeral groups
27324 @cindex ephemeral groups
27325 @cindex temporary groups
27326 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
27327 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
27328 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
27331 @cindex solid groups
27332 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
27333 group buffer are solid groups.
27335 @item sparse articles
27336 @cindex sparse articles
27337 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
27338 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
27342 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
27343 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
27347 @cindex thread root
27348 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
27349 articles in the thread.
27353 An article that has responses.
27357 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
27361 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
27362 specified by RFC 1153.
27365 @cindex splitting, terminolgy
27366 @cindex mail sorting
27367 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
27368 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
27369 incorrectly called mail filtering.
27375 @node Customization
27376 @section Customization
27377 @cindex general customization
27379 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
27380 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
27381 for some quite common situations.
27384 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
27385 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
27386 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
27387 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
27391 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
27392 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
27394 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
27395 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
27396 Gnus has to get from the @acronym{NNTP} server.
27400 @item gnus-read-active-file
27401 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
27402 entire active file from the server. This file is often very large. You
27403 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
27404 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
27405 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
27407 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
27408 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
27409 the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast. Not all @acronym{NNTP} servers
27410 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
27414 @node Slow Terminal Connection
27415 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
27417 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
27418 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
27419 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
27423 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
27424 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
27425 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
27426 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
27427 horizontal and vertical recentering.
27429 @item gnus-visible-headers
27430 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
27431 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
27432 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
27433 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
27435 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
27437 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
27438 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
27439 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
27442 @item gnus-use-full-window
27443 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
27444 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
27445 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
27446 want to read them anyway.
27448 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
27449 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
27453 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
27454 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
27455 lines, which might save some time.
27459 @node Little Disk Space
27460 @subsection Little Disk Space
27463 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
27464 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
27468 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
27469 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
27470 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
27471 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
27474 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
27475 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
27476 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
27477 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
27480 @item gnus-save-killed-list
27481 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
27482 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
27483 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
27484 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
27490 @subsection Slow Machine
27491 @cindex slow machine
27493 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
27494 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
27496 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
27497 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
27499 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
27500 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
27501 summary buffer faster.
27505 @node Troubleshooting
27506 @section Troubleshooting
27507 @cindex troubleshooting
27509 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
27517 Make sure your computer is switched on.
27520 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
27521 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
27525 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
27526 like @samp{T-gnus 6.17.* (based on Gnus v5.10.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
27527 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. Otherwise you have some old
27528 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
27531 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
27532 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
27535 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
27536 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
27537 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
27538 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
27539 something like that.
27542 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
27545 @cindex reporting bugs
27547 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
27549 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
27550 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
27551 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
27552 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
27554 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
27555 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
27556 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
27557 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
27560 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
27561 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
27562 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
27563 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
27564 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
27565 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
27567 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
27568 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
27569 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
27573 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
27574 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
27577 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
27578 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
27579 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
27580 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
27581 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
27582 you discover some weird behavior when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
27583 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
27584 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
27585 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
27586 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
27587 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
27588 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
27589 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
27590 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
27595 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
27596 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
27597 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
27598 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
27599 helps isolating the real problem areas).
27601 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
27602 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
27603 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
27604 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
27605 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
27606 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
27607 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
27608 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
27609 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
27610 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
27611 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
27612 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
27613 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
27616 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
27617 @cindex ding mailing list
27618 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
27619 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
27620 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
27621 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
27625 @node Gnus Reference Guide
27626 @section Gnus Reference Guide
27628 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
27629 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
27630 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
27631 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
27634 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
27635 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
27636 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
27637 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
27638 and general methods of operation.
27641 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
27642 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
27643 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
27644 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
27645 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
27646 * Group Info:: The group info format.
