4 @settitle T-gnus 6.16 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
15 @setchapternewpage odd
19 \documentclass[twoside,a4paper,openright,11pt]{book}
20 \usepackage[latin1]{inputenc}
21 \usepackage{pagestyle}
24 \input{gnusconfig.tex}
26 \ifx\pdfoutput\undefined
28 \usepackage[pdftex,bookmarks,colorlinks=true]{hyperref}
36 \newcommand{\gnusversionname}{T-gnus v6.16}
37 \newcommand{\gnuschaptername}{}
38 \newcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
40 \newcommand{\gnusbackslash}{/}
42 \newcommand{\gnusref}[1]{``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
43 \ifx\pdfoutput\undefined
44 \newcommand{\gnusuref}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
46 \newcommand{\gnusuref}[1]{\href{#1}{\gnustt{#1}}}
48 \newcommand{\gnusxref}[1]{See ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
49 \newcommand{\gnuspxref}[1]{see ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
51 \newcommand{\gnuskindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
52 \newcommand{\gnusindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
54 \newcommand{\gnustt}[1]{{\gnusselectttfont{}#1}}
55 \newcommand{\gnuscode}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
56 \newcommand{\gnusasis}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
57 \newcommand{\gnusurl}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
58 \newcommand{\gnuscommand}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
59 \newcommand{\gnusenv}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
60 \newcommand{\gnussamp}[1]{``{\fontencoding{OT1}\gnusselectttfont{}#1}''}
61 \newcommand{\gnuslisp}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
62 \newcommand{\gnuskbd}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
63 \newcommand{\gnuskey}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
64 \newcommand{\gnusfile}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
65 \newcommand{\gnusdfn}[1]{\textit{#1}}
66 \newcommand{\gnusi}[1]{\textit{#1}}
67 \newcommand{\gnusr}[1]{\textrm{#1}}
68 \newcommand{\gnusstrong}[1]{\textbf{#1}}
69 \newcommand{\gnusemph}[1]{\textit{#1}}
70 \newcommand{\gnusvar}[1]{{\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont\textsl{\textsf{#1}}}}
71 \newcommand{\gnussc}[1]{\textsc{#1}}
72 \newcommand{\gnustitle}[1]{{\huge\textbf{#1}}}
73 \newcommand{\gnusversion}[1]{{\small\textit{#1}}}
74 \newcommand{\gnusauthor}[1]{{\large\textbf{#1}}}
75 \newcommand{\gnusresult}[1]{\gnustt{=> #1}}
76 \newcommand{\gnusacronym}[1]{\textsc{#1}}
77 \newcommand{\gnusemail}[1]{\textit{#1}}
79 \newcommand{\gnusbullet}{{${\bullet}$}}
80 \newcommand{\gnusdollar}{\$}
81 \newcommand{\gnusampersand}{\&}
82 \newcommand{\gnuspercent}{\%}
83 \newcommand{\gnushash}{\#}
84 \newcommand{\gnushat}{\symbol{"5E}}
85 \newcommand{\gnusunderline}{\symbol{"5F}}
86 \newcommand{\gnusnot}{$\neg$}
87 \newcommand{\gnustilde}{\symbol{"7E}}
88 \newcommand{\gnusless}{{$<$}}
89 \newcommand{\gnusgreater}{{$>$}}
90 \newcommand{\gnusbraceleft}{{$>$}}
91 \newcommand{\gnusbraceright}{{$>$}}
93 \newcommand{\gnushead}{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-head,height=1cm}}}
94 \newcommand{\gnusinteresting}{
95 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\gnushead]{\gnushead}
98 \newcommand{\gnuscleardoublepage}{\ifodd\count0\mbox{}\clearpage\thispagestyle{empty}\mbox{}\clearpage\else\clearpage\fi}
100 \newcommand{\gnuspagechapter}[1]{
104 \newdimen{\gnusdimen}
107 \newcommand{\gnuschapter}[2]{
109 \ifdim \gnusdimen = 0pt\setcounter{page}{1}\pagestyle{gnus}\pagenumbering{arabic} \gnusdimen 1pt\fi
111 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
112 \renewcommand{\gnuschaptername}{#2}
113 \thispagestyle{empty}
115 \begin{picture}(500,500)(0,0)
116 \put(480,350){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{#1}}
117 \put(40,300){\makebox(500,50)[bl]{{\Huge\bf{#2}}}}
122 \newcommand{\gnusfigure}[3]{
124 \mbox{}\ifodd\count0\hspace*{-0.8cm}\else\hspace*{-3cm}\fi\begin{picture}(440,#2)
131 \newcommand{\gnusicon}[1]{
132 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\raisebox{-1.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/#1-up,height=1.5cm}}]{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/#1-up,height=1cm}}}
135 \newcommand{\gnuspicon}[1]{
136 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=2cm}}
139 \newcommand{\gnusxface}[2]{
140 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=1cm}\epsfig{figure=#2,width=1cm}}
143 \newcommand{\gnussmiley}[2]{
144 \margindex{\makebox[2cm]{\hfill\epsfig{figure=#1,width=0.5cm}\hfill\epsfig{figure=#2,width=0.5cm}\hfill}}
147 \newcommand{\gnusitemx}[1]{\mbox{}\vspace*{-\itemsep}\vspace*{-\parsep}\item#1}
149 \newcommand{\gnussection}[1]{
150 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{#1}
154 \newenvironment{codelist}%
159 \newenvironment{asislist}%
164 \newenvironment{kbdlist}%
170 \newenvironment{dfnlist}%
175 \newenvironment{stronglist}%
180 \newenvironment{samplist}%
185 \newenvironment{varlist}%
190 \newenvironment{emphlist}%
195 \newlength\gnusheadtextwidth
196 \setlength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{\headtextwidth}
197 \addtolength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{1cm}
199 \newpagestyle{gnuspreamble}%
204 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\mbox{}}\textbf{\hfill\roman{page}}}
208 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\roman{page}\hfill\mbox{}}}
217 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
219 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
224 \newpagestyle{gnusindex}%
229 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\gnuschaptername\hfill\arabic{page}}}}
233 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}
241 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
243 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
253 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{3.1cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{chapter}.\arabic{section}} \textbf{\gnussectionname\hfill\arabic{page}}}}}
257 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{-2.95cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}}
265 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
267 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
272 \pagenumbering{roman}
273 \pagestyle{gnuspreamble}
283 %\addtolength{\oddsidemargin}{-5cm}
284 %\addtolength{\evensidemargin}{-5cm}
286 \addtolength{\textheight}{2cm}
288 \gnustitle{\gnustitlename}\hfill\gnusversion{\gnusversionname}\\
291 \hspace*{0cm}\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=15cm}
294 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
301 \thispagestyle{empty}
303 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
305 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
308 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
309 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
310 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
311 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
312 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
313 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
314 License'' in the Emacs manual.
316 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
317 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
318 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
320 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
321 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
322 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
323 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
331 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
333 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
334 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
336 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
337 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
338 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
339 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
340 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
341 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
342 License'' in the Emacs manual.
344 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
345 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
346 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
348 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
349 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
350 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
351 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
357 @title T-gnus 6.16 Manual
359 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
362 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
363 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
365 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
367 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
368 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
369 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
370 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
371 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
372 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
373 License'' in the Emacs manual.
375 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
376 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
377 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
379 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
380 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
381 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
382 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
391 @top The gnus Newsreader
395 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using T-gnus. The news
396 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
397 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
400 T-gnus provides @acronym{MIME} features based on @acronym{SEMI} API. So
401 T-gnus supports your right to read strange messages including big images
402 or other various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
403 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
404 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities. Oh,
405 if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
407 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.16.
418 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
419 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
421 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
422 being accused of plagiarism:
424 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
425 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
426 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
427 can even read news with it!
429 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
430 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
431 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
432 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
433 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
439 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
440 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
441 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
442 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
443 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
444 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
445 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
446 * Various:: General purpose settings.
447 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
448 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
449 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
450 * Key Index:: Key Index.
452 Other related manuals
454 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
455 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
456 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
457 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
460 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
464 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
465 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
466 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
467 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
468 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
469 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
470 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
471 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
472 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
473 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
474 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
478 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
479 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
480 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
484 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
485 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
486 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
487 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
488 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
489 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
490 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
491 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
492 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
493 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
494 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
495 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
496 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
497 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
498 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
499 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
500 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
504 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
505 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
506 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
510 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
511 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
512 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
513 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
514 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
518 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
519 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
520 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
521 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
522 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
526 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
527 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
528 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
529 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
530 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
531 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
532 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
533 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
534 * Threading:: How threads are made.
535 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
536 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
537 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
538 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
539 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
540 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
541 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
542 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
543 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
544 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
545 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
546 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
547 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
548 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
549 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
550 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
551 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
552 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
553 or reselecting the current group.
554 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
555 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
556 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
557 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
559 Summary Buffer Format
561 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
562 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
563 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
564 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
568 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
569 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
571 Reply, Followup and Post
573 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
574 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
575 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
576 * Canceling and Superseding::
580 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
581 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
582 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
583 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
584 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
585 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
589 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
590 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
592 Customizing Threading
594 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
595 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
596 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
597 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
601 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
602 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
603 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
604 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
605 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
606 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
610 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
611 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
612 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
616 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
617 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
618 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
619 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
620 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
621 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
622 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
623 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
624 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
625 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
626 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
628 Alternative Approaches
630 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
631 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
633 Various Summary Stuff
635 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
636 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
637 * Summary Generation Commands::
638 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
642 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
643 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
644 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
645 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
646 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
650 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
651 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
652 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
653 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
654 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
655 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
656 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
657 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
661 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
662 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
663 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
664 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
665 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
666 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
667 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
668 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
672 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
673 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
674 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
675 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
676 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
677 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
678 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
682 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
683 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
687 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
688 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
689 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
693 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
694 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
695 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
696 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
697 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
698 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
699 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
700 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
701 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
702 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
703 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
704 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
705 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
709 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
710 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
711 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
713 Choosing a Mail Back End
715 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
716 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
717 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
718 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
719 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
720 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
721 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
726 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
727 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
728 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
729 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
730 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
731 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
735 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
736 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
737 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
738 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
739 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
740 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
744 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
745 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
746 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
747 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
748 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
752 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
756 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
757 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
758 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
762 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
763 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
767 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
768 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
769 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
770 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
771 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
772 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
773 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
774 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
775 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
776 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
777 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
778 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
779 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
783 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
784 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
785 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
789 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
790 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
791 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
795 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
796 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
797 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
798 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
799 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
800 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
801 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
802 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
803 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
804 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
805 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
806 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
807 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
808 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
809 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
810 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
811 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
815 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
816 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
817 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
818 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
822 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
823 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
824 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
828 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
829 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
830 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
831 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
832 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
833 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
834 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
835 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
836 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
837 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
838 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
839 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
840 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
841 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
842 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
843 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
844 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
845 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
846 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
850 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
851 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
852 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
853 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
854 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
855 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
856 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
857 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
861 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
862 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
863 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
864 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
865 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
869 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
870 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
871 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
872 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
873 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
874 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
876 Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
878 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
880 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
881 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
883 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
885 * ifile spam filtering::
886 * spam-stat spam filtering::
888 * Extending the spam elisp package::
890 Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
892 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
893 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
894 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
898 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
899 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
900 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
901 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
902 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
903 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
904 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
905 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
906 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ.
910 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
911 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
912 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
913 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
914 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
915 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
916 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
917 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
918 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
922 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
923 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
924 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
925 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
926 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
927 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10.
931 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
932 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
933 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
934 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
938 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
939 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
940 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
941 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
942 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
943 * Group Info:: The group info format.
944 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
945 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
946 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
950 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
951 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
952 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
953 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
954 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
955 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
959 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
960 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
964 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
965 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
971 @chapter Starting gnus
976 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
977 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
980 @findex gnus-other-frame
981 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
982 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
983 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
985 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
986 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
987 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
989 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
990 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
993 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
994 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
995 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
996 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
997 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
998 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
999 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
1000 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
1001 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
1002 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
1003 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
1007 @node Finding the News
1008 @section Finding the News
1009 @cindex finding news
1011 @vindex gnus-select-method
1013 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
1014 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
1015 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
1016 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
1019 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
1020 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
1023 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1026 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1029 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1032 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1033 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1034 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1036 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1038 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1039 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
1040 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1041 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1042 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1043 If that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1044 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1046 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1047 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1048 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1049 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1051 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1052 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1053 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1054 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1055 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
1056 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1057 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1058 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1059 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1062 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1064 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1065 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1066 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1067 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1068 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1069 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1071 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1073 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1074 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1075 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1076 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1077 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1078 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1081 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1082 you would typically set this variable to
1085 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1089 @node The First Time
1090 @section The First Time
1091 @cindex first time usage
1093 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1094 be subscribed by default.
1096 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1097 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1098 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1099 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1102 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1103 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1104 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1106 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1107 help you with most common problems.
1109 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1110 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1114 @node The Server is Down
1115 @section The Server is Down
1116 @cindex server errors
1118 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1119 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1120 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1122 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1123 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1124 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1125 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1126 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1127 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1128 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1130 @findex gnus-no-server
1131 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1133 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1134 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1135 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1136 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1137 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1138 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1139 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1143 @section Slave Gnusae
1146 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1147 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1148 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1149 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1151 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1152 @file{.newsrc} file.
1154 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1155 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1156 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1157 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1158 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1159 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1160 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1163 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1164 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1165 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1166 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1167 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1168 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1169 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1170 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1172 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1173 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1175 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1176 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1177 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1178 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1179 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1181 @node Fetching a Group
1182 @section Fetching a Group
1183 @cindex fetching a group
1185 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1186 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1187 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1188 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1189 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1190 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1196 @cindex subscription
1198 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1199 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1200 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1201 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1202 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1203 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1204 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1205 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1206 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1209 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1210 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1211 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1215 @node Checking New Groups
1216 @subsection Checking New Groups
1218 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1219 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1220 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1221 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1222 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1223 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1224 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1225 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1226 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1227 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1229 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1230 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1231 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1232 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1233 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1234 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1235 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1236 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1237 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1238 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1239 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1241 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1242 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1243 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1244 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1245 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1246 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1249 @node Subscription Methods
1250 @subsection Subscription Methods
1252 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1253 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1254 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1256 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1257 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1259 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1263 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1264 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1265 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1266 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1267 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1269 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1270 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1271 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1272 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1274 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1275 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1276 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1278 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1279 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1280 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1281 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1282 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1283 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1284 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1285 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1286 up. Or something like that.
1288 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1289 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1290 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1291 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1292 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1294 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1295 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1296 Kill all new groups.
1298 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1299 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1300 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1301 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1302 topic parameter that looks like
1308 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1311 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1316 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1317 A closely related variable is
1318 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1319 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1320 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1321 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1324 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1325 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1326 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1327 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1330 @node Filtering New Groups
1331 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1333 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1334 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1335 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1338 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1341 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1342 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1343 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1344 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1345 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1346 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1347 subscribing these groups.
1348 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1349 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1351 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1352 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1353 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1354 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1355 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1356 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1357 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1358 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1360 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1361 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1362 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1363 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1364 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1365 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1366 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1367 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1368 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1369 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1372 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1373 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1376 @node Changing Servers
1377 @section Changing Servers
1378 @cindex changing servers
1380 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1381 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1382 very flaky and you want to use another.
1384 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1385 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1389 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1390 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1391 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1392 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1395 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1396 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1397 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1398 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1400 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1401 @findex gnus-change-server
1402 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1403 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1404 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1405 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1406 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1408 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1409 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1410 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1411 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1412 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1414 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1415 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1416 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1417 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1418 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1419 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1421 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1422 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1423 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1424 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1426 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1427 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1428 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1429 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1430 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1431 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1432 cache for all groups).
1436 @section Startup Files
1437 @cindex startup files
1442 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1443 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1445 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1446 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1447 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1448 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1449 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1450 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1451 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1453 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1454 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1455 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1456 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1457 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1458 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1460 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1461 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1462 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1463 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1464 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1465 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1466 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1467 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1468 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1469 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1471 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1472 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1473 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1474 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1475 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1476 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1477 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1478 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1479 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1480 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1481 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1482 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1484 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1485 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1486 @vindex version-control
1487 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1488 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1489 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1490 If you want version control for this file, set
1491 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1492 @code{version-control} variable.
1494 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1495 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1496 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1497 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1498 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1499 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1500 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1501 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1502 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1503 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1506 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1507 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1509 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1510 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1513 @vindex gnus-init-file
1514 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1515 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1516 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1517 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1518 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1519 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1520 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1521 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1522 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1523 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1529 @cindex dribble file
1532 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1533 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1534 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1535 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1536 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1539 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1540 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1543 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1544 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1545 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1547 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1548 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1549 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1550 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1551 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1552 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1554 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1555 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1556 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1559 @node The Active File
1560 @section The Active File
1562 @cindex ignored groups
1564 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1565 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1566 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1568 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1569 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1570 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1571 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1572 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1573 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1574 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1577 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1578 @c if you set it to anything else.
1580 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1582 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1583 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1584 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1586 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1587 you actually subscribe to.
1589 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1590 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1591 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1592 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1594 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1595 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1596 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1597 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1598 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1599 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1601 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1602 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1603 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1606 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1607 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1608 @acronym{NNTP} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1609 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1610 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1611 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1613 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1614 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1616 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1617 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1619 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1620 secondary select methods.
1623 @node Startup Variables
1624 @section Startup Variables
1628 @item gnus-load-hook
1629 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1630 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1631 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1632 times you start gnus.
1634 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1635 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1636 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1638 @item gnus-startup-hook
1639 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1640 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1642 @item gnus-started-hook
1643 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1644 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1647 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1648 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1649 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1650 generating the group buffer.
1652 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1653 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1654 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1655 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1656 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1657 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1658 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1659 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1661 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1662 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1663 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1664 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1665 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1666 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1668 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1669 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1670 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1672 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1673 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1674 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1676 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1677 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1678 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1679 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1685 @chapter Group Buffer
1686 @cindex group buffer
1688 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1690 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1691 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1692 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1693 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1694 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1695 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1696 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1697 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1698 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1699 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1700 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1701 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1702 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1703 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1704 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1705 @c human rights at 9...
1708 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1709 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1710 long as gnus is active.
1714 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1715 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1716 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1717 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1718 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1719 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1720 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1721 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1727 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1728 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1729 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1730 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1731 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1732 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1733 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1734 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1735 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1736 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1737 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1738 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1739 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1740 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1741 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1742 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1743 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1747 @node Group Buffer Format
1748 @section Group Buffer Format
1751 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1752 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1753 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1757 @node Group Line Specification
1758 @subsection Group Line Specification
1759 @cindex group buffer format
1761 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1762 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1764 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1767 25: news.announce.newusers
1768 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1773 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1774 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1775 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1776 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1778 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1779 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1780 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1781 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1782 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1783 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1785 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1787 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1788 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1789 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1790 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1791 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1793 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1794 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1795 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1797 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1802 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1805 Whether the group is subscribed.
1808 Level of subscribedness.
1811 Number of unread articles.
1814 Number of dormant articles.
1817 Number of ticked articles.
1820 Number of read articles.
1823 Number of unseen articles.
1826 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1827 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1829 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1830 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1831 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1832 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1833 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1834 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1835 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1836 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1839 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1842 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1851 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1852 comment element in the group parameters.
1855 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1856 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1857 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1861 @samp{m} if moderated.
1864 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1870 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1876 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1880 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1883 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1884 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1885 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1886 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1887 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1890 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1892 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1896 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1899 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1903 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1904 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1905 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1906 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1907 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1908 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1913 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1914 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1915 group, or a bogus native group.
1918 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1919 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1920 @cindex group mode line
1922 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1923 The mode line can be changed by setting
1924 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1925 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1929 The native news server.
1931 The native select method.
1935 @node Group Highlighting
1936 @subsection Group Highlighting
1937 @cindex highlighting
1938 @cindex group highlighting
1940 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1941 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1942 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1943 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1944 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1946 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1950 (cond (window-system
1951 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1952 (defface my-group-face-1
1953 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1954 (defface my-group-face-2
1955 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1956 "Second group face")
1957 (defface my-group-face-3
1958 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1959 (defface my-group-face-4
1960 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1961 (defface my-group-face-5
1962 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1964 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1965 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1966 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1967 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1968 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1969 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1972 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1974 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1981 The number of unread articles in the group.
1985 Whether the group is a mail group.
1987 The level of the group.
1989 The score of the group.
1991 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1993 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1994 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1996 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1997 topic being inserted.
2000 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
2001 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
2002 functions for snarfing info on the group.
2004 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
2005 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
2006 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
2007 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
2008 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
2011 @node Group Maneuvering
2012 @section Group Maneuvering
2013 @cindex group movement
2015 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
2016 expected, hopefully.
2022 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
2023 Go to the next group that has unread articles
2024 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2030 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2031 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2032 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2036 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2037 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2041 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2042 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2046 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2047 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2048 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2052 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2053 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2054 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2057 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2063 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2064 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2065 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2070 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2071 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2072 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2076 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2077 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2078 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2081 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2082 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2083 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2084 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2088 @node Selecting a Group
2089 @section Selecting a Group
2090 @cindex group selection
2095 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2096 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2097 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2098 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2099 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2100 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2101 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2102 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2103 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2104 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2106 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2107 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2108 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2110 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2111 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2116 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2117 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2118 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2119 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2120 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2124 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2125 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2126 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2127 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2128 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2129 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2130 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2131 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2132 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2133 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2136 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2137 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2138 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2139 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2140 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2143 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2144 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2145 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2146 doing any processing of its contents
2147 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2148 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2149 manner will have no permanent effects.
2153 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2154 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2155 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2156 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2157 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2158 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2159 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2160 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2161 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2162 most recently will be fetched.
2164 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2165 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2166 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2169 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2170 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2171 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2172 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2173 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2174 Which article this is is controlled by the
2175 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2181 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2184 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2187 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2189 @item unseen-or-unread
2190 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2191 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2195 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2199 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2200 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2202 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2203 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2204 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2205 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2209 @node Subscription Commands
2210 @section Subscription Commands
2211 @cindex subscription
2219 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2220 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2221 Toggle subscription to the current group
2222 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2228 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2229 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2230 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2231 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2237 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2238 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2239 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2245 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2246 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2249 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2250 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2251 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2252 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2253 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2259 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2260 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2264 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2265 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2268 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2269 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2270 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2271 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2272 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2273 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2274 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2275 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2276 @file{.newsrc} file.
2280 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2290 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2291 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2292 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2293 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2294 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2295 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2300 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2301 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2302 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2306 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2307 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2308 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2310 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2311 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2312 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2313 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2314 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2315 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2322 @section Group Levels
2326 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2327 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2328 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2329 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2330 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2332 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2338 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2339 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2340 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2341 prompted for a level.
2344 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2345 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2346 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2347 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2348 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2349 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2350 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2351 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2352 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2353 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2354 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2355 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2356 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2357 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2358 reasons of efficiency.
2360 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2361 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2363 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2364 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2365 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2366 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2367 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2368 groups are hidden, in a way.
2370 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2371 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2372 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2373 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2374 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2375 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2377 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2378 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2379 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2380 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2381 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2382 list of killed groups.)
2384 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2385 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2386 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2388 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2389 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2390 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2391 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2392 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2393 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2394 relevant valid ranges.
2396 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2397 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2398 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2399 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2400 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2401 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2404 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2405 one with the best level.
2407 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2408 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2409 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2412 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2413 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2414 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2415 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2418 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2419 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2420 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2421 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2423 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2424 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2425 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2426 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2427 to 5. The default is 6.
2431 @section Group Score
2436 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2437 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2438 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2441 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2442 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2443 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2444 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2445 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2446 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2447 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2448 least significant part.))
2450 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2451 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2452 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2453 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2454 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2455 action after each summary exit, you can add
2456 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2457 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2458 slow things down somewhat.
2461 @node Marking Groups
2462 @section Marking Groups
2463 @cindex marking groups
2465 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2466 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2467 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2468 bidding on those groups.
2470 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2471 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2472 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2480 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2481 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2487 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2488 Remove the mark from the current group
2489 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2493 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2494 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2498 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2499 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2503 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2504 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2508 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2509 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2510 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2513 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2515 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2516 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2517 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2518 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2519 the command to be executed.
2522 @node Foreign Groups
2523 @section Foreign Groups
2524 @cindex foreign groups
2526 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2527 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2528 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2529 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2536 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2537 @cindex making groups
2538 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2539 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2540 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2544 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2545 @cindex renaming groups
2546 Rename the current group to something else
2547 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2548 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2554 @findex gnus-group-customize
2555 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2559 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2560 @cindex renaming groups
2561 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2562 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2566 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2567 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2568 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2572 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2573 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2574 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2578 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2580 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2581 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2586 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2587 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2591 @cindex (ding) archive
2592 @cindex archive group
2593 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2594 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2595 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2596 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2597 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2598 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2599 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2603 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2605 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2606 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2607 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2608 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2612 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2614 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2615 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2616 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2620 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2621 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2623 Make a group based on some file or other
2624 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2625 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2626 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2627 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2628 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2629 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2630 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2631 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2632 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2636 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2637 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2638 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2639 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2643 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2647 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2648 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2649 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2650 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2651 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2652 @xref{Web Searches}.
2654 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2655 to a particular group by using a match string like
2656 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2660 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2661 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2662 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2666 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2667 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2668 This function will delete the current group
2669 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2670 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2671 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2672 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2673 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2677 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2678 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2679 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2683 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2684 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2685 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2688 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2691 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2692 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2693 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2694 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2695 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2696 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2700 @node Group Parameters
2701 @section Group Parameters
2702 @cindex group parameters
2704 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2705 Here's an example group parameter list:
2708 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2712 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2713 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2714 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2715 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2717 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2718 is an alist of regexps and values.
2720 The following group parameters can be used:
2725 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2728 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2731 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2732 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2733 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2734 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2735 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2737 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2738 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2739 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2740 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2741 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2742 list address instead.
2744 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2748 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2751 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2754 It is totally ignored
2755 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2756 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2758 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2759 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2760 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2761 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2762 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2764 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2765 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2766 sending the message.
2768 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2769 @cindex mail list groups
2770 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2771 entering summary buffer.
2773 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2778 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2779 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2780 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2781 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2782 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2783 headers for your posts to these lists. @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing
2784 Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for a complete treatment of
2785 available MFT support.
2787 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2788 directly uses this group parameter.
2792 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2793 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2794 of whether it has any unread articles.
2796 @item broken-reply-to
2797 @cindex broken-reply-to
2798 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2799 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2800 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2801 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2802 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2803 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2807 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2808 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2812 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2813 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2814 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2819 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2820 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2821 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2822 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2823 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2824 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2825 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2827 @strong{Caveat}: It yields an error putting @code{(gcc-self . t)} in
2828 groups of an @code{nntp} server or so, because an @code{nntp} server
2829 doesn't accept articles.
2833 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2834 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2835 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2837 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2840 @cindex total-expire
2841 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2842 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2843 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2844 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2847 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2851 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2852 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2853 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2854 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2855 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2856 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2857 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2860 @cindex expiry-target
2861 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2862 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2865 @cindex score file group parameter
2866 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2867 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2868 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2871 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2872 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2873 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2874 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2877 @cindex admin-address
2878 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2879 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2880 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2881 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2885 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2886 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2890 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2893 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2894 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2897 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2901 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2903 Here are some examples:
2907 Display only unread articles.
2910 Display everything except expirable articles.
2912 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2913 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2917 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2918 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2919 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2920 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2921 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2925 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2926 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2927 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2931 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2932 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2933 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2937 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2938 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2939 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2941 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2943 @item ignored-charsets
2944 @cindex ignored-charset
2945 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2946 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2947 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2949 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2952 @cindex posting-style
2953 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2954 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2955 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2956 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2957 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2959 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2960 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2961 like this in the group parameters:
2966 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2967 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2972 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2973 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2977 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
2978 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
2979 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2980 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2981 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2985 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2986 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2987 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2988 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2990 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
2991 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2992 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2993 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2996 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2997 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
3001 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
3002 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
3004 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
3005 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
3006 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
3007 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3008 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3009 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3010 @code{eval}ed there.
3012 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer.
3013 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3014 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3015 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3016 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3017 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3018 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3019 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3022 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3025 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3026 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3027 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3030 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3033 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3034 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3035 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3036 into the group parameters for the group.
3038 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
3039 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
3040 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
3041 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
3042 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
3046 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
3047 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
3048 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
3049 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
3050 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
3052 @vindex gnus-parameters
3053 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3054 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
3058 (setq gnus-parameters
3060 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3061 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3062 (gnus-summary-line-format
3063 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3067 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3071 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3075 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3078 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3079 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3082 @node Listing Groups
3083 @section Listing Groups
3084 @cindex group listing
3086 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3094 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3095 List all groups that have unread articles
3096 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3097 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3098 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3099 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3106 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3107 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3108 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3109 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3110 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3111 unsubscribed groups).
3115 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3116 List all unread groups on a specific level
3117 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3118 with no unread articles.
3122 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3123 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3124 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3125 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3130 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3131 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3135 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3136 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3137 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3141 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3142 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3146 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3147 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3148 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3149 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3150 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3151 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3152 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3153 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3157 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3158 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3159 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3163 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3164 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3165 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3169 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3170 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3174 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3175 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3179 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3180 List groups limited within the current selection
3181 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3185 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3186 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3190 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3191 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3195 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3196 @cindex visible group parameter
3197 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3198 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3199 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3200 get the same effect.
3202 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3203 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3204 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3205 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3206 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3209 @node Sorting Groups
3210 @section Sorting Groups
3211 @cindex sorting groups
3213 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3214 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3215 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3216 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3217 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3218 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3223 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3224 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3225 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3227 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3228 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3229 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3231 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3232 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3233 Sort by group level.
3235 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3236 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3237 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3239 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3240 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3241 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3242 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3244 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3245 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3246 Sort by number of unread articles.
3248 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3249 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3250 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3252 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3253 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3254 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3259 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3260 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3264 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3265 some sorting criteria:
3269 @kindex G S a (Group)
3270 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3271 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3272 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3275 @kindex G S u (Group)
3276 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3277 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3278 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3281 @kindex G S l (Group)
3282 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3283 Sort the group buffer by group level
3284 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3287 @kindex G S v (Group)
3288 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3289 Sort the group buffer by group score
3290 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3293 @kindex G S r (Group)
3294 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3295 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3296 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3299 @kindex G S m (Group)
3300 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3301 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3302 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3305 @kindex G S n (Group)
3306 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3307 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3308 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3312 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3313 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3315 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3316 commands will sort in reverse order.
3318 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3322 @kindex G P a (Group)
3323 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3324 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3325 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3328 @kindex G P u (Group)
3329 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3330 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3331 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3334 @kindex G P l (Group)
3335 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3336 Sort the groups by group level
3337 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3340 @kindex G P v (Group)
3341 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3342 Sort the groups by group score
3343 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3346 @kindex G P r (Group)
3347 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3348 Sort the groups by group rank
3349 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3352 @kindex G P m (Group)
3353 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3354 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3355 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3358 @kindex G P n (Group)
3359 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3360 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3361 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3364 @kindex G P s (Group)
3365 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3366 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3370 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3374 @node Group Maintenance
3375 @section Group Maintenance
3376 @cindex bogus groups
3381 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3382 Find bogus groups and delete them
3383 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3387 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3388 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3389 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3390 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3391 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3395 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3396 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3397 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3398 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3399 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3400 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3403 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3404 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3405 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3406 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3411 @node Browse Foreign Server
3412 @section Browse Foreign Server
3413 @cindex foreign servers
3414 @cindex browsing servers
3419 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3420 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3421 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3422 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3425 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3426 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3427 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3428 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3430 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3435 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3436 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3440 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3441 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3444 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3445 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3446 Enter the current group and display the first article
3447 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3450 @kindex RET (Browse)
3451 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3452 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3456 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3457 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3458 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3464 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3465 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3469 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3470 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3474 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3475 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3476 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3481 @section Exiting gnus
3482 @cindex exiting gnus
3484 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3489 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3490 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3491 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3492 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3496 @findex gnus-group-exit
3497 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3498 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3502 @findex gnus-group-quit
3503 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3504 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3507 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3508 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3509 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3510 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3511 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3512 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3518 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3519 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3520 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3526 @section Group Topics
3529 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3530 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3531 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3532 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3533 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3534 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3538 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3539 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3550 2: alt.religion.emacs
3553 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3555 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3556 13: comp.sources.unix
3559 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3561 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3562 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3563 is a toggling command.)
3565 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3566 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3567 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3568 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3571 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3572 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3573 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3576 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3580 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3581 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3582 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3583 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3584 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3588 @node Topic Commands
3589 @subsection Topic Commands
3590 @cindex topic commands
3592 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3593 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3594 definitions slightly.
3596 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3597 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3598 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3599 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3600 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3601 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3603 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3610 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3611 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3612 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3616 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3618 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3619 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3620 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3621 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3624 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3625 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3626 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3627 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3631 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3632 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3633 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3634 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3640 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3641 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3642 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3646 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3647 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3648 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3651 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3652 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3653 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3654 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3655 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3657 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3658 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3662 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3663 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3670 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3672 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3673 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3674 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3675 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3676 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3677 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3681 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3687 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3688 Move the current group to some other topic
3689 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3690 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3694 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3695 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3699 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3700 Copy the current group to some other topic
3701 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3702 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3706 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3707 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3708 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3712 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3713 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3714 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3718 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3719 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3720 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3721 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3722 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3723 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3724 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3727 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3728 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3732 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3733 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3734 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3738 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3739 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3740 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3744 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3745 Toggle hiding empty topics
3746 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3750 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3751 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3752 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3753 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3756 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3757 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3758 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3759 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3760 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3763 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3764 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3765 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3766 expiry process (if any)
3767 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3771 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3772 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3775 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3776 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3777 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3781 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3782 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3783 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3786 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3787 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3788 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3791 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3792 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3793 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3797 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3798 @cindex group parameters
3799 @cindex topic parameters
3801 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3802 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3807 @node Topic Variables
3808 @subsection Topic Variables
3809 @cindex topic variables
3811 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3812 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3814 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3815 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3816 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3829 Number of groups in the topic.
3831 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3833 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3836 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3837 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3838 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3841 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3842 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3844 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3845 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3846 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3850 @subsection Topic Sorting
3851 @cindex topic sorting
3853 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3859 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3860 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3861 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3862 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3865 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3866 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3867 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3868 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3871 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3872 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3873 Sort the current topic by group level
3874 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3877 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3878 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3879 Sort the current topic by group score
3880 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3883 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3884 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3885 Sort the current topic by group rank
3886 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3889 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3890 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3891 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3892 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3895 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3896 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3897 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3898 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3901 @kindex T S s (Topic)
3902 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3903 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3904 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3905 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3909 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3910 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3914 @node Topic Topology
3915 @subsection Topic Topology
3916 @cindex topic topology
3919 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3926 2: alt.religion.emacs
3929 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3931 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3932 13: comp.sources.unix
3936 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3937 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3938 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3943 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3944 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3948 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3949 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3950 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3951 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3952 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3953 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3955 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3956 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3957 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3960 @node Topic Parameters
3961 @subsection Topic Parameters
3962 @cindex topic parameters
3964 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3965 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3966 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3968 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3973 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3974 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3975 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3978 @item subscribe-level
3979 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3980 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3981 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3985 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3986 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3987 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3988 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3995 2: alt.religion.emacs
3999 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4001 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4002 13: comp.sources.unix
4007 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4008 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4009 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4010 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4011 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4012 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4014 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4015 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4016 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4017 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4018 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4020 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4021 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4022 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4023 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4024 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4025 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4026 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4027 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4030 @node Misc Group Stuff
4031 @section Misc Group Stuff
4034 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
4035 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
4036 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
4037 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
4038 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
4045 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
4046 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
4047 @xref{Server Buffer}.
4051 @findex gnus-group-post-news
4052 Start composing a message (a news by default)
4053 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
4054 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4055 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4056 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4057 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4061 @findex gnus-group-mail
4062 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4063 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4064 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4065 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4069 @findex gnus-group-news
4070 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4071 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4072 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4074 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4075 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4076 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4077 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4078 for this to work though.
4082 Variables for the group buffer:
4086 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4087 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4088 is called after the group buffer has been
4091 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4092 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4093 is called after the group buffer is
4094 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4097 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4098 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4099 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4100 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4102 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4103 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4104 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4105 whether they are empty or not.
4107 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4108 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4109 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4110 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4114 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4115 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4118 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4119 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4120 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4121 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4122 is used to show non-@acronym{ASCII} group names. @code{((".*"
4123 utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the
4124 default is @code{nil}.
4128 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4129 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4134 @node Scanning New Messages
4135 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4136 @cindex new messages
4137 @cindex scanning new news
4143 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4144 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4145 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4146 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4147 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4148 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4153 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4154 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4155 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4156 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4157 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4158 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4159 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4161 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4162 @cindex activating groups
4164 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4165 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4170 @findex gnus-group-restart
4171 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4172 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4173 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
4177 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4178 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4180 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4181 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4185 @node Group Information
4186 @subsection Group Information
4187 @cindex group information
4188 @cindex information on groups
4195 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4196 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4199 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
4200 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
4201 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
4202 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
4203 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4204 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
4205 used for fetching the file.
4207 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
4208 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4212 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4213 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4215 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4216 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4219 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4220 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4221 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4225 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4226 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4227 @cindex control message
4228 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4229 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4230 group if given a prefix argument.
4232 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4233 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4234 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4235 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4237 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4238 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
4239 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
4243 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4245 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4246 @cindex describing groups
4247 @cindex group description
4248 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4249 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4250 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4254 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4255 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4256 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4263 @findex gnus-version
4264 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4268 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4269 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4272 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4275 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4276 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4280 @node Group Timestamp
4281 @subsection Group Timestamp
4283 @cindex group timestamps
4285 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
4286 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4287 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4290 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4293 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4295 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4296 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4299 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4300 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4303 This will result in lines looking like:
4306 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4307 0: custom 19961002T012713
4310 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4311 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4315 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4316 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4319 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4320 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4324 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4325 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4326 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4327 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4329 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4335 @subsection File Commands
4336 @cindex file commands
4342 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4343 @vindex gnus-init-file
4344 @cindex reading init file
4345 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4346 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4350 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4351 @cindex saving .newsrc
4352 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4353 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4354 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4357 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4358 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4359 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4364 @node Sieve Commands
4365 @subsection Sieve Commands
4366 @cindex group sieve commands
4368 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4369 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4370 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4371 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4372 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4374 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4375 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4376 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4377 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4378 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4379 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4380 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4381 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4382 regenerate the Sieve script.
4384 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4385 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4386 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4387 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4388 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4389 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4390 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4391 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4392 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4393 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4396 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4397 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4402 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4408 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4409 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4410 @cindex generating sieve script
4411 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4412 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4416 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4417 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4418 @cindex updating sieve script
4419 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4420 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4421 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4426 @node Summary Buffer
4427 @chapter Summary Buffer
4428 @cindex summary buffer
4430 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4431 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4433 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4434 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4436 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4439 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4440 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4441 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4442 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4443 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4444 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4445 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4446 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4447 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4448 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4449 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4450 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4451 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4452 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4453 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4454 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4455 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4456 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4457 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4458 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4459 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4460 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4461 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4462 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4463 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4464 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4465 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4466 or reselecting the current group.
4467 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4468 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4469 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4470 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4474 @node Summary Buffer Format
4475 @section Summary Buffer Format
4476 @cindex summary buffer format
4480 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4481 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4482 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4488 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4489 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4490 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4491 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4494 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4495 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4496 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4497 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4498 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4499 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4500 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4501 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4502 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4503 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4504 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4505 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4506 other function instead:
4509 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4510 'mail-extract-address-components)
4513 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4514 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4515 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4516 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4519 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4520 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4522 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4523 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4524 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4525 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4526 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4528 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4529 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4530 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4531 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4532 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4533 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4535 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4537 The following format specification characters and extended format
4538 specification(s) are understood:
4544 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4545 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4547 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4548 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4549 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4551 Full @code{From} header.
4553 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4555 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4558 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4559 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4560 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4561 may be more thorough.
4563 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4566 Number of lines in the article.
4568 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4569 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4571 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4572 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4574 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4576 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4577 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4590 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4591 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4592 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4593 line-drawing glyphs.
4595 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4596 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4597 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4598 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4600 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4601 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4602 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4603 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4605 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4606 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4607 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4608 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4610 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4611 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4612 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4614 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4615 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4616 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4618 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4619 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4620 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4622 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4623 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4624 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4629 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4630 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4632 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4633 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4635 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4636 for adopted articles.
4638 One space for each thread level.
4640 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4642 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4645 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4646 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4647 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4650 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4652 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4653 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4654 default level. If the difference between
4655 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4656 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4664 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4666 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4672 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4673 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4675 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4676 article has any children.
4682 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4683 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4685 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4686 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4687 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
4688 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4689 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4690 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4693 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4694 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4695 There can only be one such area.
4697 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4698 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4699 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4700 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4701 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4702 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4704 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4705 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4707 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4710 @node To From Newsgroups
4711 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4715 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4716 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4717 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4718 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4719 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4723 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4724 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4725 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4729 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4730 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4733 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4734 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4737 @findex gnus-extra-header
4738 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4739 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4740 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4743 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4747 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4748 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4749 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4750 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4751 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4752 headers are used instead.
4756 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4757 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4758 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
4759 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4760 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4761 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4764 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4765 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4766 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4767 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4769 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4773 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4775 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4776 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4777 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4778 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4782 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4785 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4786 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4789 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4790 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4791 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4797 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4798 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4801 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4802 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4804 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4805 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4806 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4807 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4809 Here are the elements you can play with:
4815 Unprefixed group name.
4817 Current article number.
4819 Current article score.
4823 Number of unread articles in this group.
4825 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4828 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4829 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4830 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4831 and no unselected ones.
4833 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4834 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4836 Subject of the current article.
4838 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4840 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4842 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4844 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4846 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4848 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4852 @node Summary Highlighting
4853 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4857 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4858 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4859 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4860 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4861 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4863 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4864 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4865 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4866 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4868 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4869 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4870 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4871 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4873 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4874 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4875 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4876 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4877 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4878 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4881 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4882 ((> score default) . bold))
4884 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4885 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4889 @node Summary Maneuvering
4890 @section Summary Maneuvering
4891 @cindex summary movement
4893 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4894 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4896 None of these commands select articles.
4901 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4902 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4903 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4904 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4905 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4909 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4910 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4911 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4912 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4913 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4916 @kindex G g (Summary)
4917 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4918 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4919 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4922 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4923 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4924 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4925 to the group buffer.
4927 Variables related to summary movement:
4931 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4932 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4933 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4934 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4935 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4936 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4937 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4938 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4939 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4940 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4941 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4942 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4943 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4944 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4946 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4947 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4948 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4949 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4950 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4951 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4952 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4954 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4956 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4957 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4958 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4959 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4960 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4962 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4963 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4964 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4965 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4966 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4967 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4968 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4969 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4972 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4973 the given number of lines from the top.
4978 @node Choosing Articles
4979 @section Choosing Articles
4980 @cindex selecting articles
4983 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4984 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4988 @node Choosing Commands
4989 @subsection Choosing Commands
4991 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4992 and they all select and display an article.
4994 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4995 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4999 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5000 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5001 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
5002 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5004 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
5005 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
5006 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
5011 @kindex G n (Summary)
5012 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
5013 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
5014 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
5019 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
5020 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
5021 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
5026 @kindex G N (Summary)
5027 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
5028 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
5033 @kindex G P (Summary)
5034 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
5035 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
5038 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
5039 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
5040 Go to the next article with the same subject
5041 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
5044 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
5045 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
5046 Go to the previous article with the same subject
5047 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
5051 @kindex G f (Summary)
5053 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5054 Go to the first unread article
5055 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5059 @kindex G b (Summary)
5061 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5062 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5063 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5064 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5069 @kindex G l (Summary)
5070 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5071 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5074 @kindex G o (Summary)
5075 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5077 @cindex article history
5078 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5079 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5080 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5081 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5082 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5083 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5088 @kindex G j (Summary)
5089 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5090 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5091 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5096 @node Choosing Variables
5097 @subsection Choosing Variables
5099 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5102 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5103 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5104 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5105 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5106 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5107 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5109 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5110 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5111 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
5112 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article. If you would
5113 like each article to be saved in the Agent as you read it, putting
5114 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this hook will do so.
5116 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5117 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5118 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5119 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5120 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5121 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5122 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5123 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5124 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
5125 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5126 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5127 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5128 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5129 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5134 @node Paging the Article
5135 @section Scrolling the Article
5136 @cindex article scrolling
5141 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5142 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5143 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5144 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5145 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5147 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5148 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5149 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5150 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5151 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5152 what is considered uninteresting with
5153 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5154 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5157 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5158 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5159 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5162 @kindex RET (Summary)
5163 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5164 Scroll the current article one line forward
5165 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5168 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5169 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5170 Scroll the current article one line backward
5171 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5175 @kindex A g (Summary)
5177 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5178 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5179 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5180 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5181 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5182 the way it came from the server.
5184 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5185 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5186 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5189 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5194 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5199 @kindex A < (Summary)
5200 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5201 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5202 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5207 @kindex A > (Summary)
5208 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5209 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5213 @kindex A s (Summary)
5215 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5216 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5217 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5221 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5222 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5227 @node Reply Followup and Post
5228 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5231 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5232 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5233 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5234 * Canceling and Superseding::
5238 @node Summary Mail Commands
5239 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5241 @cindex composing mail
5243 Commands for composing a mail message:
5249 @kindex S r (Summary)
5251 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5252 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5253 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5254 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5255 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5260 @kindex S R (Summary)
5261 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5262 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5263 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5264 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5265 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5268 @kindex S w (Summary)
5269 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5270 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5271 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5272 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5273 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
5274 present, that's used instead.
5277 @kindex S W (Summary)
5278 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5279 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5280 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5281 the process/prefix convention.
5284 @kindex S v (Summary)
5285 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5286 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5287 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5288 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5289 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5290 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5293 @kindex S V (Summary)
5294 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5295 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5296 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5297 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5300 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5301 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5302 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5303 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5304 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5305 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5306 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5307 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5310 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5311 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5312 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5313 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5314 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5318 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5319 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5320 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5321 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5322 Forward the current article to some other person
5323 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5324 headers of the forwarded article.
5329 @kindex S m (Summary)
5330 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5331 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5332 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5333 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5334 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5339 @kindex S i (Summary)
5340 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5341 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5342 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5343 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5345 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5346 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5347 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5348 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5349 for this to work though.
5352 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5353 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5354 @cindex bouncing mail
5355 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5356 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5357 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5358 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5359 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5360 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
5361 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5362 very well fail, though.
5365 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5366 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5367 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5368 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5369 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5370 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5371 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5372 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5373 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5374 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5376 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5377 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5378 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5379 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5380 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5382 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5383 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5386 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5387 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
5388 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5389 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
5390 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5393 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5394 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5395 @cindex crossposting
5396 @cindex excessive crossposting
5397 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5398 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5400 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5401 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5402 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5403 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5404 command understands the process/prefix convention
5405 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5409 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5410 Manual}, for more information.
5413 @node Summary Post Commands
5414 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5416 @cindex composing news
5418 Commands for posting a news article:
5424 @kindex S p (Summary)
5425 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5426 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5427 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5428 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5429 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5434 @kindex S f (Summary)
5435 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5436 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5437 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5441 @kindex S F (Summary)
5443 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5444 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5445 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5446 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5447 process/prefix convention.
5450 @kindex S n (Summary)
5451 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5452 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5453 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5456 @kindex S N (Summary)
5457 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5458 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5459 message through mail and include the original message
5460 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5461 the process/prefix convention.
5464 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5465 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5466 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5467 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5468 headers of the forwarded article.
5471 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5472 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
5474 @cindex making digests
5475 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5476 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5477 process/prefix convention.
5480 @kindex S u (Summary)
5481 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5482 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5483 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5484 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5487 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5488 Manual}, for more information.
5491 @node Summary Message Commands
5492 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5496 @kindex S y (Summary)
5497 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5498 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5499 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5500 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5501 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5506 @node Canceling and Superseding
5507 @subsection Canceling Articles
5508 @cindex canceling articles
5509 @cindex superseding articles
5511 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5512 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5514 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5516 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5518 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5519 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5520 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5521 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5522 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5523 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5525 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5526 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5529 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5530 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5531 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5533 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5534 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5535 your original article.
5537 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5539 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5540 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5541 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5544 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5545 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5546 have posted almost the same article twice.
5548 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5549 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5550 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5551 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5552 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5553 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5554 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5555 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5556 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5557 canceled/superseded.
5559 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5561 @node Delayed Articles
5562 @section Delayed Articles
5563 @cindex delayed sending
5564 @cindex send delayed
5566 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5567 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5568 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5569 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5572 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5575 @findex gnus-delay-article
5576 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5577 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5578 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5579 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5583 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5584 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5585 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5586 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5589 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5590 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5591 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5594 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5595 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5596 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5597 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5598 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5599 that means a time tomorrow.
5602 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5603 couple of variables:
5606 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5607 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5608 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5609 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5611 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5612 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5613 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5614 formats described above.
5616 @item gnus-delay-group
5617 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5618 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5619 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5620 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5622 @item gnus-delay-header
5623 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5624 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5625 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5626 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5629 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5630 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5631 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5632 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5633 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5635 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5636 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5637 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5638 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5639 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5640 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5641 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5644 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5645 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5647 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5648 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5649 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5650 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5651 argument is ignored.
5653 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5654 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5655 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5659 @node Marking Articles
5660 @section Marking Articles
5661 @cindex article marking
5662 @cindex article ticking
5665 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5667 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5668 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5669 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5671 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5674 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5675 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5676 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5680 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5684 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5685 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5686 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5690 @node Unread Articles
5691 @subsection Unread Articles
5693 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5698 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5699 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5701 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5702 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5703 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5704 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5705 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5706 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5707 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5710 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5711 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5713 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5714 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5715 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5716 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5720 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5721 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5723 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5728 @subsection Read Articles
5729 @cindex expirable mark
5731 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5736 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5737 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5738 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5741 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5742 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5745 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5746 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5747 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5750 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5751 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5754 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5755 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5758 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5759 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5762 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5763 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5766 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5767 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5770 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5771 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5774 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5775 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5779 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5780 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5781 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5785 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5786 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5788 One more special mark, though:
5792 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5793 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5795 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5796 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5797 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5798 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5804 @subsection Other Marks
5805 @cindex process mark
5808 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5814 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5815 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5816 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5817 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5818 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5821 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5822 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5823 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5824 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5827 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5828 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5829 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5832 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5833 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5834 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5837 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5838 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5839 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5840 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5843 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5844 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5845 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5846 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5847 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5848 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5851 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5852 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5853 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5854 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5857 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5858 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
5859 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5860 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5861 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5865 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5866 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
5867 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5868 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5869 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5870 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5873 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5874 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
5875 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5876 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5877 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5878 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5882 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5883 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5884 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5885 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5886 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5889 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5890 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5891 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5892 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5893 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5894 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5898 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5899 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5900 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5902 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5903 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5904 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5908 @subsection Setting Marks
5909 @cindex setting marks
5911 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5916 @kindex M c (Summary)
5917 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5918 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5919 @cindex mark as unread
5920 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5921 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5927 @kindex M t (Summary)
5928 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5929 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5930 @xref{Article Caching}.
5935 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5936 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5937 Mark the current article as dormant
5938 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5942 @kindex M d (Summary)
5944 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5945 Mark the current article as read
5946 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5950 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5951 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5952 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5957 @kindex M k (Summary)
5958 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5959 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5960 and then select the next unread article
5961 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5965 @kindex M K (Summary)
5966 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5967 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5968 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5969 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5972 @kindex M C (Summary)
5973 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5974 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5975 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5978 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5979 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5980 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5981 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5984 @kindex M H (Summary)
5985 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5986 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5987 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5990 @kindex M h (Summary)
5991 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5992 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5993 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5996 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5997 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5998 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5999 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
6002 @kindex M V k (Summary)
6003 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
6004 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
6005 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
6009 @kindex M e (Summary)
6011 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
6012 Mark the current article as expirable
6013 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
6016 @kindex M b (Summary)
6017 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
6018 Set a bookmark in the current article
6019 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
6022 @kindex M B (Summary)
6023 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
6024 Remove the bookmark from the current article
6025 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
6028 @kindex M V c (Summary)
6029 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
6030 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
6031 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6034 @kindex M V u (Summary)
6035 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
6036 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
6037 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
6040 @kindex M V m (Summary)
6041 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
6042 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
6043 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
6044 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6047 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6048 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6049 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6050 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6051 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6052 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6053 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6054 The default is @code{t}.
6057 @node Generic Marking Commands
6058 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6060 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6061 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6062 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6063 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6064 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6067 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6068 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6071 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6072 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6073 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6074 to list in this manual.
6076 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6077 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6078 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6079 article, you could say something like:
6083 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6084 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6085 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6093 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6094 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6098 @node Setting Process Marks
6099 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6100 @cindex setting process marks
6102 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6103 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6104 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6105 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6106 commands into the cache. For more information,
6107 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6114 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6115 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6116 Mark the current article with the process mark
6117 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6118 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6122 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6123 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6124 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6125 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6128 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6129 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6130 Remove the process mark from all articles
6131 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6134 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6135 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6136 Invert the list of process marked articles
6137 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6140 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6141 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6142 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6143 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6146 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6147 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6148 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6149 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6152 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6153 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6154 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6157 @kindex M P g (Summary)
6158 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6159 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6162 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6163 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6164 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6165 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6168 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6169 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6170 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6171 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6174 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6175 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6176 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6177 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6180 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6181 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6182 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6185 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6186 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6187 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6188 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6191 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6192 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6193 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6196 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6197 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6198 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6199 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6202 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6203 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6204 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6205 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6208 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6209 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6210 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6211 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6214 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6215 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6216 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6217 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6221 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
6222 set process marks based on article body contents.
6229 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6230 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6231 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6234 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6235 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6236 additional articles.
6242 @kindex / / (Summary)
6243 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6244 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6245 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6249 @kindex / a (Summary)
6250 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6251 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6252 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6256 @kindex / x (Summary)
6257 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6258 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6259 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6260 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6265 @kindex / u (Summary)
6267 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6268 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6269 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6270 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6271 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6274 @kindex / m (Summary)
6275 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6276 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6277 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6280 @kindex / t (Summary)
6281 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6282 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6283 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6284 articles younger than that number of days.
6287 @kindex / n (Summary)
6288 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6289 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6290 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6291 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6294 @kindex / w (Summary)
6295 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6296 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6297 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6301 @kindex / . (Summary)
6302 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6303 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6304 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6307 @kindex / v (Summary)
6308 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6309 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6310 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6313 @kindex / p (Summary)
6314 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6315 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6316 group parameter predicate
6317 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
6318 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
6322 @kindex M S (Summary)
6323 @kindex / E (Summary)
6324 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6325 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6326 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6329 @kindex / D (Summary)
6330 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6331 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6332 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6335 @kindex / * (Summary)
6336 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6337 Include all cached articles in the limit
6338 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6341 @kindex / d (Summary)
6342 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6343 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6344 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6347 @kindex / M (Summary)
6348 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6349 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6352 @kindex / T (Summary)
6353 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6354 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6357 @kindex / c (Summary)
6358 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6359 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6360 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6363 @kindex / C (Summary)
6364 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6365 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6366 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6367 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6370 @kindex / N (Summary)
6371 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6372 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6373 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6376 @kindex / o (Summary)
6377 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6378 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6379 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6387 @cindex article threading
6389 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6390 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6391 hierarchical fashion.
6393 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6394 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6395 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6396 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6397 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6398 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6399 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
6401 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6405 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6408 A tree-like article structure.
6411 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6414 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6415 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6416 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6417 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6418 called loose threads.
6420 @item thread gathering
6421 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6423 @item sparse threads
6424 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6425 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6431 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6432 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6436 @node Customizing Threading
6437 @subsection Customizing Threading
6438 @cindex customizing threading
6441 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6442 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6443 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6444 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6449 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6452 @cindex loose threads
6455 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6456 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6457 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6458 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6459 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6460 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6462 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
6463 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
6464 There are four possible values:
6468 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6469 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6470 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6471 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6472 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6477 @cindex adopting articles
6482 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6483 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6484 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6485 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6488 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6489 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6490 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6491 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6492 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6493 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6494 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6495 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6496 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6497 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6500 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6501 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6502 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6506 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6507 display them after one another.