27647 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
27648 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
27649 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
27653 @node Gnus Utility Functions
27654 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
27655 @cindex Gnus utility functions
27656 @cindex utility functions
27658 @cindex internal variables
27660 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
27661 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
27662 Below is a list of the most common ones.
27666 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
27667 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
27668 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
27670 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
27671 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
27672 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
27674 @item gnus-group-real-name
27675 @findex gnus-group-real-name
27676 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
27679 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
27680 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
27681 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
27682 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
27684 @item gnus-get-info
27685 @findex gnus-get-info
27686 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
27688 @item gnus-group-unread
27689 @findex gnus-group-unread
27690 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
27694 @findex gnus-active
27695 The active entry for @var{group}.
27697 @item gnus-set-active
27698 @findex gnus-set-active
27699 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
27701 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
27702 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
27703 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
27706 @item gnus-continuum-version
27707 @findex gnus-continuum-version
27708 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
27709 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
27712 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
27713 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
27714 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
27716 @item gnus-news-group-p
27717 @findex gnus-news-group-p
27718 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
27720 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
27721 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
27722 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
27724 @item gnus-server-to-method
27725 @findex gnus-server-to-method
27726 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
27728 @item gnus-server-equal
27729 @findex gnus-server-equal
27730 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
27732 @item gnus-group-native-p
27733 @findex gnus-group-native-p
27734 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
27736 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
27737 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
27738 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
27740 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
27741 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
27742 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
27744 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
27745 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
27746 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
27747 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
27749 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
27750 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
27751 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
27753 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
27754 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
27755 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
27757 @item gnus-check-backend-function
27758 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
27759 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
27760 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
27763 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
27767 @item gnus-read-method
27768 @findex gnus-read-method
27769 Prompts the user for a select method.
27774 @node Back End Interface
27775 @subsection Back End Interface
27777 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
27778 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
27779 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
27780 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
27781 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
27782 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
27784 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
27785 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
27786 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
27787 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
27788 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
27789 been opened, the function should fail.
27791 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
27792 name. Take this example:
27796 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
27797 (nntp-port-number 4324))
27800 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
27801 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
27803 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
27804 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
27805 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
27807 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
27808 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
27809 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
27811 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
27812 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
27813 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
27814 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
27815 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
27816 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
27819 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
27820 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
27821 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
27822 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
27825 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
27826 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
27827 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
27828 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
27829 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
27830 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
27831 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
27832 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
27833 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
27834 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
27836 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
27837 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
27838 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
27839 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
27840 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
27841 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
27842 of numbers as long as possible.
27844 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
27845 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
27846 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
27848 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
27851 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
27854 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
27855 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
27856 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
27857 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
27858 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
27859 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
27863 @node Required Back End Functions
27864 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
27868 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
27870 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
27871 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
27872 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
27873 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
27875 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
27876 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
27877 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
27878 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
27880 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
27881 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
27882 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
27883 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
27884 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
27885 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
27886 number, do maximum fetches.
27888 Here's an example HEAD:
27891 221 1056 Article retrieved.
27892 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
27893 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
27894 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
27895 Subject: Re: Something very droll
27896 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
27897 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
27899 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
27900 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
27901 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
27905 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
27906 these in the data buffer.
27908 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
27912 head = error / valid-head
27913 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
27914 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
27915 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
27916 header = <text> eol
27920 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
27922 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
27923 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
27927 nov-buffer = *nov-line
27928 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
27929 field = <text except TAB>
27932 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
27936 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
27938 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
27939 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
27941 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
27942 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
27943 server. In fact, it should do so.
27945 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
27946 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
27949 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
27951 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
27952 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
27955 There should be no data returned.
27958 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
27960 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
27961 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
27962 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
27963 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
27965 There should be no data returned.
27968 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
27970 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
27971 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
27972 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
27973 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
27975 There should be no data returned.
27978 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
27980 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
27982 There should be no data returned.
27985 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
27987 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
27988 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
27989 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
27990 it would be nice if that were possible.
27992 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
27993 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
27994 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
27995 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
27996 into its article buffer.
27998 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
27999 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
28000 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
28001 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
28002 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
28003 on successful article retrieval.
28006 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
28008 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
28009 making @var{group} the current group.
28011 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
28014 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
28017 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
28020 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
28021 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
28022 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
28023 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
28024 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
28025 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
28026 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
28027 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
28028 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
28032 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
28033 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
28034 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
28038 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
28040 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
28041 a no-op on most back ends.