6510 Don't gather loose threads.
6513 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6514 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6515 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6516 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
6517 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6518 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6519 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6520 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6521 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6522 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
6523 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6525 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6526 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
6527 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6530 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6531 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6532 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6533 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6534 simplification is used.
6536 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6537 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6538 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6539 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6541 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6543 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6549 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6550 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6551 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6552 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6557 (mapconcat 'identity
6558 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6560 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6563 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6566 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6567 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6568 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6569 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6570 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6571 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6573 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6576 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6577 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6578 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6580 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6581 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6584 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6585 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6586 Remove excessive whitespace.
6588 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6589 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6590 Remove all whitespace.
6593 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6596 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6597 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6598 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6599 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6600 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6601 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6602 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6603 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6605 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6606 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6607 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6608 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6609 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6610 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6611 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6612 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6613 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6617 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6618 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6619 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6620 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6622 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6623 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6624 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6627 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6631 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6632 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6638 @node Filling In Threads
6639 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6642 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6643 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6644 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6645 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6646 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6647 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6648 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6649 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6650 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6651 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6652 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6653 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6656 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6657 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6658 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6660 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6661 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6662 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
6665 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6666 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6667 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6668 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6669 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6670 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6671 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6672 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6673 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6674 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6675 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6676 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6677 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6678 @code{nil} by default.
6680 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6681 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6682 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6683 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6684 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6685 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6686 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6688 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6689 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6690 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6695 @node More Threading
6696 @subsubsection More Threading
6699 @item gnus-show-threads
6700 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6701 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6702 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6703 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6704 slower and more awkward.
6706 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6707 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6708 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6711 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6712 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6713 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
6718 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6719 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6720 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6723 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6724 unread, but you get my drift.)
6727 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6728 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6729 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6730 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6731 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6732 threads are expunged.
6734 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6735 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6736 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6739 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6740 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6741 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6742 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6743 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6744 result in a new thread.
6746 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6747 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6748 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6751 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6752 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6753 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6754 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6755 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6756 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6757 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6758 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6759 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6760 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6761 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6766 @node Low-Level Threading
6767 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6771 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6772 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6773 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6774 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6775 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6776 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6778 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6779 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6780 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6781 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6782 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6783 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6784 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6785 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6786 meaningful. Here's one example:
6789 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6791 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6792 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6794 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6796 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6803 @node Thread Commands
6804 @subsection Thread Commands
6805 @cindex thread commands
6811 @kindex T k (Summary)
6812 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6813 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6814 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6815 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6816 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6821 @kindex T l (Summary)
6822 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6823 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6824 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6825 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6828 @kindex T i (Summary)
6829 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6830 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6831 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6834 @kindex T # (Summary)
6835 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6836 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6837 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6840 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6841 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6842 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6843 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6846 @kindex T T (Summary)
6847 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6848 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6851 @kindex T s (Summary)
6852 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6853 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
6854 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6857 @kindex T h (Summary)
6858 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6859 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6862 @kindex T S (Summary)
6863 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6864 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6867 @kindex T H (Summary)
6868 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6869 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6872 @kindex T t (Summary)
6873 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6874 Re-thread the current article's thread
6875 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6876 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6879 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6880 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6881 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6882 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6886 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6887 understand the numeric prefix.
6892 @kindex T n (Summary)
6894 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6896 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6897 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6898 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6901 @kindex T p (Summary)
6903 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6905 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6906 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6907 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6910 @kindex T d (Summary)
6911 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6912 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6915 @kindex T u (Summary)
6916 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6917 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6920 @kindex T o (Summary)
6921 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6922 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6925 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6926 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6927 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6928 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6929 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6930 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6931 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6932 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6933 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6934 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6935 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6936 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6940 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6941 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6943 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6944 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6945 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6946 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6947 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6948 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6949 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6950 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6951 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
6952 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
6953 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6954 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6955 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6956 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6958 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6959 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6960 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6961 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6962 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6963 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6964 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6965 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6967 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6968 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6969 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6971 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6972 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6973 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6974 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6975 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6976 ascending article order.
6978 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6979 by number, you could do something like:
6982 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6983 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6984 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6985 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6988 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6989 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6990 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6991 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6992 which the articles arrived.
6994 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6998 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7000 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
7001 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
7004 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
7005 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
7006 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
7007 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
7010 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
7011 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
7012 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
7013 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
7014 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
7015 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
7016 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
7017 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
7018 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
7019 variable. It is very similar to the
7020 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
7021 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
7022 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
7023 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
7024 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
7025 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
7026 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
7028 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
7032 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
7033 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
7034 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
7039 @node Asynchronous Fetching
7040 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
7041 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
7042 @cindex article pre-fetch
7045 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
7046 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
7047 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
7048 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7049 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7051 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7052 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
7054 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7055 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7056 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7057 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7058 connection is blocked.
7060 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7061 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7062 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7063 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
7065 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7066 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7067 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7068 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7071 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7074 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7075 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7076 happen automatically.
7078 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7079 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7080 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7081 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7082 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7083 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7084 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7086 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7087 @findex gnus-async-read-p
7088 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7089 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7090 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7091 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7092 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
7093 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7094 article data structure as the only parameter.
7096 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7097 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7100 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7101 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7102 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7103 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7106 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7109 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7110 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
7111 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7113 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7114 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7115 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7116 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7120 Remove articles when they are read.
7123 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7126 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7128 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7129 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7130 @c from the next group.
7133 @node Article Caching
7134 @section Article Caching
7135 @cindex article caching
7138 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7139 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7140 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7141 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7142 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7144 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7146 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7147 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7148 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7149 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7150 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7151 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7152 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7153 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7155 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7156 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7157 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7158 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7159 as dormant, and don't worry.
7161 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7163 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7164 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7165 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7166 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7167 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7168 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7169 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7170 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7171 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7172 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7174 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7175 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7176 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7177 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7178 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7179 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7180 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7181 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7182 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7183 not then be downloaded by this command.
7185 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7186 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7187 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7188 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7189 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7190 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7192 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7193 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7194 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7195 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7196 variables, the group is not cached.
7198 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7199 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7200 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7201 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7202 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7203 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
7204 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7205 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7206 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7209 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7210 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7211 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7212 where, isn't that cool?
7214 @node Persistent Articles
7215 @section Persistent Articles
7216 @cindex persistent articles
7218 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7219 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7220 useful in my opinion.
7222 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7223 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7224 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7225 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7226 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7227 the expiry going on at the news server.
7229 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7230 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7231 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7237 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7238 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7241 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7242 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7243 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7244 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7248 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7250 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7251 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7252 interested in persistent articles:
7255 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7259 @node Article Backlog
7260 @section Article Backlog
7262 @cindex article backlog
7264 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7265 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7266 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
7267 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7268 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7269 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7270 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
7271 increase memory usage some.
7273 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7274 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
7275 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7276 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
7277 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7278 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7279 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7281 The default value is 20.
7284 @node Saving Articles
7285 @section Saving Articles
7286 @cindex saving articles
7288 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7289 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7290 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7291 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7292 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7294 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7295 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7296 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7298 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7299 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
7300 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7302 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7303 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7304 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7305 deleted before saving.
7311 @kindex O o (Summary)
7313 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7314 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7315 Save the current article using the default article saver
7316 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7319 @kindex O m (Summary)
7320 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7321 Save the current article in mail format
7322 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7325 @kindex O r (Summary)
7326 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7327 Save the current article in Rmail format
7328 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7331 @kindex O f (Summary)
7332 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7333 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7334 Save the current article in plain file format
7335 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7338 @kindex O F (Summary)
7339 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7340 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7341 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7344 @kindex O b (Summary)
7345 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7346 Save the current article body in plain file format
7347 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7350 @kindex O h (Summary)
7351 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7352 Save the current article in mh folder format
7353 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7356 @kindex O v (Summary)
7357 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7358 Save the current article in a VM folder
7359 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7363 @kindex O p (Summary)
7365 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7366 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7367 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7368 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7369 complete headers in the piped output.
7372 @kindex O P (Summary)
7373 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7374 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7375 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7376 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7377 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7378 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7379 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7383 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7384 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7385 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7386 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7387 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7388 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7389 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7390 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7391 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7392 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7393 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7394 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7398 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7399 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7400 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7401 functions below, or you can create your own.
7405 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7406 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7407 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7408 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7409 This is the default format, @dfn{Babyl}. Uses the function in the
7410 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7411 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7413 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7414 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7415 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7416 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7417 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7418 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7420 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7421 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7422 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7423 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7424 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7425 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7426 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7428 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7429 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7430 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7431 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7432 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7433 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7435 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7436 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7437 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7438 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7439 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7441 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7442 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7443 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7444 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7445 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7448 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7449 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7450 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7451 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7452 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7454 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7455 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7456 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7457 reader to use this setting.
7460 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7461 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7462 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7463 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7466 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7467 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7468 available functions that generate names:
7472 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7473 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7474 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7476 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7477 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7478 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7480 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7481 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7482 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7484 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7485 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7486 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7488 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7489 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7490 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7493 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7494 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7495 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7496 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7497 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7501 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7502 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7503 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7504 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7507 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7508 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7509 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7510 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7511 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7512 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7513 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7514 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7515 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7517 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7518 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7519 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7520 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7522 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7523 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7524 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7527 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7528 lots of mail groups called things like
7529 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7530 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7531 following will do just that:
7534 (defun my-save-name (group)
7535 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7536 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7538 (setq gnus-split-methods
7539 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7544 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7545 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7546 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7547 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7548 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7549 all the files in the top level directory
7550 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7551 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7552 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7553 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7555 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7556 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7557 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7558 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7559 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7562 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7566 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
7567 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7568 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
7571 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7572 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7573 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7574 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7577 @node Decoding Articles
7578 @section Decoding Articles
7579 @cindex decoding articles
7581 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7582 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7585 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7586 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7587 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7588 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7589 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7590 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7594 @cindex article series
7595 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7596 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7597 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7598 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7599 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7601 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7602 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7603 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7605 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
7606 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7607 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7609 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7610 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7611 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7614 @node Uuencoded Articles
7615 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7617 @cindex uuencoded articles
7622 @kindex X u (Summary)
7623 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7624 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7625 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7628 @kindex X U (Summary)
7629 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7630 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7631 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7634 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7635 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7636 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7639 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7640 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7641 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7642 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7646 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7647 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7648 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7649 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7650 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7652 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7653 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7654 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7655 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7658 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7659 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7660 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7661 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7662 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7663 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7667 @node Shell Archives
7668 @subsection Shell Archives
7670 @cindex shell archives
7671 @cindex shared articles
7673 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7674 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7675 some commands to deal with these:
7680 @kindex X s (Summary)
7681 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7682 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7685 @kindex X S (Summary)
7686 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7687 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7690 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7691 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7692 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7695 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7696 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7697 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7698 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7702 @node PostScript Files
7703 @subsection PostScript Files
7709 @kindex X p (Summary)
7710 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7711 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7714 @kindex X P (Summary)
7715 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7716 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7717 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7720 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7721 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7722 View the current PostScript series
7723 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7726 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7727 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7728 View and save the current PostScript series
7729 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7734 @subsection Other Files
7738 @kindex X o (Summary)
7739 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7740 Save the current series
7741 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7744 @kindex X b (Summary)
7745 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7746 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7747 doesn't really work yet.
7751 @node Decoding Variables
7752 @subsection Decoding Variables
7754 Adjective, not verb.
7757 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7758 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7759 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7763 @node Rule Variables
7764 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7765 @cindex rule variables
7767 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7768 variables are of the form
7771 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7778 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7779 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7781 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7782 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7785 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7786 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7789 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7790 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7791 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7792 user and default view rules.
7794 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7795 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7796 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7801 @node Other Decode Variables
7802 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7805 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7807 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7808 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7809 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7810 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7811 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7815 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7816 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7819 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7820 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7821 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7824 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7825 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7826 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7827 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7828 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7831 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7832 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7833 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7835 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7836 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7837 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7838 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7839 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
7842 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7843 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7844 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7846 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7847 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7848 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7849 looking for files to display.
7851 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7852 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7853 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7856 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7857 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7858 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7861 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7862 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7863 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7866 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7867 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7868 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7871 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7872 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7873 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7874 decoded articles as unread.
7876 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7877 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7878 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7879 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7881 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7882 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7883 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7885 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7886 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7888 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7889 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
7890 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7891 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7893 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7894 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7895 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7896 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7897 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7898 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7899 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7900 simply dropped them.
7905 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7906 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7910 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7911 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7912 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7913 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7914 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7915 for you when you post the article.
7917 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7918 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7919 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7920 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7922 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7923 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7924 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7925 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7926 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7927 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7928 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
7930 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7931 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7932 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7933 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7934 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7935 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7936 Default is @code{t}.
7942 @subsection Viewing Files
7943 @cindex viewing files
7944 @cindex pseudo-articles
7946 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7947 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7948 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7949 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7950 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7951 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7952 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7954 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7955 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7956 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7957 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7959 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7960 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7961 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7963 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7964 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7965 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7966 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7967 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7969 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7970 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7971 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7972 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7973 a list of parameters to that command.
7975 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7976 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7977 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7979 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7980 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7981 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7984 @node Article Treatment
7985 @section Article Treatment
7987 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7988 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7989 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7990 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7991 these articles easier.
7994 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7995 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7996 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7997 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7998 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7999 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
8000 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
8001 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
8002 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
8003 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
8004 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
8008 @node Article Highlighting
8009 @subsection Article Highlighting
8010 @cindex highlighting
8012 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
8013 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
8018 @kindex W H a (Summary)
8019 @findex gnus-article-highlight
8020 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8021 Do much highlighting of the current article
8022 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
8023 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
8026 @kindex W H h (Summary)
8027 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
8028 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
8029 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
8030 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
8031 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
8032 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
8033 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
8034 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
8035 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
8036 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
8037 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
8040 @kindex W H c (Summary)
8041 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
8042 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
8044 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
8047 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8049 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8050 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
8051 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8053 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8054 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8055 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8057 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8058 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8059 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8060 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8061 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8062 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8064 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8065 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8066 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8068 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8069 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8070 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8072 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8073 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8074 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8075 that it's a citation.
8077 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8078 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8079 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8081 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8082 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8083 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8085 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8086 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8087 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8088 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8094 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8095 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8096 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8097 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8098 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8099 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8100 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8101 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8106 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8109 @node Article Fontisizing
8110 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8112 @cindex article emphasis
8114 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8115 @kindex W e (Summary)
8116 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8117 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8118 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8119 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8121 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8122 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8123 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8124 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8125 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8126 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8127 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8128 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8132 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8133 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8134 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8143 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8144 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8145 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8146 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8147 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8148 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8149 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8150 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8151 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8152 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8153 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8154 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8155 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8157 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8158 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8159 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8163 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8166 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8168 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8169 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8170 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8171 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8173 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8176 @node Article Hiding
8177 @subsection Article Hiding
8178 @cindex article hiding
8180 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8181 too much cruft in most articles.
8186 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8187 @findex gnus-article-hide
8188 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8189 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8190 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8193 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8194 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8195 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8199 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8200 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8201 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8202 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8205 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8206 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8207 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8211 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8212 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8213 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8214 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8215 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8216 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8217 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8218 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8222 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8223 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8224 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8225 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8230 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8231 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8232 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8233 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8236 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8237 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8238 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8239 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8242 @cindex stripping advertisements
8243 @cindex advertisements
8244 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8245 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8246 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8247 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8248 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8249 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8250 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8251 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8252 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8253 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8256 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8257 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8258 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8262 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8263 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8264 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8265 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8266 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8267 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8268 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8269 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8270 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8271 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8272 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8275 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8276 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8282 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8283 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8284 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8285 customizing the hiding:
8289 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8290 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8291 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8292 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8293 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8294 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8295 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8300 Starting point of the hidden text.
8302 Ending point of the hidden text.
8304 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8306 Number of lines of hidden text.
8309 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8310 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8311 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8312 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8313 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8318 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8319 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8321 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8322 following two variables:
8325 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8326 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8327 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8328 50), hide the cited text.
8330 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8331 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8332 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8337 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8338 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8339 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8340 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8341 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8342 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8346 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8347 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8348 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8350 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8351 citation customization.
8353 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8357 @node Article Washing
8358 @subsection Article Washing
8360 @cindex article washing
8362 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8363 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8365 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8366 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8369 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8370 articles by default.
8375 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8376 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8380 Force redisplaying of the current article
8381 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8382 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8383 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8384 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8387 @kindex W l (Summary)
8388 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8389 Remove page breaks from the current article
8390 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8394 @kindex W r (Summary)
8395 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8396 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8397 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8398 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8399 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8400 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8402 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8403 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8404 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8405 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8408 @kindex W m (Summary)
8409 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8410 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8414 @kindex W t (Summary)
8416 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8417 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8418 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8421 @kindex W v (Summary)
8422 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8423 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8424 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8427 @kindex W m (Summary)
8428 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
8429 Toggle whether to run the article through @acronym{MIME} before
8430 displaying (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
8433 @kindex W o (Summary)
8434 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8435 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8438 @kindex W d (Summary)
8439 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8440 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8442 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8444 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8445 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8446 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8447 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8450 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8451 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8452 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8453 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8456 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8457 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8458 @cindex Outlook Express
8459 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8460 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8461 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8464 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8465 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8466 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8467 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8468 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8469 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8470 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8471 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
8472 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8473 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8476 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8477 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8478 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
8479 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8482 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8483 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8484 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8485 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8488 @kindex W w (Summary)
8489 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8490 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8492 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8496 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8497 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8498 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8501 @kindex W C (Summary)
8502 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8503 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8504 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8507 @kindex W c (Summary)
8508 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8509 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8510 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8511 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8512 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8514 @kindex W q (Summary)
8515 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8516 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8517 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
8518 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
8519 makes strings like @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which
8520 doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually done
8521 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8522 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8523 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8526 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8527 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8528 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
8529 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
8530 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
8531 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8532 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8533 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8536 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8537 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8538 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8539 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8540 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8543 @kindex W u (Summary)
8544 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8545 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8546 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8547 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8548 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8551 @kindex W h (Summary)
8552 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8553 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8554 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8555 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
8557 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8559 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8560 The default is to use the function specified by
8561 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
8562 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
8563 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
8564 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8572 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
8575 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
8578 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
8581 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
8586 @kindex W b (Summary)
8587 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8588 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8589 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8592 @kindex W B (Summary)
8593 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8594 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8595 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8598 @kindex W p (Summary)
8599 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8600 Verify a signed control message
8601 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
8602 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
8603 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
8604 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8605 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
8606 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8609 @kindex W s (Summary)
8610 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8611 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
8612 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
8613 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8616 @kindex W a (Summary)
8617 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8618 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8619 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8622 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8623 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8624 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8625 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8628 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8629 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8630 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8631 lines with a single empty line.
8632 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8635 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8636 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8637 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8638 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8641 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8642 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8643 Do all the three commands above
8644 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8647 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8648 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8649 Remove all blank lines
8650 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8653 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8654 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8655 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8656 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8659 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8660 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8661 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8662 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8666 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8669 @node Article Header
8670 @subsection Article Header
8672 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8677 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8678 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8679 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8682 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8683 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8684 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8685 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8688 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8689 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8690 Fold all the message headers
8691 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8694 @kindex W E w (Summary)
8695 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8696 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8697 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8702 @node Article Buttons
8703 @subsection Article Buttons
8706 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8707 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8708 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8709 button on these references.
8711 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8712 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8713 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
8714 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
8715 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
8719 @item gnus-button-alist
8720 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8721 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8724 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8730 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8731 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8732 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8733 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8734 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
8737 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8738 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8739 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8742 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8743 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8744 avoid false matches. Often variables named
8745 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
8746 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
8748 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
8751 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8754 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8755 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8759 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8762 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8765 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8766 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8767 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8768 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8769 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8772 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8775 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8778 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
8781 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
8782 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
8784 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
8786 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8787 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8788 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8789 default values of the variables above.
8791 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
8793 @item gnus-button-man-handler
8794 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8795 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
8796 argument with a string naming the man page.
8798 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
8800 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8801 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8802 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
8804 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8805 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8806 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
8807 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
8808 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
8809 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
8810 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
8811 @code{ask}, always query the user what do do. If it is a function, this
8812 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
8813 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
8814 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
8815 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8817 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8818 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8819 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
8820 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
8821 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
8824 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8825 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8826 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
8827 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8829 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
8831 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
8832 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
8833 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
8834 argument, the string naming the URL.
8837 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
8838 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
8839 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
8843 @item gnus-article-button-face
8844 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8845 Face used on buttons.
8847 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8848 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8849 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8853 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8856 @node Article Button Levels
8857 @subsection Article button levels
8858 @cindex button levels
8859 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
8860 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
8861 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
8862 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
8863 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
8864 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
8865 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
8866 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
8869 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
8870 (setq gnus-parameters
8871 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
8872 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
8873 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
8878 @item gnus-button-browse-level
8879 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
8880 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
8881 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
8882 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
8883 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
8885 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
8886 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
8887 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
8888 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
8889 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
8890 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
8891 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
8892 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
8893 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
8894 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
8895 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
8896 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
8897 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
8899 @item gnus-button-man-level
8900 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
8901 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
8902 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
8904 @item gnus-button-message-level
8905 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
8906 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
8907 Related variables and functions include
8908 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
8909 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
8910 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
8911 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
8913 @item gnus-button-tex-level
8914 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
8915 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
8916 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
8917 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
8918 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
8919 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
8925 @subsection Article Date
8927 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8928 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8929 when the article was sent.
8934 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8935 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8936 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8937 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8940 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8941 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8943 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8944 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8947 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8948 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8949 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8952 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8953 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8954 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8955 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8958 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8959 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8960 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8961 @findex format-time-string
8962 Display the date using a user-defined format
8963 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8964 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8965 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8966 for a list of possible format specs.
8969 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8970 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8971 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8972 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8973 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8974 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8977 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8980 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
8981 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8982 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8985 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8986 into wonderful absurdities.
8988 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8991 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8994 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8995 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8999 @kindex W T o (Summary)
9000 @findex gnus-article-date-original
9001 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
9002 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
9003 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
9004 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
9005 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
9009 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
9010 preferred format automatically.
9013 @node Article Display
9014 @subsection Article Display
9019 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
9020 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
9022 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
9023 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
9025 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
9026 headers (@pxref{Face}).
9028 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
9029 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
9031 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
9032 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
9034 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
9039 @kindex W D x (Summary)
9040 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
9041 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
9042 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
9045 @kindex W D d (Summary)
9046 @findex gnus-article-display-face
9047 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
9048 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
9051 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9052 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9053 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9056 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9057 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9058 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9061 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9062 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9063 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9064 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9067 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9068 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9069 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9070 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9073 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9074 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9075 Remove all images from the article buffer
9076 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9082 @node Article Signature
9083 @subsection Article Signature
9085 @cindex article signature
9087 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9088 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9089 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9090 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9091 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9092 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9093 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9094 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9095 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9098 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9099 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9100 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9101 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9102 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9103 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9104 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9105 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9108 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9111 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9112 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9113 signature when displaying articles.
9117 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9120 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9123 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9124 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9126 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9127 in question is not a signature.
9130 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9131 listed above. Here's an example:
9134 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9135 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9138 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9139 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9140 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9141 signature after all.
9144 @node Article Miscellanea
9145 @subsection Article Miscellanea
9149 @kindex A t (Summary)
9150 @findex gnus-article-babel
9151 Translate the article from one language to another
9152 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9158 @section MIME Commands
9159 @cindex MIME decoding
9161 @cindex viewing attachments
9163 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9164 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9170 @kindex K v (Summary)
9171 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9174 @kindex K o (Summary)
9175 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9178 @kindex K c (Summary)
9179 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9182 @kindex K e (Summary)
9183 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9186 @kindex K i (Summary)
9187 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9190 @kindex K | (Summary)
9191 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9194 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9199 @kindex K b (Summary)
9200 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9201 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9205 @kindex K m (Summary)
9206 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9207 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9208 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9209 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9210 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9213 @kindex X m (Summary)
9214 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9215 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9216 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9217 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9220 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9221 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9222 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9223 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9226 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9227 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9228 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9229 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9232 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9233 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9234 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9235 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9237 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9238 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9239 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9240 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9241 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9242 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9245 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9246 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9247 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9248 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9255 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9256 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9257 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9258 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9261 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9264 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9268 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9269 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9270 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9271 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9272 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9273 default is @code{nil}.
9275 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9276 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9277 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9278 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9279 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9280 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9281 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9283 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9284 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9285 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9286 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9287 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9288 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9289 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9290 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9292 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9293 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9294 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9295 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9296 displayed. This variable overrides
9297 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9298 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9301 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9302 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9303 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9305 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9306 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9307 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9308 default value is @code{nil}.
9310 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9311 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9312 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9313 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9314 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9315 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9316 save all jpegs into some directory).
9318 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9321 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9322 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9324 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9325 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9326 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9327 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9328 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9331 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9332 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9333 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9335 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9336 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9337 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9338 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9340 Ready-made functions include@*
9341 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9342 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9343 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9344 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9345 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9346 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9347 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9348 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9349 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9350 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9351 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9352 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9354 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9355 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9357 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9358 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9359 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9362 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9363 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9364 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9365 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9369 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9378 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
9379 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9380 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
9381 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9382 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9383 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9384 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9386 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9387 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9388 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9389 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9391 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9392 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
9393 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9394 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9395 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9396 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9397 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9398 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9399 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9401 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9402 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9403 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
9404 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9405 quoted-printable header encoding.
9407 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9408 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9409 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9413 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9416 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9417 means encode all charsets),
9419 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9420 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9421 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9428 @cindex coding system aliases
9429 @cindex preferred charset
9431 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9433 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9434 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9437 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9438 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9441 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9442 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
9444 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9447 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9450 This will almost do the right thing.
9452 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9456 (codepage-setup 1251)
9457 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9461 @node Article Commands
9462 @section Article Commands
9469 @kindex A P (Summary)
9470 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9471 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9472 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9473 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9474 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9475 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9480 @node Summary Sorting
9481 @section Summary Sorting
9482 @cindex summary sorting
9484 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9485 can't really see why you'd want that.
9490 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9491 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9492 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9495 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9496 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9497 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9500 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9501 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9502 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9505 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9506 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9507 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9510 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9511 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9512 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9515 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9516 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9517 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9520 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9521 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9522 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9525 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9526 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9527 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9530 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9531 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9532 Sort using the default sorting method
9533 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9536 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9537 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9538 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9539 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9540 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9544 @node Finding the Parent
9545 @section Finding the Parent
9546 @cindex parent articles
9547 @cindex referring articles
9552 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9553 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9554 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9555 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
9556 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9557 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9558 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9559 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9560 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9562 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9563 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9564 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
9565 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9566 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9570 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9571 @kindex A R (Summary)
9572 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9573 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9576 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9577 @kindex A T (Summary)
9578 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9579 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9580 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9581 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9582 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9583 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9584 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9586 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9587 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9588 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9589 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9590 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9591 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9594 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9595 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9597 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9598 You can also ask the @acronym{NNTP} server for an arbitrary article, no
9599 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9600 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9601 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9602 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9603 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9606 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9607 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9608 by giving this command a prefix.
9610 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9611 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9612 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9613 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
9614 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
9615 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9618 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9619 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9620 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9623 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9624 then ask Google if that fails:
9627 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9629 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9632 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
9633 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9634 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
9635 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9636 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9637 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9638 support this at all.
9641 @node Alternative Approaches
9642 @section Alternative Approaches
9644 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9645 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9648 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9649 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9654 @subsection Pick and Read
9655 @cindex pick and read
9657 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9658 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9659 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9660 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9662 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9663 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9664 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9665 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9666 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9667 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9669 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9674 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9675 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9676 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9677 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9678 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9679 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9680 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9681 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9684 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9685 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9686 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9687 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9691 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9692 Unpick the thread or article
9693 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9694 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9695 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9696 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9697 the thread or article at that line.
9701 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9702 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9703 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9704 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9705 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9706 will still be visible when you are reading.
9710 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9711 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9712 which is mapped to the same function
9713 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9715 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9718 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9721 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9722 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9724 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9725 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9726 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9728 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9729 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9730 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9731 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9732 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9733 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9734 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9738 @subsection Binary Groups
9739 @cindex binary groups
9741 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9742 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9743 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9744 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9745 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9746 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9747 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9750 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9751 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9752 command, when you have turned on this mode
9753 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9755 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9756 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9760 @section Tree Display
9763 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9764 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
9765 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9766 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9769 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9772 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9773 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9774 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9776 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9777 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9778 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9779 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9780 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9782 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9783 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9784 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9785 default is @code{modeline}.
9787 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9788 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9789 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9790 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9791 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9792 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9793 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9799 The name of the poster.
9801 The @code{From} header.
9803 The number of the article.
9805 The opening bracket.
9807 The closing bracket.
9812 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9814 Variables related to the display are:
9817 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9818 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9819 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9820 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
9822 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9823 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
9824 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
9826 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9828 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9829 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9830 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9831 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9835 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9836 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9837 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
9838 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
9839 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9840 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9841 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9842 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9843 other windows displayed next to it.
9845 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9849 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9850 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9853 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9854 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9855 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9856 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9857 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9858 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9859 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9863 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9866 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9876 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9881 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9882 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9884 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9886 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9892 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9893 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9894 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
9897 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9898 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9899 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9900 (gnus-add-configuration
9904 (summary 0.75 point)
9909 @xref{Window Layout}.
9912 @node Mail Group Commands
9913 @section Mail Group Commands
9914 @cindex mail group commands
9916 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9917 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9919 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9920 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9925 @kindex B e (Summary)
9926 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9927 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9928 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9929 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9930 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9933 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9934 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9935 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9936 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9937 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9938 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9941 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9942 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9943 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9944 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9945 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9946 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9949 @kindex B m (Summary)
9951 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9952 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9953 Move the article from one mail group to another
9954 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9955 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9958 @kindex B c (Summary)
9960 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9961 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9962 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9963 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9964 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9967 @kindex B B (Summary)
9968 @cindex crosspost mail
9969 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9970 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9971 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9972 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9973 be properly updated.
9976 @kindex B i (Summary)
9977 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9978 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9979 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9980 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9983 @kindex B I (Summary)
9984 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9985 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9986 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9987 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9990 @kindex B r (Summary)
9991 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9992 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
9993 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9994 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9995 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9996 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9997 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9998 (which is the default).
10002 @kindex B w (Summary)
10003 @kindex e (Summary)
10004 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
10005 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
10006 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
10007 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
10008 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
10009 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
10010 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
10013 @kindex B q (Summary)
10014 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
10015 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
10016 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
10017 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
10020 @kindex B t (Summary)
10021 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
10022 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
10023 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
10026 @kindex B p (Summary)
10027 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
10028 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
10029 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
10030 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
10031 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
10032 article from your news server (or rather, from
10033 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
10034 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
10035 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
10036 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
10037 just not have arrived yet.
10040 @kindex K E (Summary)
10041 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
10042 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
10043 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
10044 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
10045 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
10049 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
10050 @cindex moving articles
10051 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
10052 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10053 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10054 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10055 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10056 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10057 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10060 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10061 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10062 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10063 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10067 @node Various Summary Stuff
10068 @section Various Summary Stuff
10071 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10072 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10073 * Summary Generation Commands::
10074 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10078 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10079 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10080 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10081 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10082 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10083 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10085 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
10086 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
10087 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
10090 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10091 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10092 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10094 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10095 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10096 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10097 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10098 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10099 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10102 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10103 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10104 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10105 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10106 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10108 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10109 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10110 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10113 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10114 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10115 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10116 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10117 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10118 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10119 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
10120 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10121 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10122 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10124 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10125 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10126 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10127 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10128 list of articles to be selected.
10130 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10131 the list in one particular group:
10134 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10135 (if (string= group "some.group")
10136 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10140 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10141 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10142 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10143 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
10144 @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary buffer is
10145 active. These variables can be used to set variables in the group
10146 parameters while still allowing them to affect operations done in
10147 other buffers. For example:
10150 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10151 '(message-use-followup-to
10152 (gnus-visible-headers .
10153 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10159 @node Summary Group Information
10160 @subsection Summary Group Information
10165 @kindex H f (Summary)
10166 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
10167 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
10168 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} (list of frequently asked questions)
10169 for the current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try
10170 to get the @acronym{FAQ} from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which
10171 is usually a directory on a remote machine. This variable can also be
10172 a list of directories. In that case, giving a prefix to this command
10173 will allow you to choose between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp}
10174 or @code{efs} will probably be used for fetching the file.
10177 @kindex H d (Summary)
10178 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10179 Give a brief description of the current group
10180 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10181 rereading the description from the server.
10184 @kindex H h (Summary)
10185 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10186 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10187 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10190 @kindex H i (Summary)
10191 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10192 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10196 @node Searching for Articles
10197 @subsection Searching for Articles
10202 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10203 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10204 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10205 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10208 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10209 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10210 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10211 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10214 @kindex & (Summary)
10215 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10216 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10217 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10218 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10219 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10220 search backward instead.
10222 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
10223 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10226 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10227 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10228 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10229 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10232 @node Summary Generation Commands
10233 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10238 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10239 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10240 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10243 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10244 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10245 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10246 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10249 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10250 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10251 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10252 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10257 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10258 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10264 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10265 @kindex A D (Summary)
10266 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10267 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10268 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10269 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10270 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10271 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10272 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10273 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10277 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10278 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10279 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10280 several documents into one biiig group
10281 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10282 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10283 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10284 command understands the process/prefix convention
10285 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10288 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10289 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10290 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10291 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10292 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10293 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10296 @kindex = (Summary)
10297 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10298 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10299 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10302 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10303 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10304 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10305 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10308 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10309 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10310 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10311 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10316 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10317 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10318 @cindex summary exit
10319 @cindex exiting groups
10321 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10322 group and return you to the group buffer.
10329 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10330 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
10331 @kindex q (Summary)
10332 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10333 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10334 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10335 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10336 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10337 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10338 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10339 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10340 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10341 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10342 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10343 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10347 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10348 @kindex Q (Summary)
10349 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10350 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10351 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10355 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10356 @kindex c (Summary)
10357 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10358 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10359 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10360 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10363 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10364 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10365 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10366 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10369 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10370 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10371 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10372 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10376 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10377 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
10378 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10379 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10380 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10381 all articles, both read and unread.
10385 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10386 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10387 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10388 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10389 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10390 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10391 articles, both read and unread.
10394 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10395 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10396 Exit the group and go to the next group
10397 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10400 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10401 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10402 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10403 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10406 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10407 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10408 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10409 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10410 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10411 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10414 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10415 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10416 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10417 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10419 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10420 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10421 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10422 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10423 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10424 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10425 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10426 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10427 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10428 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10429 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10430 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10432 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10434 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10435 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10436 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10437 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10438 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10439 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10440 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10441 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10442 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10445 @node Crosspost Handling
10446 @section Crosspost Handling
10450 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10451 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10452 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10453 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10454 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10455 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10458 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10459 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10460 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10461 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10462 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10464 @cindex cross-posting
10466 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
10467 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10468 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
10469 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10470 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
10471 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10472 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10473 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10474 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10475 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10476 the cross reference mechanism.
10478 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10479 @cindex overview.fmt
10480 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10481 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10482 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10483 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10484 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10485 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10488 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10489 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10490 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10495 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10498 @node Duplicate Suppression
10499 @section Duplicate Suppression
10501 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10502 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10503 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10504 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10509 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10510 is evil and not very common.
10513 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10514 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10517 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10518 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
10521 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10524 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10525 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10527 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10528 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10529 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10530 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10531 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10532 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10533 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10536 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10537 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10538 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10539 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10540 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10541 saw the article in.
10544 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10545 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10546 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10548 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10549 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10550 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10551 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10552 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
10553 session are suppressed.
10555 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10556 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10557 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10558 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10560 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10561 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10562 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10563 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10566 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
10567 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10568 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10569 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10570 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
10571 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10572 to you to figure out, I think.
10577 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10578 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
10579 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
10584 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
10585 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
10586 to GnuPG included with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG
10587 Manual}), but Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10590 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10591 or newer is recommended.
10595 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10596 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10599 @item mm-verify-option
10600 @vindex mm-verify-option
10601 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10602 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10603 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10605 @item mm-decrypt-option
10606 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10607 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10608 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10609 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10612 @vindex mml1991-use
10613 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10614 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10615 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10619 @vindex mml2015-use
10620 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10621 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10622 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10627 @cindex snarfing keys
10628 @cindex importing PGP keys
10629 @cindex PGP key ring import
10630 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
10631 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
10632 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
10633 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
10634 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
10635 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
10636 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
10637 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
10638 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
10641 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
10644 This happens to also be the default action defined in
10645 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
10648 @section Mailing List
10649 @cindex mailing list
10652 @kindex A M (summary)
10653 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10654 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10655 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10656 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10659 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10664 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10665 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10666 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10669 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10670 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10671 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10674 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10675 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10676 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10680 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10681 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10682 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10685 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10686 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10687 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10690 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10691 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10692 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10697 @node Article Buffer
10698 @chapter Article Buffer
10699 @cindex article buffer
10701 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10702 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10703 tell gnus otherwise.
10706 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10707 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
10708 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10709 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10710 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10714 @node Hiding Headers
10715 @section Hiding Headers
10716 @cindex hiding headers
10717 @cindex deleting headers
10719 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10720 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10722 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10723 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10724 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10725 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10726 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10727 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10728 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
10729 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10730 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10732 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10736 @item gnus-visible-headers
10737 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10738 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10739 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10740 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10742 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10743 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10746 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10749 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10752 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10753 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10754 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10755 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10756 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10757 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10759 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
10760 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
10763 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10766 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10769 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10770 variable will have no effect.
10774 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10775 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10776 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10777 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10778 the headers are to be displayed.
10780 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10781 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10784 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10787 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10788 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10790 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10791 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10792 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10793 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10794 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10795 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
10796 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10799 These conditions are:
10802 Remove all empty headers.
10804 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10805 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10807 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
10808 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
10811 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10814 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10815 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
10817 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10818 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10820 Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
10821 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10823 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10826 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10828 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10831 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10834 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10835 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10838 This is also the default value for this variable.
10842 @section Using MIME
10843 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
10845 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10846 while people stand around yawning.
10848 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10849 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10851 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10852 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10853 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10855 @vindex gnus-show-mime
10856 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
10857 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
10858 gnus handles @acronym{MIME} by pushing the articles through
10859 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
10860 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
10861 calls the @acronym{SEMI} MIME-View program to actually do the work. For
10862 more information on @acronym{SEMI} MIME-View, see its manual page
10863 (however it is not existed yet, sorry).
10865 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
10866 @acronym{MIME} all the time. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime} set,
10867 then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article buffer.
10868 These can't be avoided.
10870 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
10871 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
10872 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
10873 @acronym{MIME} has decoded the sound file in the article and some
10874 horrible sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you
10875 can't find the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are
10876 starting to look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't,
10877 and you can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else
10878 in the room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll
10879 feel rather stupid.)
10881 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10883 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
10884 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
10885 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
10886 buffer when there are nobody else.
10888 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10891 @node Customizing Articles
10892 @section Customizing Articles
10893 @cindex article customization
10895 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10896 exist. You can call these functions interactively
10897 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
10898 called automatically when you select the articles.
10900 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10901 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10902 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10903 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10905 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10906 for sensible values.
10910 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10913 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10916 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10919 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10922 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10926 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10927 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10928 regexps in the list.
10931 A list where the first element is not a string:
10933 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10934 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10935 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10939 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10943 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
10948 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10949 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
10950 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10951 considered to contain just a single part.
10953 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10954 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10955 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10956 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10957 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10958 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10959 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10961 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10962 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10963 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10964 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10967 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10968 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10970 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10972 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10973 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10974 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10975 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10976 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10977 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10978 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10979 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10980 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10981 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
10982 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset (t, integer)
10984 @xref{Article Washing}.
10986 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10987 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10988 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10989 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10990 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10991 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10992 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10994 @xref{Article Date}.
10996 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10997 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10998 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
11002 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
11004 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
11006 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
11007 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
11008 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
11012 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
11016 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
11020 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
11021 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
11022 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
11023 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
11024 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
11025 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
11026 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
11027 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
11028 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
11029 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
11031 @xref{Article Hiding}.
11033 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
11034 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
11035 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
11037 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
11039 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
11040 @item gnus-treat-translate
11041 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
11043 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
11044 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
11045 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
11046 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
11048 @xref{Article Header}.
11053 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
11054 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
11055 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
11056 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
11057 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
11061 @node Article Keymap
11062 @section Article Keymap
11064 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
11065 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
11066 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
11067 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
11070 A few additional keystrokes are available:
11075 @kindex SPACE (Article)
11076 @findex gnus-article-next-page
11077 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
11078 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
11081 @kindex DEL (Article)
11082 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
11083 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
11084 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
11087 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
11088 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
11089 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
11090 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
11091 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
11094 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
11095 @findex gnus-article-mail
11096 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
11097 given a prefix, include the mail.
11100 @kindex s (Article)
11101 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
11102 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
11103 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
11106 @kindex ? (Article)
11107 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
11108 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
11109 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
11112 @kindex TAB (Article)
11113 @findex gnus-article-next-button
11114 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
11115 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
11118 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
11119 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
11120 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
11123 @kindex R (Article)
11124 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
11125 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
11126 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
11127 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11131 @kindex F (Article)
11132 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
11133 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
11134 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
11135 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11143 @section Misc Article
11147 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
11148 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
11149 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
11150 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
11153 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
11154 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
11155 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11156 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
11157 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
11159 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
11160 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
11161 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
11162 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
11163 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
11164 the contents of the article buffer.
11166 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
11167 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
11168 Hook called in article mode buffers.
11170 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11171 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11172 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
11173 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
11175 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
11176 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
11177 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
11178 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
11180 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
11181 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
11182 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
11183 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
11184 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
11190 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
11191 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
11192 performed. The characters and their meaning:
11197 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
11200 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
11203 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
11204 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
11205 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
11208 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
11211 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
11214 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
11219 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
11223 @vindex gnus-break-pages
11225 @item gnus-break-pages
11226 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
11227 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
11228 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
11229 paging will not be done.
11231 @item gnus-page-delimiter
11232 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
11233 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
11237 @cindex internationalized domain names
11238 @vindex gnus-use-idna
11239 @item gnus-use-idna
11240 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
11241 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
11242 @samp{Cc} headers. This requires
11243 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
11244 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
11249 @node Composing Messages
11250 @chapter Composing Messages
11251 @cindex composing messages
11254 @cindex sending mail
11259 @cindex using s/mime
11260 @cindex using smime
11262 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
11263 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
11264 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
11265 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
11266 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
11267 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
11270 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
11271 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
11272 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
11273 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
11274 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
11275 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
11276 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
11277 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
11280 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
11281 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
11287 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
11290 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
11291 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
11292 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
11293 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
11294 @code{nil} include all headers.
11296 @item gnus-add-to-list
11297 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11298 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11299 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11301 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11302 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11303 This can also be a function receiving the group name as the only
11304 parameter which should return non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is
11305 needed, or a regular expression matching group names, where
11306 confirmation is should be asked for.
11308 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11309 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
11311 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11312 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11313 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11314 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11315 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11320 @node Posting Server
11321 @section Posting Server
11323 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11324 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11326 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11328 It can be quite complicated.
11330 @vindex gnus-post-method
11331 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11332 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11333 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11334 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11335 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11336 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11337 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11338 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11339 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11342 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11345 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11346 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11347 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11348 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11350 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11351 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11353 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11354 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11357 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11358 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11360 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11361 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11362 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11363 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11364 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @acronym{SMTP}
11365 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11366 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11367 package correctly. An example:
11370 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11371 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11372 ;; The following variable needs to be set because of the FLIM version of
11373 ;; smtpmail.el. Which smtpmail.el is used depends on the `load-path'.
11374 (setq smtp-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11377 To the thing similar to this, there is
11378 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}. It is useful if your ISP requires
11379 the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. See the
11380 documentation for the function @code{mail-source-touch-pop}.
11382 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11383 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11384 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11386 @node Mail and Post
11387 @section Mail and Post
11389 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11393 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11394 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11395 @cindex mailing lists
11397 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11398 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
11399 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11400 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11401 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11402 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11403 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11404 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11405 still a pain, though.
11407 @item gnus-user-agent
11408 @vindex gnus-user-agent
11411 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
11412 User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
11413 Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
11414 @code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
11415 configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
11416 system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
11417 use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
11421 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11422 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11423 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11426 @findex ispell-message
11428 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11431 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11432 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11435 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11439 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11440 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11442 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11445 Modify to suit your needs.
11448 @node Archived Messages
11449 @section Archived Messages
11450 @cindex archived messages
11451 @cindex sent messages
11453 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11454 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11455 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11456 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11459 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11460 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11463 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11464 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
11465 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11468 (nnfolder "archive"
11469 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11470 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11471 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11472 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11475 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11476 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11477 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11478 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11481 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11482 '(nnfolder "archive"
11483 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11484 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11485 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11488 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11490 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11491 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11492 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11494 This variable can be used to do the following:
11498 Messages will be saved in that group.
11500 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11501 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11502 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11503 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11504 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11505 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11506 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11507 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11510 @item a list of strings
11511 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11513 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11514 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11517 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11522 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11524 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11527 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11529 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11532 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11534 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11535 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11536 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11537 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11540 More complex stuff:
11542 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11543 '((if (message-news-p)
11548 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11549 messages in one file per month:
11552 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11553 '((if (message-news-p)
11555 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11558 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11559 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11561 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11562 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11563 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11564 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11565 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11566 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11567 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11568 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11569 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11570 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11572 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11573 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11574 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11575 this will disable archiving.
11578 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11579 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11580 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11581 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11582 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11585 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11586 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11587 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11590 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11591 but the latter is the preferred method.
11593 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11594 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11595 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11597 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11598 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11599 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11600 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11601 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11602 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11603 changed in the future.
11608 @node Posting Styles
11609 @section Posting Styles
11610 @cindex posting styles
11613 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11615 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11616 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11617 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11620 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11621 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11622 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11623 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11624 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11629 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11630 (organization "What me?"))
11632 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11633 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11634 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11637 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11638 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11639 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11640 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11641 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11642 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11643 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11644 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11646 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11647 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11648 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
11649 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
11650 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
11651 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
11652 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
11653 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11654 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
11655 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11656 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11657 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
11658 said to @dfn{match}.
11660 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11661 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11662 attribute name can be one of:
11665 @item @code{signature}
11666 @item @code{signature-file}
11667 @item @code{x-face-file}
11668 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
11669 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
11673 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
11674 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
11675 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
11676 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
11677 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
11679 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11680 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11681 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11682 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11683 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11684 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11685 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11686 references chars lines xref extra.
11688 @vindex message-reply-headers
11690 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11691 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11692 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11694 @findex message-mail-p
11695 @findex message-news-p
11697 So here's a new example:
11700 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11702 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11704 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11705 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11707 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11708 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
11709 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11710 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
11711 (signature my-news-signature))
11712 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
11713 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11714 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
11715 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11716 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11717 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
11718 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11719 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11720 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11721 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11723 (From (save-excursion
11724 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11725 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11727 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11730 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11731 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11732 if you fill many roles.
11734 Setting the @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} variable will make
11735 posting-styles allow to have distinctive names. You can specify an
11736 arbitrary posting-style when article posting with @kbd{S P} in the
11737 summary buffer. @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} is an alist which maps
11738 the names to styles. Once a posting-style is added to the alist, we can
11739 import it from @code{gnus-posting-styles}. If an attribute whose name
11740 is @code{import} is found, Gnus will look for the attribute value in
11741 @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} and expand it in place.
11746 (setq gnus-named-posting-styles
11748 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11750 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11751 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11754 (organization "The Church of Emacs"))))
11757 The posting-style named "Emacs" will inherit all the attributes from
11758 "Default" except @code{organization}.
11765 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11766 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11767 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11768 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11769 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11771 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11772 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11773 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11774 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11775 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11779 @vindex nndraft-directory
11780 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11781 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11782 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11783 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11784 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11785 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11787 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11788 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11789 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
11790 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
11791 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
11792 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
11793 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
11794 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
11795 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
11797 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11798 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11799 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11800 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11801 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11802 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11803 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11804 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11805 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11806 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11807 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11808 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11809 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11810 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11812 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11813 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11814 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11816 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11817 @kindex D e (Draft)
11818 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11819 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11820 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11822 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11825 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11826 @kindex D s (Draft)
11827 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11828 @kindex D S (Draft)
11829 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11830 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11831 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11832 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11833 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11836 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
11837 @kindex D t (Draft)
11838 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11839 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11840 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11843 @node Rejected Articles
11844 @section Rejected Articles
11845 @cindex rejected articles
11847 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11848 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11849 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11850 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11852 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
11853 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11854 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11855 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
11856 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11858 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11859 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11860 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11862 @node Signing and encrypting
11863 @section Signing and encrypting
11865 @cindex using s/mime
11866 @cindex using smime
11868 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
11869 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
11870 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
11871 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
11873 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
11874 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
11875 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
11876 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11877 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11878 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11879 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11880 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11881 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11882 automatically encrypted messages.
11884 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
11885 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
11886 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11891 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
11892 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
11894 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
11897 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
11898 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11900 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
11903 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
11904 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11906 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
11909 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
11910 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
11912 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
11915 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
11916 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
11918 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
11921 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
11922 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
11924 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
11927 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
11928 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11929 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
11933 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
11935 @node Select Methods
11936 @chapter Select Methods
11937 @cindex foreign groups
11938 @cindex select methods
11940 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11941 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11942 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11943 personal mail group.
11945 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11946 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11947 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11948 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11949 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11950 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11952 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11953 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11955 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11958 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
11959 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11960 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11961 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11962 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11964 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11967 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11968 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11969 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11970 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11971 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
11972 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11973 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11974 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11978 @node Server Buffer
11979 @section Server Buffer
11981 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11982 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11983 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11984 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11985 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11986 back end represents a virtual server.
11988 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11989 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11990 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11991 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11993 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11994 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11995 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11996 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11997 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11998 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11999 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
12001 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
12002 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
12005 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
12006 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
12007 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
12008 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
12009 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
12010 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
12011 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
12014 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
12015 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
12018 @node Server Buffer Format
12019 @subsection Server Buffer Format
12020 @cindex server buffer format
12022 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
12023 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
12024 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
12025 variable, with some simple extensions:
12030 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
12033 The name of this server.
12036 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
12039 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
12042 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
12043 The mode line can also be customized by using the
12044 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
12045 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
12055 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
12058 @node Server Commands
12059 @subsection Server Commands
12060 @cindex server commands
12066 @findex gnus-server-add-server
12067 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
12071 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
12072 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
12075 @kindex SPACE (Server)
12076 @findex gnus-server-read-server
12077 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
12081 @findex gnus-server-exit
12082 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
12086 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
12087 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
12091 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
12092 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
12096 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
12097 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
12101 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
12102 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
12106 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
12107 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
12108 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
12113 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
12114 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
12115 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
12116 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
12121 @node Example Methods
12122 @subsection Example Methods
12124 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
12127 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
12130 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
12136 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
12137 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
12140 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
12141 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
12143 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
12144 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
12148 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
12151 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
12152 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
12154 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
12155 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
12156 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
12160 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
12163 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
12166 Here's the method for a public spool:
12170 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
12171 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
12177 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
12178 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
12179 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12180 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
12181 should probably look something like this:
12185 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
12186 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
12187 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
12188 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12191 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
12192 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
12193 configuration to the example above:
12196 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12199 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
12201 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
12202 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
12203 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
12207 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12208 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
12209 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
12210 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12213 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
12214 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
12215 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
12216 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
12219 @node Creating a Virtual Server
12220 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
12222 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
12223 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
12225 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
12226 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
12227 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
12229 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
12231 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
12232 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
12233 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
12234 will contain the following:
12244 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
12245 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
12248 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
12249 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
12250 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
12253 @node Server Variables
12254 @subsection Server Variables
12255 @cindex server variables
12256 @cindex server parameters
12258 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
12259 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
12260 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
12261 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
12262 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
12264 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
12265 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
12266 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
12267 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
12268 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
12269 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
12270 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
12271 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
12272 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
12276 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
12277 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
12278 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
12281 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
12283 @node Servers and Methods
12284 @subsection Servers and Methods
12286 Wherever you would normally use a select method
12287 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
12288 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
12289 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
12293 @node Unavailable Servers
12294 @subsection Unavailable Servers
12296 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
12297 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
12298 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
12299 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
12300 actually the case or not.
12302 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
12303 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
12304 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
12305 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
12306 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
12307 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
12308 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
12309 it will regard that server as ``down''.
12311 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
12312 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
12314 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
12315 with the following commands:
12321 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12322 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12323 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12327 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12328 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12329 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12333 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12334 Mark the current server as unreachable
12335 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12338 @kindex M-o (Server)
12339 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12340 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12341 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12344 @kindex M-c (Server)
12345 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12346 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12347 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12351 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12352 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12353 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12357 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12358 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12364 @section Getting News
12365 @cindex reading news
12366 @cindex news back ends
12368 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12369 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
12370 or it can read from a local spool.
12373 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12374 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12382 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
12383 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
12384 server as the, uhm, address.
12386 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12387 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12388 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12389 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12391 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12392 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12393 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12395 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12400 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12401 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12402 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12404 @cindex authentification
12405 @cindex nntp authentification
12406 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12407 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12408 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12409 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
12410 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12411 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12412 present in this hook.
12414 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12415 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12416 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12417 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12418 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
12419 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12420 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12421 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12422 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12423 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12424 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12425 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12429 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12432 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12434 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12435 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12436 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12437 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12438 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12439 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12440 @samp{force} is explained below.
12444 Here's an example file:
12447 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12448 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12451 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12452 have to be first, for instance.
12454 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12455 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12456 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12457 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12458 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12459 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12460 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12462 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12463 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12469 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12470 previously mentioned.
12472 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12474 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12475 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12476 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12477 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12478 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12481 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12482 '(("innd" (ding))))
12485 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12487 The default value is
12490 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12491 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12492 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12495 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12496 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12498 @item nntp-maximum-request
12499 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12500 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
12501 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12502 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12503 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12504 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12505 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12507 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12508 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12509 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12510 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
12511 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12512 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12513 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12514 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12515 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12516 no timeouts are done.
12518 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12519 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12520 @c @cindex PPP connections
12521 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12522 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12523 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12524 @c changes after connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will simply sit
12525 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12526 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12527 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12528 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12529 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12530 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12532 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12533 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12534 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12535 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12536 @c described above.
12538 @item nntp-server-hook
12539 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12540 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @acronym{NNTP}
12543 @item nntp-buggy-select
12544 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12545 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12547 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12548 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12549 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
12550 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
12553 @item nntp-xover-commands
12554 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12555 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
12557 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
12558 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12562 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12563 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
12564 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12565 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12566 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
12567 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12568 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12569 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12570 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12571 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12572 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12574 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12575 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12576 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12578 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12579 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12580 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12581 server closes connection.
12583 @item nntp-record-commands
12584 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12585 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12586 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12587 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
12588 that doesn't seem to work.
12590 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12591 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12592 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12593 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12594 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12595 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12596 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12597 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12599 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12600 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12601 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12602 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12603 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12604 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12605 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12608 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12611 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12612 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12614 @item nntp-read-timeout
12615 @vindex nntp-read-timeout
12616 How long nntp should wait between checking for the end of output.
12617 Shorter values mean quicker response, but is more CPU intensive. The
12618 default is 0.1 seconds. If you have a slow line to the server (and
12619 don't like to see Emacs eat your available CPU power), you might set
12622 @item nntp-list-options
12623 @vindex nntp-list-options
12624 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
12625 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
12626 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
12627 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
12628 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
12632 (setq gnus-select-method
12633 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12634 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
12637 @item nntp-options-subscribe
12638 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
12639 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
12640 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12641 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12642 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12643 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12646 (setq gnus-select-method
12647 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12648 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
12651 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
12652 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
12653 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
12654 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12655 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12656 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12657 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12660 (setq gnus-select-method
12661 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12662 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
12667 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12668 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12669 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12673 @node Direct Functions
12674 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12675 @cindex direct connection functions
12677 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12678 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
12679 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12680 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12683 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12684 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12685 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12688 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
12689 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
12690 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12691 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
12692 installed. You then define a server as follows:
12695 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12696 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
12698 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12699 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
12700 (nntp-port-number )
12701 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12704 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12705 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12706 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12707 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
12708 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
12709 then define a server as follows:
12712 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12713 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
12715 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12716 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12717 (nntp-port-number 563)
12718 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12721 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12722 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12723 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12724 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12725 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12726 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12727 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12728 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12732 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12733 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12734 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12737 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12738 session, which is not a good idea.