28043 There should be no data returned.
28046 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
28048 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
28051 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
28054 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
28055 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
28058 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
28059 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
28060 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
28061 and the highest as 0.
28064 active-file = *active-line
28065 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
28067 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
28070 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
28071 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
28072 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
28075 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
28077 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
28078 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
28079 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
28080 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
28081 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
28082 clear if the posting could not be completed.
28084 There should be no result data from this function.
28089 @node Optional Back End Functions
28090 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
28094 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
28096 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
28097 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
28098 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
28100 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
28101 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
28102 former is in the same format as the data from
28103 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
28104 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
28107 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
28111 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
28113 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
28114 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
28115 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
28116 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
28117 should return a non-@code{nil} value (exceptionally,
28118 @code{nntp-request-update-info} always returns @code{nil} not to waste
28119 the network resources).
28121 There should be no result data from this function.
28124 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
28126 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
28127 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
28128 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
28129 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
28130 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
28131 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
28132 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
28133 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
28135 There should be no result data from this function.
28138 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
28140 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
28141 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
28142 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
28143 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
28144 propagate the mark information to the server.
28146 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
28149 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
28152 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
28153 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
28154 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
28155 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
28156 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
28157 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
28158 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
28159 possible, not limit itself to these.
28161 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
28162 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
28163 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
28164 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
28166 An example action list:
28169 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
28170 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
28171 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
28174 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
28175 mark on (currently not used for anything).
28177 There should be no result data from this function.
28179 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
28181 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
28182 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
28183 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
28184 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
28185 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
28187 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
28188 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
28189 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
28192 There should be no result data from this function.
28195 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
28197 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
28198 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
28199 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
28200 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
28201 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
28202 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
28203 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
28204 local if that's practical.
28206 There should be no result data from this function.
28209 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
28211 The result data from this function should be a description of
28215 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
28217 description = <text>
28220 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
28222 The result data from this function should be the description of all
28223 groups available on the server.
28226 description-buffer = *description-line
28230 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
28232 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
28233 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
28234 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
28235 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
28236 in the active buffer format.
28238 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
28239 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
28240 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
28241 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
28242 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
28243 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
28244 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
28247 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
28249 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
28251 There should be no return data.
28254 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
28256 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
28257 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
28258 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
28259 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
28260 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
28263 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
28266 There should be no result data returned.
28269 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
28271 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
28272 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
28274 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
28275 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
28276 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
28277 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
28278 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
28279 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
28281 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
28282 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
28285 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
28286 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
28288 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
28289 article for that group.
28291 There should be no data returned.
28294 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
28296 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
28297 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
28298 this function in short order.
28300 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
28301 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
28303 There should be no data returned.
28306 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
28308 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
28309 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
28311 There should be no data returned.
28314 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
28316 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
28317 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
28318 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
28320 There should be no data returned.
28323 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
28325 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
28326 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
28328 There should be no data returned.
28333 @node Error Messaging
28334 @subsubsection Error Messaging
28336 @findex nnheader-report
28337 @findex nnheader-get-report
28338 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
28339 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
28340 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
28341 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
28342 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
28343 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
28346 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
28348 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
28351 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
28352 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
28353 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
28354 takes one argument---the server symbol.
28356 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
28357 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
28358 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
28361 @node Writing New Back Ends
28362 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
28364 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
28365 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
28366 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
28367 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
28368 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
28371 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
28372 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
28373 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
28375 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
28376 package called @code{nnoo}.
28378 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
28379 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
28385 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
28386 parameters. For instance:
28389 (nnoo-declare nndir
28393 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
28394 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
28397 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
28398 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
28399 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
28401 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
28402 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
28403 a function in those back ends.
28406 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
28407 "Where nndir will look for groups."
28408 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
28411 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
28412 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
28413 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
28415 @item nnoo-define-basics
28416 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
28420 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
28424 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
28425 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
28426 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
28428 @item nnoo-map-functions
28429 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
28430 functions from the parent back ends.