12742 @node Indirect Functions
12743 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12744 @cindex indirect connection functions
12746 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12747 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12748 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12749 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
12750 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12751 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12754 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12755 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12756 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12757 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12758 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12760 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12763 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12764 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12765 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12766 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12768 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12769 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12770 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12771 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12772 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
12773 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12774 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
12775 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
12779 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12780 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12781 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12782 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12784 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12787 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12788 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12789 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12792 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12793 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12794 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12795 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12797 @item nntp-via-user-password
12798 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12799 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12801 @item nntp-via-envuser
12802 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12803 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12804 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12805 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12807 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12808 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12809 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12810 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12817 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12822 @item nntp-via-user-name
12823 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12824 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12826 @item nntp-via-address
12827 @vindex nntp-via-address
12828 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12833 @node Common Variables
12834 @subsubsection Common Variables
12836 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12837 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12842 @item nntp-pre-command
12843 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12844 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
12845 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
12846 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is
12847 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
12850 @vindex nntp-address
12851 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12853 @item nntp-port-number
12854 @vindex nntp-port-number
12855 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
12856 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
12857 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you may want to use integer ports rather
12858 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
12859 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
12860 not work with named ports.
12862 @item nntp-end-of-line
12863 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12864 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
12865 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12866 using a non native connection function.
12868 @item nntp-telnet-command
12869 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12870 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
12871 @samp{telnet}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
12872 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
12875 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12876 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12877 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12884 @subsection News Spool
12888 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12889 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12890 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12893 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12894 anything else) as the address.
12896 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12897 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12898 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12899 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12903 @item nnspool-inews-program
12904 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12905 Program used to post an article.
12907 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12908 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12909 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12911 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12912 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12913 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12914 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12916 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12917 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12918 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
12919 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12921 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12922 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12923 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12925 @item nnspool-active-file
12926 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12927 The name of the active file.
12929 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12930 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12931 The name of the group descriptions file.
12933 @item nnspool-history-file
12934 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12935 The name of the news history file.
12937 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12938 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12939 The name of the active date file.
12941 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12942 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12943 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
12946 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12947 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12949 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12950 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
12951 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
12958 @section Getting Mail
12959 @cindex reading mail
12962 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12966 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12967 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12968 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12969 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12970 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12971 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12972 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12973 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12974 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12975 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
12976 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12977 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12978 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12982 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12983 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12985 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12986 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12987 of a culture shock.
12989 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12990 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12992 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12993 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12994 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12995 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12997 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12999 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
13000 deleted? How awful!
13002 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
13003 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
13004 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
13005 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
13008 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
13009 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
13010 they want to treat a message.
13012 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
13013 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
13014 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
13015 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
13016 archived somewhere else.
13018 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
13019 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
13020 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
13021 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
13022 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
13024 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
13025 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
13026 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
13028 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
13029 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
13032 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
13033 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
13034 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
13035 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
13036 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
13038 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
13039 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
13040 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
13041 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
13042 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
13043 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
13047 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
13048 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
13050 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
13051 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
13052 and things will happen automatically.
13054 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
13055 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13058 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
13061 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
13062 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
13063 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
13064 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
13065 like any other group.
13067 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
13070 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13071 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13072 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13076 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
13077 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
13078 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
13081 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
13082 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
13083 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
13086 @node Splitting Mail
13087 @subsection Splitting Mail
13088 @cindex splitting mail
13089 @cindex mail splitting
13090 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
13092 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
13093 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
13094 to be split into groups.
13097 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13098 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13099 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13100 ("mail.other" "")))
13103 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
13104 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
13105 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
13106 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
13107 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
13108 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
13109 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
13112 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
13115 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13116 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
13117 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
13118 mail belongs in that group.
13120 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
13121 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{*} so that it matches any mails
13122 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
13123 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
13124 rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled.
13125 In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.)
13127 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
13128 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
13129 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
13130 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
13131 thinks should carry this mail message.
13133 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
13134 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
13135 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
13136 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
13138 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
13139 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
13140 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
13141 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
13142 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{*}) group.
13144 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
13147 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
13148 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
13149 links. If that's the case for you, set
13150 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
13151 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
13153 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
13154 @findex nnmail-split-history
13155 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
13156 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
13157 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
13158 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
13161 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
13162 Header lines longer than the value of
13163 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
13166 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
13167 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
13168 By default the splitting codes @acronym{MIME} decodes headers so you
13169 can match on non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. The
13170 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset} variable specifies the default
13171 charset for decoding. The behaviour can be turned off completely by
13172 binding @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to @code{nil}, which is
13173 useful if you want to match articles based on the raw header data.
13175 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13176 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
13177 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
13178 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
13179 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
13180 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
13181 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
13182 other kinds of entries.)
13184 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
13185 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
13186 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
13187 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
13188 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
13189 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
13190 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
13191 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
13192 month's rent money.
13196 @subsection Mail Sources
13198 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
13199 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
13200 maildir, for instance.
13203 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
13204 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
13205 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
13209 @node Mail Source Specifiers
13210 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
13212 @cindex mail server
13215 @cindex mail source
13217 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
13218 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
13223 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
13226 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
13227 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
13228 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
13231 The following mail source types are available:
13235 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
13241 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
13242 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
13243 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
13247 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13250 An example file mail source:
13253 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
13256 Or using the default file name:
13262 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
13263 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
13264 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
13265 mail spool while moving the mail.
13267 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
13271 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
13274 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
13278 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
13281 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
13283 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
13286 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
13290 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
13291 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
13292 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
13293 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
13294 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
13295 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
13296 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
13297 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
13298 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
13299 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
13301 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13302 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
13303 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
13304 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
13310 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
13314 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
13318 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
13319 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
13320 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
13321 predicate are considered.
13325 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13329 An example directory mail source:
13332 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13337 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
13343 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
13344 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13347 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
13348 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13349 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13350 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13351 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13354 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
13358 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
13359 the user is prompted.
13362 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
13363 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13366 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13369 The valid format specifier characters are:
13373 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13374 included in this string.
13377 The name of the server.
13380 The port number of the server.
13383 The user name to use.
13386 The password to use.
13389 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13390 corresponding keywords.
13393 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13394 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13397 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13398 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13401 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
13402 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
13403 mail should be moved to.
13405 @item :authentication
13406 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13407 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13411 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this can be the symbol
13412 @code{ssl}, the symbol @code{tls} or others. The default is @code{nil}
13413 and use insecure connections. Note that for SSL/TLS, you need external
13414 programs and libraries:
13418 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL@. Requires OpenSSL (the program
13419 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
13420 library @samp{ssl.el}.
13422 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to SSL)@.
13423 Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13428 Non-@code{nil} if mail is to be left on the server and UIDL used for
13429 message retrieval. The default is @code{nil}.
13433 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13434 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
13436 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server,
13437 using the default user name, and default fetcher:
13443 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13446 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13447 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13450 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13453 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13457 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13458 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13459 contains exactly one mail.
13465 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13466 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13469 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13470 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13472 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13473 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13474 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13477 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13478 from locking problems).
13482 Two example maildir mail sources:
13485 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13486 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13490 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13495 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
13496 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
13497 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
13498 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
13499 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
13501 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
13502 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13508 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
13509 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13512 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13513 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
13516 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
13520 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
13524 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13525 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13526 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
13527 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13529 @item :authentication
13530 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13531 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13532 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13533 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13536 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13537 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
13538 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13544 The valid format specifier characters are:
13548 The name of the server.
13551 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
13554 The port number of the server.
13557 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13558 corresponding keywords.
13561 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13562 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13565 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13566 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13567 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
13568 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13569 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13570 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13573 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13574 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13575 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13576 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13579 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
13580 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
13584 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
13587 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13589 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13593 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
13594 @uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
13595 @uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
13597 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13598 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13600 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13606 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13607 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13610 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13614 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13618 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
13619 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
13623 An example webmail source:
13626 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13628 :password "secret")
13633 @item Common Keywords
13634 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13640 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
13641 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
13646 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13651 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13652 useful when you use local mail and news.
13657 @subsubsection Function Interface
13659 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13660 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13661 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13662 consider the following mail-source setting:
13665 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13666 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13669 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13670 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13671 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13672 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13673 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13675 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13678 @node Mail Source Customization
13679 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13681 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13682 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13686 @item mail-source-crash-box
13687 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13688 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
13689 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13691 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13692 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13693 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
13694 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
13695 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
13696 (This will only happen, when receiving new mail). You may also set
13697 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
13698 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
13700 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13701 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13702 If non-@code{nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
13703 files. This variable only applies when
13704 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
13706 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
13707 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
13708 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
13710 @item mail-source-directory
13711 @vindex mail-source-directory
13712 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
13713 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
13714 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
13717 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13718 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13719 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13720 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13721 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13722 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13724 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13725 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13726 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13728 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13729 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13730 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
13731 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13736 @node Fetching Mail
13737 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13739 @vindex mail-sources
13740 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13741 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13742 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13743 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13745 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13746 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13749 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
13750 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
13755 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13756 :password "secret")))
13759 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13763 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13764 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13767 :password "secret")))
13771 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13772 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13773 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13774 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13775 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13776 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13780 @node Mail Back End Variables
13781 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13783 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13787 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13788 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13789 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13790 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13792 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13793 @item nnmail-split-hook
13794 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
13795 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
13796 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
13797 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13798 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13799 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13800 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13801 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13802 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13805 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13806 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13807 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13808 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13809 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13810 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13811 starting to handle the new mail) and
13812 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13813 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13814 default file modes the new mail files get:
13817 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13818 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13820 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13821 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13824 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13825 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13826 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13827 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13828 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13829 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13830 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13832 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13833 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13834 @findex delete-file
13835 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13837 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13838 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13839 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13840 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13841 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13843 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13844 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13845 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13846 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13847 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
13849 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
13850 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
13851 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
13856 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13857 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13858 @cindex mail splitting
13859 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13861 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13862 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13863 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13864 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13865 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13866 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13868 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13871 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
13872 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
13873 ;; @r{from real errors.}
13874 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13876 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
13877 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
13878 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
13879 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13880 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13881 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
13882 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13883 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13884 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
13885 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
13886 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
13887 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
13888 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13889 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13890 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
13891 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13892 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
13896 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
13897 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
13898 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
13903 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
13904 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
13906 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split})
13907 If the split is a list, the first element of which is a string, then
13908 store the message as specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field}
13909 (a regexp) contains @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict}
13910 (yet another regexp) matches some string after @var{field} and before
13911 the end of the matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If
13912 none of the @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13914 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
13915 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
13916 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
13917 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
13918 stored in one or more groups.
13920 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
13921 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
13922 process all @var{split}s in the list.
13925 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
13926 this message. Use with extreme caution.
13928 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
13929 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
13930 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
13931 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
13934 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13935 body of the messages:
13938 (defun split-on-body ()
13941 (goto-char (point-min))
13942 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13946 The buffer is narrowed to the message in question when @var{function}
13947 is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called after
13948 @code{save-excursion} in the example above. Also note that with the
13949 nnimap backend, message bodies will not be downloaded by default. You
13950 need to set @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to t to do that
13951 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
13953 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
13954 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
13955 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
13956 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
13957 should return a split.
13960 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13964 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13965 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13966 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13967 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13968 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13970 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13971 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
13972 they are expanded as specified by the variable
13973 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
13974 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
13975 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
13976 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
13980 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
13982 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
13983 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
13985 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
13988 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13989 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13990 when all this splitting is performed.
13992 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13993 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13994 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13997 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
14000 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
14001 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
14003 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
14004 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
14005 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
14006 groupings 1 through 9.
14008 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
14009 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} controls whether partial
14010 words are matched during fancy splitting.
14012 Normally, regular expressions given in @code{nnmail-split-fancy} are
14013 implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers, which are word
14014 delimiters. If this variable is true, they are not implicitly
14015 surrounded by anything.
14018 (any "joe" "joemail")
14021 In this example, messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will
14022 normally not be filed in @samp{joemail}. With
14023 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} set to t, however, the
14024 match will happen. In effect, the requirement of a word boundary is
14025 removed and instead the match becomes more like a grep.
14027 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
14028 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
14029 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
14030 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
14031 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
14032 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
14033 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
14034 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
14035 it once per thread.
14037 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
14038 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
14039 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
14040 using the colon feature, like so:
14042 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
14043 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
14045 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
14046 ;; @r{other splits go here}
14050 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
14051 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
14052 in the file specified by the variable
14053 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
14054 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
14055 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
14056 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
14057 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
14058 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
14059 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
14060 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
14061 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
14062 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
14063 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
14064 300 kBytes in size.)
14065 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14066 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
14067 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
14068 messages goes into the new group.
14070 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
14071 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
14072 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
14073 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
14074 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
14075 ``outgoing'' group.
14078 @node Group Mail Splitting
14079 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
14080 @cindex mail splitting
14081 @cindex group mail splitting
14083 @findex gnus-group-split
14084 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
14085 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
14086 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
14087 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
14088 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
14089 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
14090 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
14091 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
14093 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
14094 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
14095 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
14096 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
14098 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
14099 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
14100 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
14101 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
14102 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
14103 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
14104 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
14106 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
14107 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
14108 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
14109 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
14110 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
14111 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
14112 @code{gnus-group-split}.
14114 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
14115 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
14116 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
14117 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
14118 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
14119 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
14120 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
14121 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
14122 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
14123 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
14124 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
14125 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
14126 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
14128 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
14133 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
14134 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
14136 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
14137 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
14138 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
14139 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
14141 ((split-spec . catch-all))
14144 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
14145 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
14146 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
14149 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
14150 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
14151 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
14155 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
14156 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
14157 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
14161 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
14164 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
14165 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
14166 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
14167 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
14168 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
14169 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
14170 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
14171 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
14172 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
14174 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
14175 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
14176 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
14177 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
14178 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
14179 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
14180 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
14181 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
14182 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
14184 @findex gnus-group-split-update
14185 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
14186 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
14187 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
14188 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
14189 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
14192 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
14195 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
14196 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
14197 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
14198 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
14199 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
14202 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
14203 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
14204 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
14205 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
14207 @node Incorporating Old Mail
14208 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
14209 @cindex incorporating old mail
14210 @cindex import old mail
14212 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
14213 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
14214 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
14217 Doing so can be quite easy.
14219 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
14220 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
14221 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
14222 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
14223 your @code{nnml} groups.
14229 Go to the group buffer.
14232 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
14233 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14236 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
14239 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
14240 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14243 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
14244 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
14247 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
14248 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
14249 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
14250 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
14251 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
14253 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
14254 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
14255 using the new mail back end.
14258 @node Expiring Mail
14259 @subsection Expiring Mail
14260 @cindex article expiry
14262 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
14263 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
14264 different approach to mail reading.
14266 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
14267 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
14268 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
14269 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
14270 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
14271 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
14274 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
14275 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
14276 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
14277 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
14278 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
14279 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
14280 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
14281 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
14282 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
14284 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
14285 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
14286 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
14287 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
14288 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
14289 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
14290 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
14293 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
14294 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
14295 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
14296 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
14297 into its own group.)
14299 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
14300 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
14301 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
14302 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
14303 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
14304 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
14305 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
14306 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
14309 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14310 Groups that match the regular expression
14311 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
14312 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
14313 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
14315 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
14316 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
14317 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
14318 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
14319 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14321 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
14323 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
14324 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
14325 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
14328 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
14329 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
14330 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
14331 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
14332 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
14334 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
14335 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
14338 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14339 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
14342 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
14343 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
14345 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
14346 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
14347 don't really mix very well.
14349 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
14350 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
14351 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
14352 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
14355 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
14356 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
14357 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
14358 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
14361 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14363 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14365 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
14367 ((string= group "mail.junk")
14369 ((string= group "important")
14375 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
14376 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
14378 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
14379 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
14380 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
14383 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
14384 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14386 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
14387 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
14388 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
14389 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
14390 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
14391 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
14392 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
14393 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
14394 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
14395 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
14396 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
14397 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
14398 name or @code{delete}.
14400 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
14402 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
14405 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14406 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14407 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
14408 expire mail to groups according to the variable
14409 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
14412 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14413 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14414 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
14415 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
14416 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
14419 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
14420 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
14421 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
14422 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
14423 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
14424 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14426 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14427 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14428 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14429 easier for procmail users.
14431 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14432 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14433 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14434 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14435 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14436 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14437 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14438 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14439 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14440 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14441 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14442 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14443 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14446 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14448 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14449 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14450 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14451 auto-expire turned on.
14455 @subsection Washing Mail
14456 @cindex mail washing
14457 @cindex list server brain damage
14458 @cindex incoming mail treatment
14460 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
14461 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
14462 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
14463 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
14464 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
14465 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
14467 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
14468 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
14469 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
14472 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
14473 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
14474 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
14475 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
14478 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14479 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14480 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
14481 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
14482 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
14485 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14486 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14487 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
14488 Emacs running on MS machines.
14492 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14493 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14494 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
14495 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
14498 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14499 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14500 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
14501 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
14503 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
14504 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
14505 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
14506 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
14507 into a feature by documenting it.)
14509 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14510 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14511 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
14512 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
14513 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
14514 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
14515 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
14518 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
14519 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
14522 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
14523 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14526 This can also be done non-destructively with
14527 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14529 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14530 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14531 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14533 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14534 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14536 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14537 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14538 @code{References} headers.
14542 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14543 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14544 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14548 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14549 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14550 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14557 @subsection Duplicates
14559 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14560 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14561 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14562 @cindex duplicate mails
14563 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14564 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14565 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14566 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14567 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14568 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14569 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14570 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14571 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14572 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14573 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14574 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14575 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14577 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14578 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14579 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14580 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14582 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14585 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14586 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14590 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14591 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
14592 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14593 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
14594 (any mail "mail.misc")
14595 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14601 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14602 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14603 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14607 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14608 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14609 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14610 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14611 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14614 @node Not Reading Mail
14615 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14617 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14618 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14619 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14621 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14622 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14623 mail, which should help.
14625 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14626 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14627 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14628 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14629 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14630 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14631 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old Rmail
14632 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14633 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14634 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14635 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14637 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14638 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14642 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14643 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14645 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14646 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14647 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14649 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14650 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14651 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14655 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14656 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
14657 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14658 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14659 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
14660 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14661 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14665 @node Unix Mail Box
14666 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14668 @cindex unix mail box
14670 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14671 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14672 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14673 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14674 which group it belongs in.
14676 Virtual server settings:
14679 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14680 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14681 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14684 @item nnmbox-active-file
14685 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14686 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14687 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14689 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14690 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14691 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14692 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14697 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14701 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14702 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14703 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{Rmail
14704 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14705 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14707 Virtual server settings:
14710 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14711 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14712 The name of the Rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14714 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14715 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14716 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14717 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14719 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14720 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14721 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14727 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14729 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
14731 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14732 format. It should be used with some caution.
14734 @vindex nnml-directory
14735 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14736 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14737 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14738 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14740 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14743 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14744 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14745 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14746 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14747 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14748 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
14749 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
14750 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
14752 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
14753 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
14754 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
14755 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
14757 @cindex self contained nnml servers
14759 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
14760 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14761 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14762 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
14763 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
14764 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
14765 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
14766 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
14769 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
14770 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
14771 them next time it starts.
14773 Virtual server settings:
14776 @item nnml-directory
14777 @vindex nnml-directory
14778 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
14779 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
14782 @item nnml-active-file
14783 @vindex nnml-active-file
14784 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
14785 @file{~/Mail/active}.
14787 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
14788 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
14789 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14790 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
14792 @item nnml-get-new-mail
14793 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14794 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
14797 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
14798 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
14799 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
14800 default is @code{nil}.
14802 @item nnml-nov-file-name
14803 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
14804 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
14806 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14807 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14808 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
14810 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
14811 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
14812 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14813 default is @code{nil}.
14815 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14816 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14817 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14819 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
14820 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
14821 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14826 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14827 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of whack,
14828 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14829 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14830 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14831 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14832 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14837 @subsubsection MH Spool
14839 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14841 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14842 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
14843 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
14844 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
14846 Virtual server settings:
14849 @item nnmh-directory
14850 @vindex nnmh-directory
14851 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
14852 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14855 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
14856 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14857 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
14861 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
14862 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
14863 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
14864 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
14865 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
14866 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
14867 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
14872 @subsubsection Maildir
14876 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
14877 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
14878 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
14879 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. nnmaildir also
14880 stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory within a
14883 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
14884 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
14885 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
14886 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
14887 can still do that with nnmaildir, but the more common configuration is
14888 to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs that appear as
14891 nnmaildir is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will never
14892 corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never corrupt its
14893 data in the filesystem.
14895 nnmaildir stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each maildir. So you
14896 can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to another, and you will
14899 Virtual server settings:
14903 For each of your nnmaildir servers (it's very unlikely that you'd need
14904 more than one), you need to create a directory and populate it with
14905 maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not choose a
14906 directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir will be
14907 represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the filename of the
14908 symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames in the directory
14909 starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is scanned when you
14910 first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in the group buffer;
14911 if any maildirs have been removed or added, nnmaildir notices at these
14914 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
14915 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
14916 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
14917 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
14918 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
14919 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
14920 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
14921 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
14922 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
14923 if nnmaildir uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical value.
14925 @item target-prefix
14926 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
14927 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
14928 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
14931 When you create a group on an nnmaildir server, the maildir is created
14932 with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
14933 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
14934 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
14935 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
14936 the group @code{foo}, nnmaildir will create
14937 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
14938 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
14939 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
14941 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
14942 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
14943 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
14944 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
14945 symlinks pointing to them will be).
14947 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
14948 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
14949 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
14950 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
14951 @code{force} argument.
14953 @item directory-files
14954 This should be a function with the same interface as
14955 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
14956 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
14957 parameter is optional; the default is
14958 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
14959 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
14960 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
14961 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
14962 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
14963 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
14966 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
14967 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
14968 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
14969 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
14970 value is @code{nil}.
14972 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
14973 an nnmaildir group. The results might happen to be useful, but that
14974 would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be different
14975 in the future. If your split rules create new groups, remember to
14976 supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
14979 @subsubsection Group parameters
14981 nnmaildir uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore all
14982 this; the default behavior for nnmaildir is the same as the default
14983 behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after one week,
14984 etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this functionality is
14985 unique to nnmaildir, so you can ignore it if you're just trying to
14986 duplicate the behavior you already have with another back end.
14988 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
14989 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
14990 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
14991 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
14992 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
14993 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
14994 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
14995 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
14996 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
15000 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article before
15001 it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
15002 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
15003 nnmaildir falls back to the usual
15004 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (overrideable by
15005 the @code{expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) group parameters. If you
15006 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
15007 60 60)]}; nnmaildir will evaluate the form and use the result. An
15008 article's age is measured starting from the article file's
15009 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
15010 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
15011 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
15014 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
15016 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
15018 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
15019 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
15020 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an nnmaildir group, the
15021 article will be just as old in the destination group as it was in the
15022 source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
15023 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
15024 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
15025 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
15026 article. So that form can refer to
15027 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
15028 article. @emph{If this parameter is not set, nnmaildir does not fall
15029 back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
15030 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
15033 If this is set to @code{t}, nnmaildir will treat the articles in this
15034 maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed from
15035 @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in @file{new/},
15036 not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles cannot be
15037 edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the @file{new/}
15038 directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox containing
15039 a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the maildir outside
15040 @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for a shared
15041 mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or have write
15042 permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't contain
15043 extra copies of the articles.
15045 @item directory-files
15046 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
15047 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
15048 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
15049 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
15051 @item distrust-Lines:
15052 If non-@code{nil}, nnmaildir will always count the lines of an
15053 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
15054 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
15057 A list of mark symbols, such as
15058 @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever Gnus asks nnmaildir for
15059 article marks, nnmaildir will say that all articles have these
15060 marks, regardless of whether the marks stored in the filesystem
15061 say so. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will probably be
15062 removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
15063 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15066 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
15067 Gnus asks nnmaildir for article marks, nnmaildir will say that no
15068 articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks stored in
15069 the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
15070 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
15071 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
15072 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15074 @item nov-cache-size
15075 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To speed
15076 things up, nnmaildir keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory for a limited number of
15077 articles in each group. (This is probably not worthwhile, and will
15078 probably be removed in the future.) This parameter's value is noticed
15079 only the first time a group is seen after the server is opened---i.e.,
15080 when you first start Gnus, typically. The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized
15081 until the server is closed and reopened. The default is an estimate
15082 of the number of articles that would be displayed in the summary
15083 buffer: a count of articles that are either marked with @code{tick} or
15084 not marked with @code{read}, plus a little extra.
15087 @subsubsection Article identification
15088 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
15089 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
15090 contains no colons. nnmaildir ignores, but preserves, the
15091 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
15092 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
15093 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
15094 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
15095 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
15096 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
15097 request the article in the summary buffer.
15099 @subsubsection NOV data
15100 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used to
15101 generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
15102 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
15103 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
15104 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically when the
15105 article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can force
15106 nnmaildir to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a single article simply by
15107 deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV} file, but @emph{beware}: this will also
15108 cause nnmaildir to assign a new article number for this article, which
15109 may cause trouble with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
15111 @subsubsection Article marks
15112 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
15113 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
15114 When Gnus asks nnmaildir for a group's marks, nnmaildir looks for such
15115 files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus asks nnmaildir
15116 to store a new set of marks, nnmaildir creates and deletes the
15117 corresponding files as needed. (Actually, rather than create a new
15118 file for each mark, it just creates hard links to
15119 @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
15121 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
15122 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
15123 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
15124 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
15125 this while Gnus is running and your nnmaildir server is open, it's
15126 best to exit all summary buffers for nnmaildir groups and type @kbd{s}
15127 in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or @kbd{M-g} in the
15128 group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not pick up the
15129 changes, and might undo them.
15133 @subsubsection Mail Folders
15135 @cindex mbox folders
15136 @cindex mail folders
15138 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
15139 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
15140 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
15143 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
15145 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
15146 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15147 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15148 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
15149 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
15150 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
15151 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
15152 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
15153 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
15154 @code{nnfolder} directory).
15156 Virtual server settings:
15159 @item nnfolder-directory
15160 @vindex nnfolder-directory
15161 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
15162 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
15165 @item nnfolder-active-file
15166 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
15167 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
15169 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15170 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15171 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15172 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
15174 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
15175 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
15176 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
15179 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15180 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15181 @cindex backup files
15182 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
15183 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
15184 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
15185 your @file{.emacs} file:
15188 (defun turn-off-backup ()
15189 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
15191 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
15194 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15195 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15196 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
15197 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
15198 extract some information from it before removing it.
15200 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15201 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15202 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15203 default is @code{nil}.
15205 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15206 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15207 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
15209 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
15210 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
15211 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
15212 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15214 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15215 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15216 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15217 default is @code{nil}.
15219 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15220 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15221 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
15223 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
15224 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
15225 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
15226 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15231 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
15232 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
15233 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
15234 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
15235 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
15236 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
15239 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
15240 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
15242 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
15243 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
15244 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
15245 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
15246 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
15248 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
15249 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
15250 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
15251 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
15252 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
15253 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
15254 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
15255 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
15258 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
15259 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
15260 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
15261 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
15266 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
15267 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
15268 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
15269 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
15270 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
15271 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
15272 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
15273 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
15274 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
15275 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
15276 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
15277 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
15278 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
15283 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
15284 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
15285 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
15286 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
15287 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
15288 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
15289 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
15290 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
15291 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
15292 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
15293 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
15294 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
15295 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
15296 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
15298 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
15299 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
15304 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
15305 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
15306 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
15307 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
15308 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
15309 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
15310 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
15311 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
15312 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
15313 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
15314 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
15315 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
15316 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
15317 provided by the active file and overviews.