28433 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
28434 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
28435 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
28438 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
28439 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
28440 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
28441 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
28444 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
28445 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
28446 haven't already been defined.
28452 nnmh-request-newgroups)
28456 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
28457 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
28458 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
28463 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
28466 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
28467 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
28471 (require 'nnheader)
28475 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
28477 (nnoo-declare nndir
28480 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
28481 "Where nndir will look for groups."
28482 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
28484 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
28485 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
28488 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
28490 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
28491 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
28492 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
28494 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
28495 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
28497 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
28499 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
28501 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
28502 (setq nndir-directory
28503 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
28505 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
28506 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
28507 (push `(nndir-current-group
28508 ,(file-name-nondirectory
28509 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
28511 (push `(nndir-top-directory
28512 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
28514 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
28516 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
28517 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
28518 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
28519 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
28520 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
28524 nnmh-status-message
28526 nnmh-request-newgroups))
28532 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
28533 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
28535 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
28536 @findex gnus-declare-backend
28537 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
28538 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
28539 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
28541 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
28542 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
28547 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
28550 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
28552 The abilities can be:
28556 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
28558 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
28560 This back end supports both mail and news.
28562 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
28565 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
28566 articles and groups.
28568 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
28569 true for almost all back ends.
28570 @item prompt-address
28571 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
28572 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
28573 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
28577 @node Mail-like Back Ends
28578 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
28580 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
28581 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
28582 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
28583 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
28586 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
28587 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
28588 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
28591 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
28592 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
28595 This function takes four parameters.
28599 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
28602 @item exit-function
28603 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
28605 @item temp-directory
28606 Where the temporary files should be stored.
28609 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
28610 performed for one group only.
28613 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
28614 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
28615 find the article number assigned to this article.
28617 The function also uses the following variables:
28618 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
28619 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
28620 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
28621 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
28625 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
28626 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
28630 @node Score File Syntax
28631 @subsection Score File Syntax
28633 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
28634 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
28635 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
28637 Here's a typical score file:
28641 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
28648 BNF definition of a score file:
28651 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
28652 element = rule / atom
28653 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
28654 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
28655 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
28656 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
28658 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
28659 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
28660 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
28661 date-header = "date"
28662 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28663 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28664 score = "nil" / <integer>
28665 date = "nil" / <natural number>
28666 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
28667 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
28668 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
28669 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
28670 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28671 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28672 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
28673 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28674 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
28675 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
28676 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
28677 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
28678 exclude-files / read-only / touched
28679 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
28680 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
28681 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
28682 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
28683 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
28684 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
28685 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
28686 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
28687 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
28688 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
28689 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
28690 eval = "eval" space <form>
28691 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
28694 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
28697 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
28698 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
28699 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
28700 one looong line, then that's ok.
28702 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
28703 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
28707 @subsection Headers
28709 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
28710 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
28711 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
28712 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
28714 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
28715 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
28716 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
28717 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
28718 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
28719 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
28720 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
28722 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
28723 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
28724 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
28725 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
28726 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
28728 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
28729 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
28735 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
28736 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
28738 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
28739 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
28740 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
28741 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
28743 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
28747 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
28750 is transformed into
28753 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
28756 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
28757 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
28760 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
28763 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
28764 is slightly tricky:
28767 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
28773 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
28776 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
28782 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
28789 and is equal to the previous range.
28791 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
28792 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
28793 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
28797 range = simple-range / normal-range
28798 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
28799 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
28800 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
28801 number *[ " " contents ]
28804 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
28805 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
28806 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
28807 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
28808 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
28813 @subsection Group Info
28815 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
28816 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
28817 describes the group.
28819 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
28820 second is a more complex one:
28823 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
28825 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
28826 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
28828 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
28831 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
28832 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
28833 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
28834 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
28835 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
28836 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
28837 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
28838 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
28839 this section is about.