15319 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
15320 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
15321 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
15322 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
15323 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
15326 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
15327 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
15332 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
15333 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
15334 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
15335 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
15336 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
15337 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
15338 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
15342 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
15343 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
15344 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
15345 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
15346 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
15347 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
15348 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
15349 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
15350 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
15352 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
15353 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
15354 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
15355 friendly mail back end all over.
15359 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
15360 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
15363 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
15364 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
15365 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
15366 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
15367 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
15368 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
15369 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
15370 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
15373 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
15374 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
15375 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
15376 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
15377 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
15378 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
15379 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
15380 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
15381 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
15382 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
15383 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
15385 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
15386 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
15387 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
15388 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
15389 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
15392 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
15393 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
15394 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
15395 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
15396 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
15397 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
15398 removed in the future.
15400 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
15401 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
15402 on your file system.
15404 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
15405 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
15410 @node Browsing the Web
15411 @section Browsing the Web
15413 @cindex browsing the web
15417 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
15418 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
15419 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
15420 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
15421 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
15422 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
15423 even know what a news group is.
15425 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
15426 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
15427 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
15428 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
15429 you mad in the end.
15431 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
15434 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
15435 interfaces to these sources.
15439 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
15440 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
15441 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
15442 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
15443 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
15444 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
15447 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
15449 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
15450 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
15451 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
15452 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
15453 though, you should be ok.
15455 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
15456 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
15457 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
15458 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
15459 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
15461 @node Archiving Mail
15462 @subsection Archiving Mail
15463 @cindex archiving mail
15464 @cindex backup of mail
15466 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
15467 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
15468 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
15469 marks is fairly simple.
15471 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
15472 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
15475 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
15476 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
15477 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
15478 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
15479 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
15480 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
15481 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
15482 before you restore the data.
15484 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
15485 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
15486 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
15487 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
15488 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
15489 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
15490 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
15491 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
15492 is unnecessary in that case.
15495 @subsection Web Searches
15500 @cindex Usenet searches
15501 @cindex searching the Usenet
15503 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
15504 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
15505 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
15506 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
15507 searches without having to use a browser.
15509 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
15510 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
15511 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
15512 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
15513 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
15515 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
15516 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
15517 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
15518 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
15519 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
15520 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
15521 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
15522 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
15523 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
15524 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
15527 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
15528 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
15529 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
15530 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
15531 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
15532 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
15534 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
15535 to use @code{nnweb}.
15537 Virtual server variables:
15542 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
15543 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
15544 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
15547 @vindex nnweb-search
15548 The search string to feed to the search engine.
15550 @item nnweb-max-hits
15551 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
15552 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
15555 @item nnweb-type-definition
15556 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
15557 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
15558 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
15563 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
15567 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
15570 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
15573 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
15577 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
15584 @subsection Slashdot
15588 @uref{http://slashdot.org/, Slashdot} is a popular news site, with
15589 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
15590 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
15592 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
15593 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
15596 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15597 '((nnslashdot "")))
15600 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
15601 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
15602 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
15603 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
15604 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
15607 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
15608 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
15610 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
15611 comments), some light @acronym{HTML}izations will be performed. In
15612 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
15613 @samp{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @samp{br} added to
15614 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @acronym{HTML}
15615 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
15616 @acronym{HTML} forms.
15618 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
15621 @item nnslashdot-threaded
15622 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
15623 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
15624 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
15625 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
15626 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
15627 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
15629 @item nnslashdot-login-name
15630 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
15631 The login name to use when posting.
15633 @item nnslashdot-password
15634 @vindex nnslashdot-password
15635 The password to use when posting.
15637 @item nnslashdot-directory
15638 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
15639 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
15640 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
15642 @item nnslashdot-active-url
15643 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
15644 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the
15645 information on news articles and comments. The default is@*
15646 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
15648 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
15649 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
15650 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch comments.
15652 @item nnslashdot-article-url
15653 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
15654 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the news
15655 article. The default is
15656 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
15658 @item nnslashdot-threshold
15659 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
15660 The score threshold. The default is -1.
15662 @item nnslashdot-group-number
15663 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
15664 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
15665 updated. The default is 0.
15672 @subsection Ultimate
15674 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
15676 @uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/, The Ultimate Bulletin Board} is
15677 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
15678 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
15679 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15681 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
15682 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
15683 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @acronym{URL}
15684 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
15685 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
15686 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
15687 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
15689 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
15692 @item nnultimate-directory
15693 @vindex nnultimate-directory
15694 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is@*
15695 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
15700 @subsection Web Archive
15702 @cindex Web Archive
15704 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
15705 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
15706 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
15707 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15710 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
15711 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
15712 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
15713 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET @var{an_egroup} RET egroups RET
15714 www.egroups.com RET @var{your@@email.address} RET}. (Substitute the
15715 @var{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
15716 @var{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
15717 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
15719 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
15722 @item nnwarchive-directory
15723 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
15724 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is@*
15725 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
15727 @item nnwarchive-login
15728 @vindex nnwarchive-login
15729 The account name on the web server.
15731 @item nnwarchive-passwd
15732 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
15733 The password for your account on the web server.
15741 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
15742 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
15743 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
15744 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
15745 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
15747 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
15748 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15750 Use @kbd{G R} from the summary buffer to subscribe to a feed---you
15751 will be prompted for the location of the feed.
15753 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
15754 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET y}, then
15755 subscribe to groups.
15757 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
15760 @item nnrss-directory
15761 @vindex nnrss-directory
15762 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
15763 @file{~/News/rss/}.
15765 @item nnrss-use-local
15766 @vindex nnrss-use-local
15767 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
15768 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
15769 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
15770 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
15771 download script using @command{wget}.
15774 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
15775 the summary buffer.
15778 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
15779 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
15781 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
15783 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
15784 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
15787 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
15790 (require 'browse-url)
15792 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
15794 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
15797 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
15798 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
15801 (browse-url (cdr url))
15802 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
15803 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
15805 (eval-after-load "gnus"
15806 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
15807 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
15808 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
15811 @node Customizing w3
15812 @subsection Customizing w3
15818 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
15819 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
15820 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
15822 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
15823 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
15824 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
15827 (eval-after-load "w3"
15829 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
15830 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
15831 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
15832 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
15834 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
15837 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
15838 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
15845 @cindex @acronym{IMAP}
15847 @acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
15848 think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
15849 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
15850 specify the network address of the server.
15852 @acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
15853 everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
15854 @acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
15855 similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
15856 @acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
15857 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
15859 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
15860 entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
15861 the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
15862 not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
15864 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
15865 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
15866 manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
15867 usage explained in this section.
15869 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP}
15870 servers might look something like the following. (Note that for
15871 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you need external programs and libraries,
15875 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15876 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
15877 ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
15879 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15880 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
15881 ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
15883 (nnimap-server-port 143)
15884 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15885 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
15886 ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
15887 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
15888 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
15889 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
15890 (nnimap-stream network))
15891 ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
15893 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
15894 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
15895 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
15898 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
15899 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
15900 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
15901 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
15903 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
15908 @item nnimap-address
15909 @vindex nnimap-address
15911 The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
15912 server name if not specified.
15914 @item nnimap-server-port
15915 @vindex nnimap-server-port
15916 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
15918 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
15921 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15922 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
15925 @item nnimap-list-pattern
15926 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
15927 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
15928 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
15929 interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
15930 @acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
15931 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
15933 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
15934 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
15935 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
15938 Example server specification:
15941 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15942 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
15943 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
15946 @item nnimap-stream
15947 @vindex nnimap-stream
15948 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
15949 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
15950 of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over
15951 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can
15952 be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
15954 Example server specification:
15957 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15958 (nnimap-stream ssl))
15961 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
15965 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
15966 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
15968 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
15970 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
15971 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
15974 @dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
15975 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
15977 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
15978 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
15980 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
15982 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
15985 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
15986 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
15987 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
15988 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
15989 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
15990 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
15991 restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
15992 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
15993 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
15996 For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
15997 needed. It is available from
15998 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
16000 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
16001 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
16002 authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
16003 sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
16004 exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
16005 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
16006 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
16009 @vindex imap-ssl-program
16010 For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
16011 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
16012 and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
16013 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
16014 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
16015 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
16018 @vindex imap-shell-program
16019 @vindex imap-shell-host
16020 For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
16021 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
16023 @item nnimap-authenticator
16024 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
16026 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
16027 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
16029 Example server specification:
16032 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16033 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
16036 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
16040 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
16041 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
16043 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
16046 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
16047 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
16049 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
16051 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
16053 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as ``anonymous'', supplying your email address as password.
16056 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
16058 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
16059 Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers have decided things that
16060 don't exist actually do exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
16061 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
16062 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
16063 nnimap does when you delete an article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
16066 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
16067 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
16068 running in circles yet?
16070 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
16071 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
16074 The possible options are:
16079 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
16082 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
16083 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
16084 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
16085 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
16087 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
16092 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
16093 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
16095 If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
16096 well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
16097 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
16098 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
16099 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
16102 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
16103 enable per-user persistent dormant flags, using something like:
16106 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
16107 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16108 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
16109 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16112 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
16113 as ticked for other users.
16115 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
16117 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
16119 This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
16120 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
16121 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
16122 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
16124 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
16125 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
16126 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
16127 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
16129 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
16130 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
16132 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
16133 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
16134 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
16137 @item nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16138 @vindex nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16140 Unselect mailboxes before looking for new mail in them. Some servers
16141 seem to need this under some circumstances; it was reported that
16147 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
16148 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
16149 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
16150 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
16151 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
16152 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
16157 @node Splitting in IMAP
16158 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
16159 @cindex splitting imap mail
16161 Splitting is something Gnus users have loved and used for years, and now
16162 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
16163 @acronym{IMAP} servers have server side splitting and those that have
16164 splitting seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that
16165 @acronym{IMAP} support for Gnus has to do its own splitting.
16169 (Incidentally, people seem to have been dreaming on, and Sieve has
16170 gaining a market share and is supported by several IMAP servers.
16171 Fortunately, Gnus support it too, @xref{Sieve Commands}.)
16173 Here are the variables of interest:
16177 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
16178 @cindex splitting, crosspost
16180 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
16182 If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
16183 mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
16184 found will be used.
16186 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
16188 @item nnimap-split-inbox
16189 @cindex splitting, inbox
16191 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
16193 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
16194 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
16195 splitting is disabled!
16198 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
16199 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
16202 No nnmail equivalent.
16204 @item nnimap-split-rule
16205 @cindex splitting, rules
16206 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
16208 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
16211 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
16212 sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
16213 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
16214 Neither did I, we need examples.
16217 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16219 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
16220 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
16221 ("INBOX.private" "")))
16224 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
16225 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
16226 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
16228 The first string may contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by
16229 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
16233 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
16236 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
16237 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
16239 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
16240 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
16241 containing the headers of the article. It should return a
16242 non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
16244 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
16245 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
16246 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
16247 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
16248 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
16249 them every time you fetch new mail.)
16251 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
16252 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
16253 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
16255 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
16256 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
16257 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16259 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
16261 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
16262 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
16263 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
16266 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16267 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
16268 ("junk" "From:.*Simon"))))
16269 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
16270 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
16271 ("junk" my-junk-func))))))
16274 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
16275 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
16276 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
16277 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
16278 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
16279 group/function elements.
16281 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16283 @item nnimap-split-predicate
16285 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
16287 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
16288 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
16290 This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
16291 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
16292 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
16295 @item nnimap-split-fancy
16296 @cindex splitting, fancy
16297 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
16298 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
16300 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16301 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
16302 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
16304 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
16305 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16306 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
16307 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16312 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
16313 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
16316 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
16318 @item nnimap-split-download-body
16319 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
16320 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
16322 Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
16323 This is generally not required, and will slow things down
16324 considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
16325 splitting function that analyses the body to split the article.
16329 @node Expiring in IMAP
16330 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
16331 @cindex expiring imap mail
16333 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
16334 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
16335 Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
16336 IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
16337 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
16338 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
16341 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
16342 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
16343 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
16344 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
16345 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
16346 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
16347 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
16348 messages. Most do, fortunately.
16352 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
16353 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16355 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
16356 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
16358 @item nnmail-expiry-target
16360 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
16361 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
16362 that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
16363 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
16367 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
16368 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
16369 @cindex editing imap acls
16370 @cindex Access Control Lists
16371 @cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
16372 @kindex G l (Group)
16373 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
16375 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
16376 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
16377 @acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
16380 To edit an ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
16381 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with an ACL
16382 editing window with detailed instructions.
16384 Some possible uses:
16388 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
16389 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
16390 follow the list without subscribing to it.
16392 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
16393 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
16394 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
16398 @node Expunging mailboxes
16399 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
16403 @cindex manual expunging
16404 @kindex G x (Group)
16405 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
16407 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
16408 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
16409 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
16411 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
16414 @node A note on namespaces
16415 @subsection A note on namespaces
16416 @cindex IMAP namespace
16419 The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
16420 by the following text in the RFC:
16423 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
16425 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
16426 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
16427 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
16428 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
16430 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
16431 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
16432 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
16433 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
16434 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
16435 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
16438 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
16439 @acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
16440 prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
16442 Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
16443 mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
16444 in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
16445 created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
16446 without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
16447 not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
16448 mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
16449 you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
16452 See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
16453 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
16454 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
16456 @node Debugging IMAP
16457 @subsection Debugging IMAP
16458 @cindex IMAP debugging
16459 @cindex protocol dump (IMAP)
16461 @acronym{IMAP} is a complex protocol, more so than @acronym{NNTP} or
16462 @acronym{POP3}. Implementation bugs are not unlikely, and we do our
16463 best to fix them right away. If you encounter odd behaviour, chances
16464 are that either the server or Gnus is buggy.
16466 If you are familiar with network protocols in general, you will
16467 probably be able to extract some clues from the protocol dump of the
16468 exchanges between Gnus and the server. Even if you are not familiar
16469 with network protocols, when you include the protocol dump in
16470 @acronym{IMAP}-related bug reports you are helping us with data
16471 critical to solving the problem. Therefore, we strongly encourage you
16472 to include the protocol dump when reporting IMAP bugs in Gnus.
16476 Because the protocol dump, when enabled, generates lots of data, it is
16477 disabled by default. You can enable it by setting @code{imap-log} as
16484 This instructs the @code{imap.el} package to log any exchanges with
16485 the server. The log is stored in the buffer @samp{*imap-log*}. Look
16486 for error messages, which sometimes are tagged with the keyword
16487 @code{BAD} - but when submitting a bug, make sure to include all the
16490 @node Other Sources
16491 @section Other Sources
16493 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
16494 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
16498 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
16499 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
16500 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
16501 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
16502 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
16506 @node Directory Groups
16507 @subsection Directory Groups
16509 @cindex directory groups
16511 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
16512 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
16515 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
16516 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
16517 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
16518 back end to read directories. Big deal.
16520 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
16521 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
16522 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
16523 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
16524 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
16526 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
16528 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
16529 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
16530 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
16531 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
16534 @node Anything Groups
16535 @subsection Anything Groups
16538 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
16539 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
16540 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
16543 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
16544 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
16545 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
16546 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
16547 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
16548 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
16549 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
16550 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
16551 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
16552 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
16555 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
16556 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
16557 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
16558 in the article buffer, just as usual.
16560 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
16561 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
16562 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
16563 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
16565 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
16566 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
16567 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
16568 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
16569 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
16570 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
16571 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
16572 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
16577 @item nneething-map-file-directory
16578 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
16579 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
16580 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
16582 @item nneething-exclude-files
16583 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
16584 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
16585 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
16587 @item nneething-include-files
16588 @vindex nneething-include-files
16589 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
16590 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
16592 @item nneething-map-file
16593 @vindex nneething-map-file
16594 Name of the map files.
16598 @node Document Groups
16599 @subsection Document Groups
16601 @cindex documentation group
16604 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
16605 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
16612 The Babyl (Rmail) mail box.
16617 The standard Unix mbox file.
16619 @cindex MMDF mail box
16621 The MMDF mail box format.
16624 Several news articles appended into a file.
16627 @cindex rnews batch files
16628 The rnews batch transport format.
16629 @cindex forwarded messages
16632 Forwarded articles.
16635 Netscape mail boxes.
16638 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
16640 @item standard-digest
16641 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
16644 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
16646 @item lanl-gov-announce
16647 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
16649 @item rfc822-forward
16650 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
16653 The Outlook mail box.
16656 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
16659 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
16662 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
16665 An RFC934-forwarded message.
16671 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
16674 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
16680 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
16681 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
16682 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
16685 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
16686 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
16687 group. And that's it.
16689 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
16690 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
16691 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
16692 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
16693 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
16694 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
16695 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
16696 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
16697 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
16698 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
16700 Virtual server variables:
16703 @item nndoc-article-type
16704 @vindex nndoc-article-type
16705 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
16706 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
16707 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
16708 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
16709 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
16711 @item nndoc-post-type
16712 @vindex nndoc-post-type
16713 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
16714 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
16719 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
16723 @node Document Server Internals
16724 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
16726 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
16727 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
16728 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
16729 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
16731 First, here's an example document type definition:
16735 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
16736 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
16739 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
16740 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
16741 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
16742 types can be defined with very few settings:
16745 @item first-article
16746 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
16747 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
16750 @item article-begin
16751 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
16752 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
16754 @item head-begin-function
16755 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
16758 @item nndoc-head-begin
16759 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
16762 @item nndoc-head-end
16763 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
16764 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
16766 @item body-begin-function
16767 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
16771 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
16774 @item body-end-function
16775 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
16779 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
16782 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
16783 regexp will be totally ignored.
16787 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
16788 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
16789 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
16790 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
16791 something that's palatable for Gnus:
16794 @item prepare-body-function
16795 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
16796 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
16797 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
16799 @item article-transform-function
16800 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
16801 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
16802 body of the article.
16804 @item generate-head-function
16805 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
16806 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
16807 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
16808 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
16812 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
16817 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16818 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16819 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
16820 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
16821 (head-end . "^ ?$")
16822 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
16823 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
16824 (subtype digest guess))
16827 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
16828 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
16829 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
16830 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
16831 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
16833 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
16834 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
16835 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
16836 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
16837 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
16838 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
16839 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
16840 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
16841 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
16842 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
16843 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
16844 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
16852 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
16853 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
16854 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
16856 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
16857 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
16858 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
16861 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
16862 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
16863 that interested in doing things properly.
16865 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
16866 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
16869 First some terminology:
16874 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
16875 get news and/or mail from.
16878 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
16879 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
16882 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
16886 @item message packets
16887 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
16888 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
16889 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16891 @item response packets
16892 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
16893 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
16894 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16904 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
16905 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
16906 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
16907 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
16910 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
16913 You put the packet in your home directory.
16916 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
16917 the native or secondary server.
16920 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
16921 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
16924 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
16928 You transfer this packet to the server.
16931 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
16934 You then repeat until you die.
16938 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
16939 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
16942 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
16943 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
16944 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
16948 @node SOUP Commands
16949 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
16951 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
16955 @kindex G s b (Group)
16956 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
16957 Pack all unread articles in the current group
16958 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
16959 process/prefix convention.
16962 @kindex G s w (Group)
16963 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
16964 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
16967 @kindex G s s (Group)
16968 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
16969 Send all replies from the replies packet
16970 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
16973 @kindex G s p (Group)
16974 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
16975 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
16978 @kindex G s r (Group)
16979 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
16980 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
16983 @kindex O s (Summary)
16984 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
16985 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
16986 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
16987 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16992 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
16997 @item gnus-soup-directory
16998 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
16999 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
17000 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
17002 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
17003 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
17004 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
17005 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
17007 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
17008 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
17009 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
17010 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
17012 @item gnus-soup-packer
17013 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
17014 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17015 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
17017 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
17018 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
17019 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17020 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17022 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
17023 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
17024 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
17026 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17027 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17028 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
17029 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
17035 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
17038 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
17039 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
17040 you can read them at leisure.
17042 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
17046 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
17047 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
17048 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
17049 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
17051 @item nnsoup-directory
17052 @vindex nnsoup-directory
17053 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
17054 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
17056 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
17057 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
17058 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
17059 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
17061 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
17062 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
17063 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
17064 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
17065 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
17067 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
17068 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
17069 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
17070 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
17072 @item nnsoup-active-file
17073 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
17074 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
17075 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
17076 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
17077 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
17079 @item nnsoup-packer
17080 @vindex nnsoup-packer
17081 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
17082 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
17084 @item nnsoup-unpacker
17085 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
17086 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
17087 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17089 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
17090 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
17091 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
17094 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
17095 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
17096 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
17099 @item nnsoup-always-save
17100 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
17101 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
17107 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
17109 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
17110 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
17111 more for that to happen.
17113 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
17114 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
17115 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
17118 In specific, this is what it does:
17121 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
17122 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
17125 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
17126 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
17127 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
17130 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
17131 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
17132 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
17135 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
17136 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
17137 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
17139 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
17145 @item nngateway-address
17146 @vindex nngateway-address
17147 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
17149 @item nngateway-header-transformation
17150 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
17151 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
17152 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
17153 transformation should be called, and defaults to
17154 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
17155 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
17158 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
17159 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
17160 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
17163 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
17166 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
17169 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
17172 The following pre-defined functions exist:
17174 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17177 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17178 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17179 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
17181 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17183 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17184 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17185 @code{nngateway-address}.
17193 (setq gnus-post-method
17195 "mail2news@@replay.com"
17196 (nngateway-header-transformation
17197 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
17200 So, to use this, simply say something like:
17203 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
17208 @node Combined Groups
17209 @section Combined Groups
17211 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
17215 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
17216 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
17220 @node Virtual Groups
17221 @subsection Virtual Groups
17223 @cindex virtual groups
17224 @cindex merging groups
17226 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
17229 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
17230 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
17231 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
17233 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
17234 regexp to match component groups.
17236 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
17237 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
17238 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
17239 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
17240 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
17241 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
17242 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
17243 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
17245 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
17246 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
17249 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
17252 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
17253 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
17255 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
17256 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
17257 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
17258 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
17261 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
17264 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
17265 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
17266 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
17268 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
17269 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
17270 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
17271 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
17272 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
17274 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
17275 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
17276 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
17278 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
17279 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
17280 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
17281 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
17282 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
17283 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
17284 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
17285 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
17286 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
17287 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
17288 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
17290 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
17291 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
17292 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
17293 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
17294 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
17295 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
17296 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
17298 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
17299 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
17301 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
17302 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
17306 @node Kibozed Groups
17307 @subsection Kibozed Groups
17311 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by the @acronym{OED} as ``grepping through
17312 (parts of) the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will
17313 do this for you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @acronym{NNTP} server
17314 down to a halt with useless requests! Oh happiness!
17316 @kindex G k (Group)
17317 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
17320 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
17321 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
17322 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between
17323 @code{nnkiboze} and @code{nnvirtual} end.
17325 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an
17326 @code{nnkiboze} group must have a score file to say what articles are
17327 to be included in the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
17329 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
17330 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
17331 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
17332 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time.
17333 Lots of time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the
17334 headers from all the articles in all the component groups and run them
17335 through the scoring process to determine if there are any articles in
17336 the groups that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
17338 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
17339 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
17340 @acronym{NNTP} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
17341 Stranger things have happened.
17343 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
17344 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
17346 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
17347 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
17348 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/kiboze/} by default.
17349 One contains the @acronym{NOV} header lines for all the articles in
17350 the group, and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store
17351 information on what groups have been searched through to find
17352 component articles.
17354 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
17355 their @acronym{NOV} lines removed from the @acronym{NOV} file.
17358 @node Gnus Unplugged
17359 @section Gnus Unplugged
17364 @cindex Gnus unplugged
17366 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
17367 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
17368 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
17369 read news. Believe it or not.
17371 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
17372 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
17373 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
17374 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
17375 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
17377 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
17378 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
17379 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
17380 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
17381 reading news on a machine.
17383 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
17384 fact, you don't even have to configure anything.
17386 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
17389 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
17390 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
17391 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
17392 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
17393 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
17394 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
17395 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
17396 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
17397 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
17398 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
17399 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
17400 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
17401 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
17406 @subsection Agent Basics
17408 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
17410 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
17411 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
17412 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
17413 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
17415 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
17416 connected to the net continuously.
17418 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
17419 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
17421 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
17422 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
17423 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
17424 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
17425 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
17427 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
17428 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
17429 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
17430 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
17431 they're kinda like plugged always).
17433 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
17434 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
17435 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
17438 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
17439 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
17440 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
17441 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
17442 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
17444 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
17449 @findex gnus-unplugged
17450 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
17451 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
17452 already fetched while in this mode.
17455 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
17456 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
17457 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
17458 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
17459 Source Specifiers}).
17462 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
17463 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
17464 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
17465 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
17466 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
17469 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
17470 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
17471 then you read the news offline.
17474 And then you go to step 2.
17477 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
17483 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
17484 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
17485 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
17486 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
17487 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
17488 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
17489 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
17490 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
17493 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
17494 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
17495 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
17496 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
17498 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
17499 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
17500 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
17501 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
17502 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
17503 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
17507 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
17511 @node Agent Categories
17512 @subsection Agent Categories
17514 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
17515 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
17516 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
17517 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
17518 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
17519 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
17520 you're interested in the articles anyway.
17522 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
17523 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
17524 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
17525 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
17526 buffer for creating and managing categories.
17528 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
17529 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
17530 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
17531 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
17532 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
17535 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
17536 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
17537 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
17538 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
17539 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
17540 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
17544 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
17545 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
17546 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
17550 @node Category Syntax
17551 @subsubsection Category Syntax
17553 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
17554 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
17555 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
17559 @item gnus-agent-cat-name
17560 The name of the category.
17562 @item gnus-agent-cat-groups
17563 The list of groups that are in this category.
17565 @item gnus-agent-cat-predicate
17566 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
17567 are eligible for downloading; and
17569 @item gnus-agent-cat-score-file
17570 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
17571 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
17572 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
17574 @item gnus-agent-cat-enable-expiration
17575 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
17576 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
17577 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
17578 only groups that should not be expired.
17580 @item gnus-agent-cat-days-until-old
17581 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
17582 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
17584 @item gnus-agent-cat-low-score
17585 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
17587 @item gnus-agent-cat-high-score
17588 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
17590 @item gnus-agent-cat-length-when-short
17591 an integer that overrides the value of
17592 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
17594 @item gnus-agent-cat-length-when-long
17595 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
17598 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
17601 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
17602 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
17603 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
17606 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
17607 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
17608 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
17609 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
17611 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
17612 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
17613 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
17615 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
17616 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
17617 operators sprinkled in between.
17619 Perhaps some examples are in order.
17621 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
17622 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
17628 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
17629 short (for some value of ``short'').
17631 Here's a more complex predicate:
17640 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
17641 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
17644 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
17645 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
17646 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
17648 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
17649 you want to do, you can write your own.
17651 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
17652 bound to the value determined by calling
17653 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
17654 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
17655 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
17656 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
17657 predicate to individual groups.
17661 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
17662 lines; default 100.
17665 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
17666 lines; default 200.
17669 True iff the article has a download score less than
17670 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
17673 True iff the article has a download score greater than
17674 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
17677 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
17678 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
17679 checksum and sees whether articles match.
17688 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
17689 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
17690 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
17693 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
17694 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
17695 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
17696 something along the lines of the following:
17699 (defun my-article-old-p ()
17700 "Say whether an article is old."
17701 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
17702 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
17705 with the predicate then defined as:
17708 (not my-article-old-p)
17711 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
17712 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
17716 (require 'gnus-agent)
17717 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
17718 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
17719 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
17722 and simply specify your predicate as:
17728 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
17729 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
17730 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
17731 just don't give a damn.
17733 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
17734 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
17735 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
17736 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
17737 parameters like so:
17740 (agent-predicate . short)
17743 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
17744 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
17745 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
17747 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
17750 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
17753 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
17754 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
17755 predicate is assumed to be a list.
17758 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
17759 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
17760 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
17761 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
17762 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
17763 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
17765 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
17766 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
17767 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
17768 if it's to be specific to that group.
17770 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
17777 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
17778 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
17784 Category specification
17788 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
17794 Group/Topic Parameter specification
17797 (agent-score ("from"
17798 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
17803 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
17809 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
17810 keywords stated above.