28841 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
28842 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
28843 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
28845 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
28848 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
28849 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
28850 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28851 group = quote <string> quote
28852 ralevel = rank / level
28853 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
28854 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
28855 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
28857 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
28858 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
28859 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
28860 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
28863 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
28864 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
28867 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
28868 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
28871 @item gnus-info-group
28872 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
28873 @findex gnus-info-group
28874 @findex gnus-info-set-group
28875 Get/set the group name.
28877 @item gnus-info-rank
28878 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
28879 @findex gnus-info-rank
28880 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
28881 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
28883 @item gnus-info-level
28884 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
28885 @findex gnus-info-level
28886 @findex gnus-info-set-level
28887 Get/set the group level.
28889 @item gnus-info-score
28890 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
28891 @findex gnus-info-score
28892 @findex gnus-info-set-score
28893 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
28895 @item gnus-info-read
28896 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
28897 @findex gnus-info-read
28898 @findex gnus-info-set-read
28899 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
28901 @item gnus-info-marks
28902 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
28903 @findex gnus-info-marks
28904 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
28905 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
28907 @item gnus-info-method
28908 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
28909 @findex gnus-info-method
28910 @findex gnus-info-set-method
28911 Get/set the group select method.
28913 @item gnus-info-params
28914 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
28915 @findex gnus-info-params
28916 @findex gnus-info-set-params
28917 Get/set the group parameters.
28920 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
28921 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
28923 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
28924 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
28925 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
28926 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
28929 @node Extended Interactive
28930 @subsection Extended Interactive
28931 @cindex interactive
28932 @findex gnus-interactive
28934 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
28935 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
28936 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
28939 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
28940 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
28945 The best thing to do would have been to implement
28946 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
28947 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
28948 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
28949 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
28950 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
28951 @code{interactive}.
28953 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
28958 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
28959 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
28963 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
28964 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
28965 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
28968 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
28972 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
28976 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
28982 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
28983 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
28987 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
28988 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
28989 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
28991 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
28992 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
28993 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
28994 Gnus, that's very useful.
28996 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
28997 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
28998 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
28999 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
29000 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
29001 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
29002 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
29003 following function:
29006 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
29010 (,function ,@@args))
29014 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
29015 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
29016 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
29019 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
29020 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
29021 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
29023 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
29024 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
29025 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
29028 @node Various File Formats
29029 @subsection Various File Formats
29032 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
29033 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
29037 @node Active File Format
29038 @subsubsection Active File Format
29040 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
29041 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
29044 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
29047 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
29048 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
29049 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
29050 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
29051 no.general 1000 900 y
29054 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
29057 active = *group-line
29058 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
29059 group = <non-white-space string>
29061 high-number = <non-negative integer>
29062 low-number = <positive integer>
29063 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
29066 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
29067 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
29070 @node Newsgroups File Format
29071 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
29073 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
29074 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
29075 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
29078 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
29079 Here's the definition:
29083 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
29084 group = <non-white-space string>
29086 description = <string>
29091 @node Emacs for Heathens
29092 @section Emacs for Heathens
29094 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
29095 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
29096 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
29097 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
29098 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
29099 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
29100 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
29104 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
29105 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
29110 @subsection Keystrokes
29114 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
29117 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
29120 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
29121 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
29122 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
29123 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
29124 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
29125 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
29127 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
29128 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
29129 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
29130 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
29131 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
29132 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
29133 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
29135 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
29136 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
29137 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
29138 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
29139 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
29140 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
29141 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
29143 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
29144 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
29145 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
29146 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
29147 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
29153 @subsection Emacs Lisp
29155 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
29156 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
29157 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
29158 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
29160 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
29161 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
29162 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
29163 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
29164 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
29165 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
29166 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
29169 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
29170 write the following:
29173 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
29176 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
29177 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
29178 you can go and fill your @file{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
29181 If you have put that thing in your @file{.emacs} file, it will be read
29182 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
29183 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
29184 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
29185 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
29187 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
29188 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
29189 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
29193 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
29197 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
29200 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
29201 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
29204 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
29207 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
29208 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
29211 @include gnus-faq.texi
29231 @c Local Variables:
29233 @c coding: iso-8859-1