17816 Category specification
17819 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
17825 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
17829 Group Parameter specification
17832 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
17835 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
17840 Use @code{normal} score files
17842 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
17843 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
17844 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
17845 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
17847 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
17848 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
17849 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
17850 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
17854 Category Specification
17861 Group Parameter specification
17864 (agent-score . file)
17869 @node Category Buffer
17870 @subsubsection Category Buffer
17872 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
17873 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
17874 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
17876 The following commands are available in this buffer:
17880 @kindex q (Category)
17881 @findex gnus-category-exit
17882 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
17885 @kindex e (Category)
17886 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
17887 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
17888 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
17891 @kindex k (Category)
17892 @findex gnus-category-kill
17893 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
17896 @kindex c (Category)
17897 @findex gnus-category-copy
17898 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
17901 @kindex a (Category)
17902 @findex gnus-category-add
17903 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
17906 @kindex p (Category)
17907 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
17908 Edit the predicate of the current category
17909 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
17912 @kindex g (Category)
17913 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
17914 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
17915 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
17918 @kindex s (Category)
17919 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
17920 Edit the download score rule of the current category
17921 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
17924 @kindex l (Category)
17925 @findex gnus-category-list
17926 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
17930 @node Category Variables
17931 @subsubsection Category Variables
17934 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
17935 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
17936 Hook run in category buffers.
17938 @item gnus-category-line-format
17939 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
17940 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
17941 Variables}). Valid elements are:
17945 The name of the category.
17948 The number of groups in the category.
17951 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
17952 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
17953 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
17955 @item gnus-agent-short-article
17956 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
17957 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
17959 @item gnus-agent-long-article
17960 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
17961 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
17963 @item gnus-agent-low-score
17964 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
17965 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
17968 @item gnus-agent-high-score
17969 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
17970 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
17973 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
17974 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
17975 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
17976 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
17977 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
17978 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
17979 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
17980 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
17984 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
17985 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
17986 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
17987 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
17988 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
17989 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
17990 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
17995 @node Agent Commands
17996 @subsection Agent Commands
17997 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
17998 @kindex J j (Agent)
18000 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
18001 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
18002 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
18006 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
18007 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
18008 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
18014 @node Group Agent Commands
18015 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
18019 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
18020 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
18021 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
18022 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
18025 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
18026 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
18027 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
18030 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
18031 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
18032 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
18033 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
18036 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
18037 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
18038 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
18039 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
18042 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
18043 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
18044 Add the current group to an Agent category
18045 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
18046 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18049 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
18050 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
18051 Remove the current group from its category, if any
18052 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
18053 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18056 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
18057 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18058 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
18064 @node Summary Agent Commands
18065 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
18069 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
18070 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
18071 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
18074 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
18075 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
18076 Remove the downloading mark from the article
18077 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
18081 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
18082 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
18083 Toggle whether to download the article
18084 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
18088 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
18089 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
18090 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
18093 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
18094 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
18095 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
18096 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
18099 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
18100 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-series
18101 Download all processable articles in this group.
18102 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-series}).
18105 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
18106 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
18107 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
18108 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
18113 @node Server Agent Commands
18114 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
18118 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
18119 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
18120 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
18121 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
18124 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
18125 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
18126 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
18127 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
18132 @node Agent Visuals
18133 @subsection Agent Visuals
18135 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
18136 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
18137 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
18138 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
18139 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
18140 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
18141 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
18142 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
18143 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
18144 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
18146 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
18147 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
18148 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
18149 way, "If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
18150 less than satisfying unplugged session". For this reason, the Agent
18151 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
18152 the download status of each article so that you always know which
18153 articles will be available when unplugged.
18155 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
18156 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
18157 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
18158 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
18159 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
18160 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
18161 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
18162 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
18164 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
18165 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
18166 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
18167 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
18168 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
18169 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
18170 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
18171 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
18172 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
18174 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
18175 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
18176 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
18177 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
18178 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear.
18180 For occasional Agent users, the undownloaded faces may appear to be an
18181 absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since most of their
18182 articles have not been fetched into the Agent, most of the normal
18183 faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces. If this is your
18184 situation, you have two choices available. First, you can completely
18185 disable the undownload faces by customizing
18186 @code{gnus-summary-highlight} to delete the three cons-cells that
18187 refer to the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face} faces. Second, if
18188 you prefer to take a more fine-grained approach, you may set the
18189 @code{agent-disable-undownloaded-faces} group parameter to t. This
18190 parameter, like all other agent parameters, may be set on an Agent
18191 Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}), a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic
18192 Parameters}), or an individual group (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
18194 @node Agent as Cache
18195 @subsection Agent as Cache
18197 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
18198 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
18199 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
18200 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
18201 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
18202 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
18203 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
18204 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
18205 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
18207 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
18208 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
18209 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
18210 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
18211 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
18214 @subsection Agent Expiry
18216 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18217 @findex gnus-agent-expire
18218 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
18219 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
18220 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
18221 @cindex agent expiry
18222 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
18225 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
18226 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
18227 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
18228 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
18229 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
18230 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
18231 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
18232 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
18234 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
18235 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
18236 synchronized with the group.
18238 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
18239 prevent expiration in selected groups.
18241 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
18242 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
18243 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
18244 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
18245 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
18246 be kept indefinitely.
18248 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
18249 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
18250 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
18251 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
18253 @node Agent Regeneration
18254 @subsection Agent Regeneration
18256 @cindex agent regeneration
18257 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
18258 @cindex regeneration
18260 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
18261 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
18262 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
18263 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
18264 internal inconsistencies.
18266 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
18267 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
18268 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
18269 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
18270 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
18271 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
18273 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
18274 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
18275 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
18276 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
18277 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
18278 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
18280 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
18281 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
18282 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
18283 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
18284 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
18285 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
18288 @node Agent and IMAP
18289 @subsection Agent and IMAP
18291 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
18292 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
18293 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
18294 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
18296 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
18297 are kept on the @acronym{IMAP} server, rather than in @file{.newsrc} as is the
18298 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
18299 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
18301 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
18302 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
18303 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
18304 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
18306 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18307 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
18308 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
18309 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
18310 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
18311 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
18313 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
18314 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
18315 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
18316 in the group buffer.
18318 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
18319 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
18324 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
18327 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
18331 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
18332 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
18333 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
18334 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group and
18335 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
18336 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
18337 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
18338 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
18341 @node Outgoing Messages
18342 @subsection Outgoing Messages
18344 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
18345 stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view
18346 them there after posting, and edit them at will.
18348 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
18349 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
18350 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
18351 messages in the draft group.
18355 @node Agent Variables
18356 @subsection Agent Variables
18359 @item gnus-agent-directory
18360 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
18361 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
18362 @file{~/News/agent/}.
18364 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
18365 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
18366 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
18367 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
18368 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
18371 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
18372 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
18373 Hook run when connecting to the network.
18375 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
18376 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
18377 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
18379 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
18380 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
18381 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
18383 @item gnus-agent-cache
18384 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
18385 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
18386 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
18387 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
18389 @item gnus-agent-go-online
18390 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
18391 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
18392 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
18393 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
18394 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
18395 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
18398 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
18399 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
18400 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
18401 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
18402 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
18403 read. The default is t.
18405 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
18406 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
18407 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
18408 agent will fetch all missing headers. When @code{nil}, the agent will
18409 fetch only new headers. The default is @code{nil}.
18411 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
18412 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
18413 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
18414 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
18415 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
18416 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
18417 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
18418 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
18419 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
18420 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
18421 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
18422 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
18425 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
18426 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
18427 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
18428 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
18429 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
18430 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
18431 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
18432 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
18433 is only valid if the Agent is used.
18435 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
18436 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
18437 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
18438 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
18439 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
18440 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
18442 The legal values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
18443 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
18444 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
18445 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
18446 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
18451 @node Example Setup
18452 @subsection Example Setup
18454 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
18455 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
18456 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
18459 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
18460 ;;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
18461 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
18463 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
18464 ;;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
18465 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
18467 ;;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
18468 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
18470 ;;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
18471 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
18472 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
18475 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
18476 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
18479 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
18480 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
18481 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
18482 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
18483 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
18486 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
18487 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
18488 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
18489 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
18490 back all the killed groups.)
18492 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
18493 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
18494 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
18497 @node Batching Agents
18498 @subsection Batching Agents
18499 @findex gnus-agent-batch
18501 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
18502 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
18503 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
18505 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
18506 following incantation:
18510 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
18514 @node Agent Caveats
18515 @subsection Agent Caveats
18517 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
18518 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
18522 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
18524 @strong{No}. If you want this behaviour, add
18525 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
18526 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
18528 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
18529 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
18531 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
18535 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
18536 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
18537 locally stored articles.
18544 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
18545 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
18546 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
18549 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
18550 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
18551 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
18552 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
18553 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
18555 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
18556 before generating the summary buffer.
18558 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
18559 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
18560 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
18562 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
18563 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
18564 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
18565 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
18568 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
18569 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
18570 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
18571 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
18572 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
18573 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
18574 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
18575 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
18576 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
18577 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
18578 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
18579 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
18580 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
18581 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
18582 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
18583 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
18584 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
18588 @node Summary Score Commands
18589 @section Summary Score Commands
18590 @cindex score commands
18592 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
18593 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
18594 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
18595 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
18596 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
18598 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
18599 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
18600 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
18601 score file the current one.
18603 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
18608 @kindex V s (Summary)
18609 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
18610 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
18613 @kindex V S (Summary)
18614 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
18615 Display the score of the current article
18616 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
18619 @kindex V t (Summary)
18620 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
18621 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
18622 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
18623 can use @kbd{q} to quit. @kbd{e} edits the corresponding score file.
18624 When point is on a string within the match element, @kbd{e} will try to
18625 bring you to this string in the score file.
18628 @kindex V w (Summary)
18629 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
18630 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
18633 @kindex V R (Summary)
18634 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
18635 Run the current summary through the scoring process
18636 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
18637 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
18638 effect you're having.
18641 @kindex V c (Summary)
18642 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
18643 Make a different score file the current
18644 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
18647 @kindex V e (Summary)
18648 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
18649 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
18650 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
18654 @kindex V f (Summary)
18655 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
18656 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
18657 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
18660 @kindex V F (Summary)
18661 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
18662 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
18663 after editing score files.
18666 @kindex V C (Summary)
18667 @findex gnus-score-customize
18668 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
18669 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
18673 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
18678 @kindex V m (Summary)
18679 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
18680 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
18681 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
18684 @kindex V x (Summary)
18685 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
18686 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
18687 expunge all articles below this score
18688 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
18691 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
18692 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
18695 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
18696 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
18700 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
18701 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
18703 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
18704 keys are available:
18708 Score on the author name.
18711 Score on the subject line.
18714 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
18717 Score on the @code{References} line.
18723 Score on the number of lines.
18726 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
18729 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
18730 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
18733 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
18734 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
18735 @file{ADAPT} files.)
18744 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
18750 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
18751 what headers you are scoring on.
18763 Substring matching.
18766 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
18795 Greater than number.
18800 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
18801 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
18802 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
18807 Temporary score entry.
18810 Permanent score entry.
18813 Immediately scoring.
18817 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
18818 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
18819 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
18823 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
18824 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
18825 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
18826 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
18828 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
18829 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
18830 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
18831 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
18832 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
18834 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
18835 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
18836 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
18837 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
18838 current score file.
18840 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
18841 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
18842 pretend they are keymaps or not.
18845 @node Group Score Commands
18846 @section Group Score Commands
18847 @cindex group score commands
18849 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
18854 @kindex W f (Group)
18855 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
18856 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
18857 all the time. This command will flush the cache
18858 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
18862 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
18864 @findex gnus-batch-score
18865 @cindex batch scoring
18867 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
18871 @node Score Variables
18872 @section Score Variables
18873 @cindex score variables
18877 @item gnus-use-scoring
18878 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
18879 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
18880 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
18882 @item gnus-kill-killed
18883 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
18884 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
18885 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
18886 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
18887 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
18888 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
18889 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
18891 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
18892 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
18893 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
18894 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
18895 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
18897 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
18898 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
18899 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
18900 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
18902 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
18903 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
18904 @cindex score cache
18905 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
18906 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
18907 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
18908 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
18909 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
18910 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
18911 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
18914 @item gnus-save-score
18915 @vindex gnus-save-score
18916 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
18917 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
18918 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
18920 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
18921 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
18922 across group visits.
18924 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
18925 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
18926 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
18927 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
18928 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
18929 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
18930 manually entered data.
18932 @item gnus-summary-default-score
18933 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
18934 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
18936 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
18937 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
18938 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
18939 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
18940 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
18941 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
18943 @item gnus-score-over-mark
18944 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
18945 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
18946 default. Default is @samp{+}.
18948 @item gnus-score-below-mark
18949 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
18950 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
18951 default. Default is @samp{-}.
18953 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
18954 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
18955 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
18956 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
18958 Predefined functions available are:
18961 @item gnus-score-find-single
18962 @findex gnus-score-find-single
18963 Only apply the group's own score file.
18965 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
18966 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
18967 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
18968 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
18969 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
18970 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
18971 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
18972 then a regexp match is done.
18974 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
18975 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
18977 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
18978 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
18979 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
18980 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
18982 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
18983 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
18984 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
18985 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
18986 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
18990 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
18991 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
18992 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
18993 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
18994 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
18995 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
18996 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
18999 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
19000 overall score file, you could use the value
19002 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
19003 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
19006 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
19007 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
19008 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
19009 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
19010 are expired. It's 7 by default.
19012 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19013 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19014 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
19015 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
19016 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
19017 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
19018 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
19019 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
19021 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19022 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19023 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
19025 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
19026 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
19027 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
19028 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
19029 threading---according to the current value of
19030 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
19031 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
19032 simplified in this manner.
19037 @node Score File Format
19038 @section Score File Format
19039 @cindex score file format
19041 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
19042 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
19043 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
19045 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
19049 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
19051 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
19053 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
19055 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
19060 (mark-and-expunge -10)
19064 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
19065 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
19066 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
19067 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
19071 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
19072 Scoring}, for a different approach.
19074 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
19075 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
19076 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
19078 Six keys are supported by this alist:
19083 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
19084 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
19085 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
19086 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
19087 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
19088 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
19089 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
19090 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
19091 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
19092 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
19093 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
19094 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
19095 to articles that matches these score entries.
19097 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
19098 score entry has one to four elements.
19102 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
19103 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
19107 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
19108 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
19109 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
19110 is successful. If this element is not present, the
19111 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
19112 instead. This is 1000 by default.
19115 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
19116 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
19117 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
19118 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
19119 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
19122 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
19123 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
19124 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
19125 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
19128 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
19129 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
19130 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
19131 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
19132 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
19133 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
19134 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
19135 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
19136 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
19137 instead, if you feel like.
19140 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
19141 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
19142 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
19143 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
19144 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
19145 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
19149 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
19150 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
19154 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
19155 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
19157 These predicates are true if
19160 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
19163 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
19164 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
19171 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
19172 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
19173 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
19174 it's not. I think.)
19176 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
19177 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
19178 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
19179 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
19182 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
19183 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
19184 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
19185 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
19186 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
19187 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
19188 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
19192 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
19193 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
19194 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
19195 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
19196 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
19197 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
19198 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
19199 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
19202 @item Head, Body, All
19203 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
19207 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
19208 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
19209 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
19210 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
19211 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
19212 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
19213 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
19217 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
19218 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
19219 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
19220 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
19221 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
19222 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
19223 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
19224 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
19225 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
19226 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
19227 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
19231 @cindex score file atoms
19233 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19234 lower than this number will be marked as read.
19237 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19238 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
19240 @item mark-and-expunge
19241 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19242 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
19245 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
19246 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
19247 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
19248 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
19249 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
19252 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
19253 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
19256 @item exclude-files
19257 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
19258 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
19262 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
19263 ignored when handling global score files.
19266 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
19267 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
19268 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
19269 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
19272 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
19273 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
19274 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
19275 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
19277 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
19281 (mark-and-expunge -100)
19284 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
19285 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
19286 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
19287 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
19288 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
19290 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
19291 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
19292 scoring rules exist.
19295 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
19296 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
19297 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
19298 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
19299 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
19300 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
19301 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
19302 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
19303 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
19304 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
19305 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
19309 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
19310 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
19311 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
19312 file for a number of groups.
19315 @cindex local variables
19316 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
19317 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
19318 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
19319 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
19320 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
19325 @node Score File Editing
19326 @section Score File Editing
19328 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
19329 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
19330 with a mode for that.
19332 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
19333 additional commands:
19338 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
19339 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
19340 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
19341 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
19344 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
19345 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
19346 Insert the current date in numerical format
19347 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
19348 you were wondering.
19351 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
19352 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
19353 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
19354 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
19355 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
19360 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
19362 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
19363 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
19365 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
19366 e} to begin editing score files.
19369 @node Adaptive Scoring
19370 @section Adaptive Scoring
19371 @cindex adaptive scoring
19373 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
19374 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
19375 stupidity, to be precise.
19377 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
19378 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
19379 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
19380 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
19381 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
19382 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
19383 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
19384 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
19385 variable to @code{(word line)}.
19387 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
19388 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
19389 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
19390 might look something like this:
19393 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
19394 '((gnus-unread-mark)
19395 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
19396 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
19397 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
19398 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
19399 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
19400 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
19401 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
19402 (gnus-ancient-mark)
19403 (gnus-low-score-mark)
19404 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
19407 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
19408 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
19409 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
19410 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
19411 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
19412 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
19415 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
19416 will be applied to each article.
19418 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
19419 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
19420 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
19421 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
19423 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
19424 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
19425 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
19426 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
19428 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
19429 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
19430 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
19431 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
19433 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
19434 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
19435 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
19436 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
19437 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
19438 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
19440 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
19441 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
19442 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
19444 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
19445 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
19446 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
19448 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
19449 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
19450 let you use different rules in different groups.
19452 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
19453 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
19454 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
19457 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
19458 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
19459 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
19460 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
19461 the length of the match is less than
19462 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
19463 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
19466 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
19467 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
19468 headers. If you adapt on words, the
19469 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
19470 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
19473 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
19474 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
19475 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
19476 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
19477 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
19480 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
19481 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
19482 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
19483 score with 30 points.
19485 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
19486 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
19487 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
19488 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
19489 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
19491 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
19492 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
19493 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
19494 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
19495 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
19497 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
19498 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
19499 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
19500 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
19502 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
19503 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
19504 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
19505 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
19507 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
19508 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
19509 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
19510 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
19511 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
19513 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
19514 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
19515 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
19517 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
19518 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
19519 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
19520 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
19523 @node Home Score File
19524 @section Home Score File
19526 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
19527 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
19528 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
19529 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
19531 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
19532 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
19533 could perhaps use the same home score file.
19535 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
19536 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
19541 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
19545 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
19546 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
19550 A list. The elements in this list can be:
19554 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
19555 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
19558 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
19559 be used as the home score file.
19562 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
19565 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
19570 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
19573 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19574 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
19577 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
19578 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
19580 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
19582 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19583 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
19586 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
19587 Other functions include
19590 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
19591 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
19592 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
19593 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
19597 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
19598 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
19599 their own home score files:
19602 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19603 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
19604 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
19605 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
19606 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
19609 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
19610 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
19611 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
19612 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
19613 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
19615 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
19616 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
19617 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
19618 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
19619 precedence over this variable.
19622 @node Followups To Yourself
19623 @section Followups To Yourself
19625 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
19626 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
19627 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
19628 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
19629 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
19630 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
19634 @item gnus-score-followup-article
19635 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
19636 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
19639 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
19640 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
19641 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
19645 @vindex message-sent-hook
19646 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
19647 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
19649 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
19653 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
19654 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
19658 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
19659 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
19662 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
19663 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
19668 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
19672 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
19673 is system-dependent.
19676 @node Scoring On Other Headers
19677 @section Scoring On Other Headers
19678 @cindex scoring on other headers
19680 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
19681 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
19682 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
19683 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
19684 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
19686 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
19687 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
19688 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
19689 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
19690 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
19692 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
19695 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
19696 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
19699 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
19700 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
19701 time if you have much mail.
19703 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
19704 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
19710 @section Scoring Tips
19711 @cindex scoring tips
19717 @cindex scoring crossposts
19718 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
19719 the @code{Xref} header.
19721 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
19724 @item Multiple crossposts
19725 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
19726 more than, say, 3 groups:
19729 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
19733 @item Matching on the body
19734 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
19735 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
19736 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
19737 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
19738 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
19739 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
19740 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
19743 @item Marking as read
19744 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
19745 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
19746 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
19750 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
19752 @item Negated character classes
19753 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
19754 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
19755 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
19759 @node Reverse Scoring
19760 @section Reverse Scoring
19761 @cindex reverse scoring
19763 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
19764 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
19765 like this in your score file:
19769 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
19774 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
19775 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
19778 @node Global Score Files
19779 @section Global Score Files
19780 @cindex global score files
19782 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
19783 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
19784 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
19786 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
19787 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
19788 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
19790 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
19791 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
19792 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
19793 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
19794 files are applicable to which group.
19796 To use the score file
19797 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
19798 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
19802 (setq gnus-global-score-files
19803 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
19804 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
19807 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
19809 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
19810 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
19811 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
19812 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
19814 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
19815 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
19817 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
19818 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
19819 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
19820 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
19821 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
19822 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
19824 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
19830 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
19832 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
19834 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
19836 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
19837 lowered out of existence.
19839 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
19840 articles completely.
19843 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
19844 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
19845 old articles for a long time.
19848 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
19849 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
19850 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
19851 holding our breath yet?
19855 @section Kill Files
19858 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
19859 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
19860 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
19862 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
19863 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
19864 files into score files.
19866 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
19867 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
19868 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
19869 that isn't a very good idea.
19871 Normal kill files look like this:
19874 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19875 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
19879 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
19880 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
19882 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
19883 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
19886 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
19891 @kindex M-k (Summary)
19892 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
19893 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
19896 @kindex M-K (Summary)
19897 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
19898 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
19901 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
19906 @kindex M-k (Group)
19907 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
19908 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
19911 @kindex M-K (Group)
19912 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
19913 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
19916 Kill file variables:
19919 @item gnus-kill-file-name
19920 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
19921 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
19922 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
19923 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
19924 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
19925 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
19927 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
19928 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
19929 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
19930 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
19933 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
19934 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
19935 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
19936 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
19937 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
19938 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
19939 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
19940 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
19941 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
19943 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
19944 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
19945 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
19950 @node Converting Kill Files
19951 @section Converting Kill Files
19953 @cindex converting kill files
19955 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
19956 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
19957 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
19960 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
19961 You can fetch it from
19962 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
19964 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
19965 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
19966 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
19974 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
19975 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
19977 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/, GroupLens} is a
19978 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
19979 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
19980 news articles generated every day.
19982 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
19983 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
19984 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
19985 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
19986 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
19987 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
19988 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
19989 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
19993 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
19994 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
19995 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
19996 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
20000 @node Using GroupLens
20001 @subsection Using GroupLens
20003 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local
20004 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html, Better Bit
20005 Bureau (BBB)} is the only better bit in town at the moment.
20007 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
20011 @item gnus-use-grouplens
20012 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
20013 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
20014 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
20016 @item grouplens-pseudonym
20017 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
20018 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
20019 with the Better Bit Bureau.
20021 @item grouplens-newsgroups
20022 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
20023 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
20027 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
20028 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
20029 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
20030 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
20031 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
20032 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
20035 @node Rating Articles
20036 @subsection Rating Articles
20038 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
20039 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
20040 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
20041 yourself is, ``on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
20044 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
20049 @kindex r (GroupLens)
20050 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
20051 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
20054 @kindex k (GroupLens)
20055 @findex grouplens-score-thread
20056 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
20057 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
20058 threads in rec.humor.
20062 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
20063 the score of the article you're reading.
20068 @kindex n (GroupLens)
20069 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
20070 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
20073 @kindex , (GroupLens)
20074 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
20075 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
20079 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
20080 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
20083 @node Displaying Predictions
20084 @subsection Displaying Predictions
20086 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
20087 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
20088 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
20089 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
20090 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
20092 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
20093 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
20094 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
20095 regular Gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
20096 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
20097 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
20098 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
20099 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
20100 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
20101 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
20102 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
20103 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
20104 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
20106 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
20107 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
20108 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
20109 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
20111 The following are valid values for that variable.
20114 @item prediction-spot
20115 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
20118 @item confidence-interval
20119 A numeric confidence interval.
20121 @item prediction-bar
20122 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
20124 @item confidence-bar
20125 Numerical confidence.
20127 @item confidence-spot
20128 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
20130 @item prediction-num
20131 Plain-old numeric value.
20133 @item confidence-plus-minus
20134 Prediction +/- confidence.
20139 @node GroupLens Variables
20140 @subsection GroupLens Variables
20144 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
20145 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
20146 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
20147 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
20150 @item grouplens-bbb-host
20151 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
20154 @item grouplens-bbb-port
20155 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
20157 @item grouplens-score-offset
20158 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
20159 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
20162 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
20163 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
20164 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
20169 @node Advanced Scoring
20170 @section Advanced Scoring
20172 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
20173 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
20174 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
20175 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
20176 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
20178 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
20182 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
20183 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
20184 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
20188 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
20189 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
20191 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
20192 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
20193 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
20194 non-@code{nil} value.
20196 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
20197 operator, and various match operators.
20204 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20205 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
20206 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
20211 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20212 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
20213 then this operator will return @code{false}.
20218 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
20219 logical negation of the value of its argument.
20223 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
20224 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
20225 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
20226 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
20227 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
20228 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
20229 the ancestry you want to go.
20231 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
20232 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
20233 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
20234 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
20235 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
20238 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
20239 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
20241 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
20242 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
20245 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
20246 when he's talking about Gnus:
20251 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20252 ("subject" "Gnus"))
20259 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
20263 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20270 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
20271 really don't want to read what he's written:
20275 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20276 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
20280 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
20281 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
20282 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
20289 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
20290 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
20291 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
20292 ("body" "white.*socks"))
20296 The possibilities are endless.
20299 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
20300 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
20302 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
20303 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
20304 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
20305 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
20306 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
20307 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
20308 @samp{subject}) first.
20310 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
20311 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
20322 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
20323 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
20329 ("subject" "Gnus")))
20336 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
20337 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
20342 @section Score Decays
20343 @cindex score decays
20346 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
20347 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
20348 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
20349 use them in any sensible way.
20351 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
20352 @findex gnus-decay-score
20353 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
20354 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
20355 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
20356 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
20357 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
20358 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
20359 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
20360 definition of that function:
20363 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
20364 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
20365 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
20367 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
20369 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
20371 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
20372 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
20373 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
20374 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
20375 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
20377 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
20381 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
20382 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
20383 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
20384 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
20388 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
20391 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
20394 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
20398 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
20399 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
20400 the new score, which should be an integer.
20402 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
20403 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
20408 @include message.texi
20409 @chapter Emacs MIME
20410 @include emacs-mime.texi
20412 @include sieve.texi
20414 @c @include pgg.texi
20422 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
20423 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
20424 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
20425 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
20426 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
20427 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
20428 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
20429 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
20430 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
20431 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
20432 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
20433 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
20434 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
20435 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
20436 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
20437 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
20438 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
20439 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
20440 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
20444 @node Process/Prefix
20445 @section Process/Prefix
20446 @cindex process/prefix convention
20448 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
20449 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
20451 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
20452 command to be performed on.
20456 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
20457 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
20458 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
20459 with the current one.
20461 @vindex transient-mark-mode
20462 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
20463 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
20465 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
20466 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
20469 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
20470 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
20472 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
20475 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
20476 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
20477 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
20478 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
20480 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
20481 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
20482 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
20483 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
20484 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
20485 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
20486 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
20487 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
20489 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
20490 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
20491 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
20492 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
20493 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
20497 @section Interactive
20498 @cindex interaction
20502 @item gnus-novice-user
20503 @vindex gnus-novice-user
20504 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
20505 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
20506 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
20507 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
20510 @item gnus-expert-user
20511 @vindex gnus-expert-user
20512 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
20513 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
20514 matter how strange.
20516 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
20517 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
20518 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
20519 is @code{t} by default.
20521 @item gnus-interactive-exit
20522 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
20523 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
20528 @node Symbolic Prefixes
20529 @section Symbolic Prefixes
20530 @cindex symbolic prefixes
20532 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
20533 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
20534 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
20535 rule of 900 to the current article.
20537 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
20538 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
20539 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
20540 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
20541 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
20542 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
20543 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
20545 @kindex M-i (Summary)
20546 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
20547 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
20548 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
20549 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
20550 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
20551 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
20552 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
20553 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
20555 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
20556 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
20557 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
20559 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
20563 @node Formatting Variables
20564 @section Formatting Variables
20565 @cindex formatting variables
20567 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
20568 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
20569 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
20570 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
20571 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
20574 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
20575 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
20576 lots of percentages everywhere.
20579 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
20580 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
20581 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
20582 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
20583 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
20584 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
20585 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
20586 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
20589 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
20590 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
20591 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
20592 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
20593 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
20594 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
20595 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
20596 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
20598 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
20599 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
20601 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
20602 @findex gnus-update-format
20603 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
20604 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
20605 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
20606 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
20610 @node Formatting Basics
20611 @subsection Formatting Basics
20613 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
20614 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
20615 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
20617 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
20618 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
20619 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
20620 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
20621 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
20624 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
20625 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
20626 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
20627 less than 4 characters wide.
20629 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
20630 @samp{%&user-date;}.
20633 @node Mode Line Formatting
20634 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
20636 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
20637 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
20638 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
20639 with the following two differences:
20644 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
20647 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
20648 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
20649 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
20650 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
20651 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
20652 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
20653 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
20658 @node Advanced Formatting
20659 @subsection Advanced Formatting
20661 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
20662 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
20663 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
20664 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
20666 These are the valid modifiers:
20671 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
20675 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
20680 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
20683 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
20688 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
20691 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
20694 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
20697 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
20703 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
20708 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
20709 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
20710 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
20711 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
20712 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
20713 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
20714 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
20716 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
20717 last operation, padding.
20719 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
20720 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
20721 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
20722 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
20723 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
20724 the look of your lines.
20725 @xref{Compilation}.
20728 @node User-Defined Specs
20729 @subsection User-Defined Specs
20731 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
20732 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
20733 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
20734 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
20735 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
20736 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
20737 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
20738 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
20739 should protect against that.
20741 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
20742 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
20744 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
20745 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
20746 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
20747 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
20751 @node Formatting Fonts
20752 @subsection Formatting Fonts
20754 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
20755 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
20756 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
20757 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
20760 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
20761 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
20762 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
20763 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
20764 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
20765 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
20767 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
20768 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
20769 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
20770 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
20771 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
20772 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
20773 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
20774 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
20775 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
20776 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
20777 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
20780 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
20783 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
20784 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
20785 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
20787 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
20788 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
20789 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
20790 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
20791 ;; @r{Set the color.}
20792 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
20793 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
20795 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
20796 (setq gnus-group-line-format
20797 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
20800 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
20801 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
20803 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
20804 mode-line variables.
20806 @node Positioning Point
20807 @subsection Positioning Point
20809 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
20810 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
20811 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
20813 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
20815 @findex gnus-goto-colon
20816 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
20817 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
20819 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
20820 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
20821 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
20826 @subsection Tabulation
20828 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
20829 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
20830 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
20831 about lining up the following text afterwards.
20833 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
20834 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
20836 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20837 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
20838 This is the soft tabulator.
20840 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20841 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
20842 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
20845 @node Wide Characters
20846 @subsection Wide Characters
20848 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
20849 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
20850 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
20852 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
20853 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
20854 these countries, that's not true.
20856 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
20857 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
20858 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
20859 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
20863 @node Window Layout
20864 @section Window Layout
20865 @cindex window layout
20867 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
20869 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
20870 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
20871 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
20872 @code{t} by default.
20874 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
20875 glitches. Use at your own peril.
20877 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
20878 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
20879 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
20882 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
20883 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
20884 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20888 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
20889 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
20890 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
20891 possible names is listed below.
20893 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
20894 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
20897 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20901 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
20902 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
20903 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
20904 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
20905 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
20906 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
20907 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
20908 size spec per split.
20910 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
20911 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
20912 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
20913 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
20914 present) gets focus.
20916 Here's a more complicated example:
20919 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
20920 (summary 0.25 point)
20921 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
20925 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
20926 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
20927 occupy, not a percentage.
20929 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
20930 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
20931 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
20932 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
20933 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
20936 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
20939 (article (horizontal 1.0
20944 (summary 0.25 point)
20949 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
20950 @code{horizontal} thingie?
20952 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
20953 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
20954 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
20955 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
20956 the screen is to be given to this strip.
20958 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
20959 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
20960 lines from the splits.
20962 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
20967 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
20968 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
20969 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
20970 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
20971 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
20972 size = number | frame-params
20973 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
20977 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
20978 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
20979 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
20980 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
20982 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
20983 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
20984 @cindex window height
20985 @cindex window width
20986 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
20987 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
20988 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
20989 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
20990 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
20991 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
20993 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
20994 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
20995 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
20996 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
20998 @findex gnus-configure-frame
20999 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
21000 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
21001 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
21002 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
21003 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
21004 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
21005 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
21006 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
21007 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
21008 configuration list.
21011 (gnus-configure-frame
21015 (article 0.3 point))
21023 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
21024 @code{frame} split:
21027 (gnus-configure-frame
21030 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
21032 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
21033 (user-position . t)
21034 (left . -1) (top . 1))
21039 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
21040 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
21041 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
21042 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
21043 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
21044 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
21045 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
21046 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
21048 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
21049 be found in its default value.
21051 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
21052 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
21053 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
21057 (message (horizontal 1.0
21058 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
21060 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
21065 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
21066 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
21067 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
21072 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
21073 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
21074 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
21075 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
21076 (name . "Message"))
21077 (message 1.0 point))))
21080 @findex gnus-add-configuration
21081 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
21082 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
21083 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
21084 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
21087 (gnus-add-configuration
21088 '(article (vertical 1.0
21090 (summary .25 point)
21094 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
21095 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
21096 Gnus has been loaded.
21098 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
21099 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
21100 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
21101 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
21102 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
21104 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
21105 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
21106 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
21109 @subsection Example Window Configurations
21113 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
21114 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
21129 (gnus-add-configuration
21132 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21134 (summary 0.16 point)
21137 (gnus-add-configuration
21140 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21141 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
21147 @node Faces and Fonts
21148 @section Faces and Fonts
21153 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
21154 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
21155 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
21160 @section Compilation
21161 @cindex compilation
21162 @cindex byte-compilation
21164 @findex gnus-compile
21166 Remember all those line format specification variables?
21167 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
21168 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
21169 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
21170 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
21171 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
21172 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
21173 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
21176 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
21177 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
21178 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
21179 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
21180 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
21183 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
21184 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
21185 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
21186 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
21187 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
21192 @section Mode Lines
21195 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
21196 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
21197 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
21198 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
21199 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
21200 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
21201 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
21204 @cindex display-time
21206 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
21207 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
21208 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
21209 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
21210 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
21211 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
21212 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
21213 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
21216 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
21218 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
21219 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
21221 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
21222 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
21223 (length display-time-string)))))
21226 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
21227 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
21228 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
21229 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
21230 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
21233 @node Highlighting and Menus
21234 @section Highlighting and Menus
21236 @cindex highlighting
21239 @vindex gnus-visual
21240 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
21241 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
21242 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
21245 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
21246 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
21249 @item group-highlight
21250 Do highlights in the group buffer.
21251 @item summary-highlight
21252 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
21253 @item article-highlight
21254 Do highlights in the article buffer.
21256 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
21258 Create menus in the group buffer.
21260 Create menus in the summary buffers.
21262 Create menus in the article buffer.
21264 Create menus in the browse buffer.
21266 Create menus in the server buffer.
21268 Create menus in the score buffers.
21270 Create menus in all buffers.
21273 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
21274 buffers, you could say something like:
21277 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
21280 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
21283 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
21286 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
21287 in all Gnus buffers.
21289 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
21292 @item gnus-mouse-face
21293 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
21294 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
21295 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
21299 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
21303 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
21304 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
21305 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
21307 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
21308 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
21309 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
21311 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
21312 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
21313 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
21315 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
21316 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
21317 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
21319 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
21320 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
21321 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
21323 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
21324 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
21325 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
21336 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
21337 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
21338 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
21339 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
21340 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
21344 @vindex gnus-carpal
21345 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
21346 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
21347 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
21352 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21353 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21354 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
21356 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
21357 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
21358 Face used on buttons.
21360 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
21361 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
21362 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
21364 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21365 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21366 Buttons in the group buffer.
21368 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21369 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21370 Buttons in the summary buffer.
21372 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21373 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21374 Buttons in the server buffer.
21376 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21377 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21378 Buttons in the browse buffer.
21381 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
21382 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
21383 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
21391 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
21392 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
21393 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
21394 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
21395 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
21397 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
21398 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
21399 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
21401 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
21402 been idle for thirty minutes:
21405 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
21408 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
21412 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
21415 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
21416 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
21417 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
21419 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
21420 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
21421 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
21422 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
21424 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
21425 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
21426 @var{idle} minutes.
21428 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
21429 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
21432 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
21433 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
21434 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
21436 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
21437 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
21438 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
21439 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
21441 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
21442 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21444 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
21446 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
21449 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
21450 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
21451 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
21452 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
21453 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
21454 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
21455 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
21456 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
21457 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
21458 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
21459 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
21461 @findex gnus-demon-init
21462 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
21463 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
21464 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
21465 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
21466 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
21468 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
21469 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
21470 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
21479 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
21480 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
21482 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
21483 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
21484 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
21485 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
21488 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
21489 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
21490 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
21491 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
21493 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
21494 this will make spam disappear.
21496 There are some variables to customize, of course:
21499 @item gnus-use-nocem
21500 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
21501 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
21504 @item gnus-nocem-groups
21505 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
21506 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
21509 ("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
21510 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")
21513 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
21514 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
21515 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
21516 people you want to listen to. The default is
21518 ("Automoose-1" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
21519 "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo" "hweede@@snafu.de")
21521 fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
21523 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
21524 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
21526 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
21527 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
21528 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
21529 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
21530 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
21531 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
21532 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
21533 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
21534 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
21535 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
21537 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
21538 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
21541 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
21544 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
21545 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
21548 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
21551 The specs are applied left-to-right.
21554 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
21555 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
21557 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
21558 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
21559 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
21560 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
21562 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
21563 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
21566 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
21568 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
21576 This might be dangerous, though.
21578 @item gnus-nocem-directory
21579 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
21580 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
21581 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
21583 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21584 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21585 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
21586 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
21587 might then see old spam.
21589 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
21590 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
21591 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
21592 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
21593 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
21596 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21597 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21598 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
21599 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
21603 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
21604 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
21605 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
21606 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
21613 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
21614 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
21615 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
21617 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
21618 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
21619 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
21620 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
21621 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
21622 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
21623 @code{undo} function.
21625 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
21626 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
21627 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
21628 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
21629 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
21630 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
21631 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
21632 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
21633 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
21634 never be totally undoable.
21636 @findex gnus-undo-mode
21637 @vindex gnus-use-undo
21639 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
21640 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
21641 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
21642 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
21646 @node Predicate Specifiers
21647 @section Predicate Specifiers
21648 @cindex predicate specifiers
21650 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
21651 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
21652 to type all that much.
21654 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
21659 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
21660 gnus-article-unread-p)
21663 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
21664 functions all take one parameter.
21666 @findex gnus-make-predicate
21667 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
21668 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
21669 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
21674 @section Moderation
21677 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
21678 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
21679 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
21682 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
21686 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
21689 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
21691 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
21696 You split your incoming mail by matching on
21697 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
21698 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
21701 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
21702 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
21705 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
21706 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
21710 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
21713 (setq gnus-moderated-list
21714 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
21718 @node Image Enhancements
21719 @section Image Enhancements
21721 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
21722 support images yet.}, is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has
21723 taken advantage of that.
21726 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
21727 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
21728 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
21729 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
21730 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
21738 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
21739 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
21740 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
21744 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
21745 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
21746 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
21754 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
21755 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
21756 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
21757 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
21759 The variable that controls this is the
21760 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
21761 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
21762 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
21763 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
21764 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
21766 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
21767 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
21768 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
21769 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
21772 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
21773 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
21774 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
21775 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
21776 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
21777 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
21778 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
21779 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
21781 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
21784 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
21785 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
21787 @findex gnus-random-x-face
21788 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
21789 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
21790 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
21791 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
21792 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
21793 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
21794 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
21795 header data as a string.
21797 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
21798 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
21799 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
21800 randomly generated data.
21802 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
21803 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
21804 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
21805 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
21806 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
21808 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
21809 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21812 (setq message-required-news-headers
21813 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21814 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
21817 Using the last function would be something like this:
21820 (setq message-required-news-headers
21821 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21822 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
21823 (gnus-x-face-from-file
21824 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
21832 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces'implementations should really be harmonized.
21834 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
21835 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
21836 represent the author of the message.
21839 @findex gnus-article-display-face
21840 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
21841 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
21844 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
21845 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
21847 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
21848 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
21849 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
21851 @findex gnus-face-from-file
21852 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
21853 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
21854 converts the file to Face format by using the
21855 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
21857 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
21858 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21861 (setq message-required-news-headers
21862 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21863 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
21864 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
21869 @subsection Smileys
21874 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
21879 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
21880 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
21882 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
21883 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21886 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
21889 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
21890 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
21891 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
21892 text and maps that to file names.
21894 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
21895 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
21896 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
21897 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
21898 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
21901 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
21906 @item smiley-data-directory
21907 @vindex smiley-data-directory
21908 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
21910 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
21911 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
21912 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
21926 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
21927 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
21928 over your shoulder as you read news.
21930 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
21939 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
21940 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
21941 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
21942 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
21943 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
21944 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
21945 @code{GIF} formats.
21948 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
21949 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
21950 point your Web browser at
21951 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
21953 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
21954 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
21956 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
21957 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
21960 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
21964 @item gnus-picon-databases
21965 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
21966 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
21967 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
21968 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
21969 "/usr/local/faces")}.
21971 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
21972 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
21973 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
21974 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
21976 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
21977 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
21978 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
21979 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
21981 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
21982 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
21983 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
21984 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
21985 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
21987 @item gnus-picon-file-types
21988 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
21989 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
21990 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
21996 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
21999 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22000 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22001 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
22002 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
22003 unusual directory structure.
22005 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
22006 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
22007 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
22008 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
22010 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
22011 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
22012 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
22013 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
22014 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
22015 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
22017 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22018 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22019 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
22024 @subsubsection Toolbar
22028 @item gnus-use-toolbar
22029 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
22030 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
22031 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
22032 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
22034 @item gnus-group-toolbar
22035 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
22036 The toolbar in the group buffer.
22038 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
22039 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
22040 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
22042 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22043 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22044 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
22055 @node Fuzzy Matching
22056 @section Fuzzy Matching
22057 @cindex fuzzy matching
22059 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
22060 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
22062 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
22063 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
22064 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
22066 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
22067 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
22068 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
22069 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
22070 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
22073 @node Thwarting Email Spam
22074 @section Thwarting Email Spam
22078 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22080 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
22081 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
22082 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
22083 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
22084 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
22085 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
22086 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
22087 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
22090 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
22091 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
22092 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
22093 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
22094 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
22095 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
22097 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
22100 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
22101 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
22102 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
22103 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
22104 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
22105 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
22108 @node The problem of spam
22109 @subsection The problem of spam
22111 @cindex spam filtering approaches
22112 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
22114 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22116 First, some background on spam.
22118 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
22119 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it exists
22120 because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail, so only
22121 a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to make it
22122 worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most common
22123 spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for further
22124 spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers}, but terms like
22125 @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, and @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
22127 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
22128 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
22129 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
22130 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
22131 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
22132 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
22133 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
22134 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
22135 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
22138 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering. If you get 200
22139 spam messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you
22140 block @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about
22141 @samp{VIAGRA}, you discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the
22142 message. This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate
22143 e-mail. For instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest
22144 has been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it
22145 @strong{contained} words that were common in spam messages.
22146 Nevertheless, in isolated cases, with great care, direct filtering of
22147 mail can be useful.
22149 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
22150 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
22151 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
22152 China, Ghana, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
22153 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into
22154 a database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the
22155 number of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When
22156 a user of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a
22157 message is spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
22159 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
22160 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
22161 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
22162 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
22163 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
22164 sending spam, and their web sites have been shut down for some time
22165 because of the incident.
22167 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
22168 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
22169 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
22170 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
22171 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
22172 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
22173 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
22174 to store the database of spam analyses.
22176 @node Anti-Spam Basics
22177 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
22181 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22183 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
22184 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
22186 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
22187 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
22188 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
22189 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
22190 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
22191 part of the mail address.)
22194 (setq message-default-news-headers
22195 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
22198 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
22199 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22203 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
22204 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
22205 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
22210 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
22211 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
22212 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
22213 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
22215 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
22216 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
22217 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
22218 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
22219 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
22220 your fancy split rule in this way:
22225 (to "larsi" "misc")
22229 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
22230 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
22231 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
22232 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
22233 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
22235 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
22236 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
22237 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
22238 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
22243 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
22244 @cindex SpamAssassin
22245 @cindex Vipul's Razor
22248 The days where the hints in the previous section was sufficient in
22249 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
22250 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
22251 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
22252 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
22253 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
22254 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
22256 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
22257 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
22258 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
22259 Specifiers}) follow.
22263 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
22267 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
22270 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
22271 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
22272 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
22275 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
22279 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22282 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
22283 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
22287 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
22288 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
22289 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
22290 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
22293 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
22295 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
22298 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
22299 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
22303 Note that with the nnimap backend, message bodies will not be
22304 downloaded by default. You need to set
22305 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to t to do that (@pxref{Splitting in
22308 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
22309 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
22310 spam. And here is the nifty function:
22313 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
22314 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
22316 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
22317 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
22318 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
22322 @subsection Hashcash
22325 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
22326 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
22327 you cannot rely on everyone in the world using this technique,
22328 since it is not part of the Internet standards, but it may be useful
22329 in smaller communities.
22331 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
22332 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
22333 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
22334 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
22335 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
22336 instead requires that everyone you communicate with supports the
22337 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
22338 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
22339 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
22340 one of them separately.
22343 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
22344 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
22345 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
22346 header. For more details, and for the external application
22347 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
22348 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
22349 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
22351 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
22355 (require 'hashcash)
22356 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
22359 The @file{hashcash.el} library can be found in the Gnus development
22360 contrib directory or at
22361 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}.
22363 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
22367 @item hashcash-default-payment
22368 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
22369 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
22370 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
22371 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
22373 @item hashcash-payment-alist
22374 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
22375 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
22376 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
22377 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
22378 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
22379 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
22380 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
22381 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
22385 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
22389 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
22390 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
22391 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
22392 a useful contribution, however.
22394 @node Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
22395 @subsection Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
22396 @cindex spam filtering
22399 The idea behind @file{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
22400 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @file{spam.el} does two things: it
22401 filters incoming mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
22402 @dfn{Ham} is the name used throughout @file{spam.el} to indicate
22405 First of all, you @strong{must} run the function
22406 @code{spam-initialize} to autoload @code{spam.el} and to install the
22407 @code{spam.el} hooks. There is one exception: if you use the
22408 @code{spam-use-stat} (@pxref{spam-stat spam filtering}) setting, you
22409 should turn it on before @code{spam-initialize}:
22412 (setq spam-use-stat t) ;; if needed
22416 So, what happens when you load @file{spam.el}?
22418 You get the following keyboard commands:
22428 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
22429 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
22431 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark.
22432 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
22433 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
22434 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
22440 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
22441 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
22443 You must have Bogofilter installed for that command to work properly.
22449 Also, when you load @file{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
22450 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
22453 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
22454 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
22455 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
22456 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
22457 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
22458 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
22459 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
22460 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
22461 will be detected later.
22463 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
22464 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
22465 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
22466 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
22467 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
22468 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
22469 by customizing the corresponding variable
22470 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
22471 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
22472 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
22473 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
22474 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
22475 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
22476 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
22479 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
22481 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
22482 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
22483 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
22484 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
22485 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
22486 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
22487 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
22488 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
22489 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
22490 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
22491 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
22492 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
22493 processor which will study them as spam samples.
22495 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
22496 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
22497 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
22498 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
22499 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
22500 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
22501 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
22502 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
22505 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
22506 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
22507 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks.
22511 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
22512 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
22516 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
22517 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
22518 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
22519 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
22520 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
22521 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
22524 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
22525 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
22526 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
22527 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
22528 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
22529 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
22530 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
22531 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
22532 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with
22533 @code{customize-variable gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
22534 newsgroup specification has the format (REGEXP PROCESSOR) in a
22535 standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually.
22536 The ultimate location is a group name. If the
22537 @code{ham-process-destination} parameter is not set, ham articles are
22538 left in place. If the
22539 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
22540 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
22542 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
22543 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
22545 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
22546 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
22547 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
22548 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
22549 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
22551 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
22552 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
22553 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
22554 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
22555 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
22558 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
22559 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
22560 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
22561 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
22562 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
22563 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
22564 customize this variable with @code{customize-variable
22565 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each newsgroup specification has
22566 the repeated format (REGEXP PROCESSOR) and they are all in a standard
22567 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. The
22568 ultimate location is a group name. If the
22569 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
22570 articles are only expired.
22572 To use the @file{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
22573 must add the following to your fancy split list
22574 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
22580 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
22581 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
22582 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
22584 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
22585 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
22586 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
22587 but you can customize @code{spam-split-group}. Make sure the contents
22588 of @code{spam-split-group} are an @emph{unqualified} group name, for
22589 instance in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server} the value
22590 @samp{spam} will turn out to be @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The
22591 value @samp{nnimap+server:spam}, therefore, is wrong and will
22592 actually give you the group
22593 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam} which may or may not
22594 work depending on your server's tolerance for strange group names.
22596 You can also give @code{spam-split} a parameter,
22597 e.g. @samp{'spam-use-regex-headers} or @samp{"maybe-spam"}. Why is
22600 Take these split rules (with @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and
22601 @code{spam-use-blackholes} set):
22604 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
22605 (any "ding" "ding")
22611 Now, the problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the
22612 ding folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam
22613 detected by SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through,
22614 when it's sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to
22615 the ding list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the
22616 invocation of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
22618 You can let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, but all other
22619 @code{spam-split} rules (including a second invocation of the
22620 regex-headers check) will be after the ding rule:
22623 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
22624 ;;; all spam detected by spam-use-regex-headers goes to "regex-spam"
22625 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
22626 (any "ding" "ding")
22627 ;;; all other spam detected by spam-split goes to spam-split-group
22633 Basically, this lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks
22634 depending on your particular needs, and to target the results of those
22635 checks to a particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail
22636 into all the spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that
22637 messages to mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have
22638 resource-intensive blackhole checks performed on them. You could also
22639 specify different spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap
22642 You still have to have specific checks such as
22643 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} set to @code{t}, even if you specifically
22644 invoke @code{spam-split} with the check. The reason is that when
22645 loading @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on
22646 what @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set.
22648 @emph{Note for IMAP users}
22650 The boolean variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} needs to be
22651 set, if you want to split based on the whole message instead of just
22652 the headers. By default, the nnimap back end will only retrieve the
22653 message headers. If you use @code{spam-check-bogofilter},
22654 @code{spam-check-ifile}, or @code{spam-check-stat} (the splitters that
22655 can benefit from the full message body), you should set this variable.
22656 It is not set by default because it will slow @acronym{IMAP} down, and
22657 that is not an appropriate decision to make on behalf of the user.
22659 @xref{Splitting in IMAP}.
22661 @emph{TODO: Currently, spam.el only supports insertion of articles
22662 into a back end. There is no way to tell spam.el that an article is no
22663 longer spam or ham.}
22665 @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
22666 statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
22669 The following are the methods you can use to control the behavior of
22670 @code{spam-split} and their corresponding spam and ham processors:
22673 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
22674 * BBDB Whitelists::
22675 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
22676 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
22678 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
22680 * ifile spam filtering::
22681 * spam-stat spam filtering::
22683 * Extending the spam elisp package::
22686 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
22687 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
22688 @cindex spam filtering
22689 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
22690 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
22693 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
22695 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
22696 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
22697 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
22698 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
22703 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
22705 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
22706 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
22707 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
22708 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
22709 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
22713 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
22715 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
22716 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
22717 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
22721 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
22723 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22724 customizing the group parameters or the
22725 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22726 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
22727 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
22731 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
22733 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22734 customizing the group parameters or the
22735 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22736 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
22737 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
22738 whitelist. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
22739 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22743 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
22744 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
22745 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
22746 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
22747 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
22749 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
22750 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
22751 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
22752 Emacs regular expression syntax.
22754 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
22755 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
22756 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
22757 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
22758 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
22759 @file{blacklist} respectively.
22761 @node BBDB Whitelists
22762 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
22763 @cindex spam filtering
22764 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
22765 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
22768 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
22770 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
22771 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
22772 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
22773 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
22774 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
22775 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
22776 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
22780 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
22782 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
22783 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
22784 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
22785 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
22786 classified as spammers.
22790 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
22792 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22793 customizing the group parameters or the
22794 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22795 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
22796 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
22797 BBDB. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
22798 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22802 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
22803 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
22804 @cindex spam reporting
22805 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
22806 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
22809 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
22811 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22812 customizing the group parameters or the
22813 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22814 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
22815 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
22818 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
22822 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
22824 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
22825 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
22826 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
22827 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
22828 @code{spam-report.el} will use the @code{X-Report-Spam} header that
22833 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
22834 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
22835 @cindex spam filtering
22836 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
22839 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
22841 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
22842 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
22843 instead of the sender address. You must have the @code{hashcash.el}
22844 package loaded for @code{spam-use-hashcash} to work properly.
22845 Messages without a hashcash payment token will be sent to the next
22846 spam-split rule. This is an explicit filter, meaning that unless a
22847 hashcash token is found, the messages are not assumed to be spam or
22853 @subsubsection Blackholes
22854 @cindex spam filtering
22855 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
22858 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
22860 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
22861 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
22862 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
22863 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
22864 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
22865 contains outdated servers.
22867 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
22868 @file{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
22869 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
22870 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
22871 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
22872 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
22876 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
22878 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
22882 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
22884 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
22885 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
22889 @defvar spam-use-dig
22891 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
22892 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
22896 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
22897 ham processor for blackholes.
22899 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
22900 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
22901 @cindex spam filtering
22902 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
22905 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
22907 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
22908 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
22909 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
22910 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
22911 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
22912 message is spam or ham, respectively.
22916 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
22918 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
22919 the message, positively identify it as spam.
22923 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
22925 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
22926 the message, positively identify it as ham.
22930 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
22931 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
22934 @subsubsection Bogofilter
22935 @cindex spam filtering
22936 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
22939 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
22941 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
22944 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
22945 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
22946 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
22947 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
22948 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
22949 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
22951 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
22952 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
22955 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
22956 processing will be turned off.
22958 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
22962 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
22964 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
22965 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
22966 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
22967 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
22968 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
22969 installation documents for details.
22971 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
22975 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
22976 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22977 customizing the group parameters or the
22978 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22979 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
22980 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
22983 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
22984 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22985 customizing the group parameters or the
22986 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22987 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
22988 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
22989 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
22990 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22993 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
22995 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
22996 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
22997 database directory.
23001 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
23002 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
23003 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
23004 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
23005 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
23006 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
23008 @node ifile spam filtering
23009 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
23010 @cindex spam filtering
23011 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
23014 @defvar spam-use-ifile
23016 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
23017 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
23021 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
23023 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
23024 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
23025 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
23029 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
23031 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
23032 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
23033 the default value of @samp{spam}.
23036 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
23038 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
23039 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
23043 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
23044 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
23045 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
23046 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
23049 @node spam-stat spam filtering
23050 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
23051 @cindex spam filtering
23052 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
23056 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat}.
23058 @defvar spam-use-stat
23060 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
23061 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
23065 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
23066 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23067 customizing the group parameters or the
23068 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23069 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
23070 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
23073 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
23074 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23075 customizing the group parameters or the
23076 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23077 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
23078 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
23079 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
23080 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
23083 This enables @file{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
23084 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
23085 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
23086 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
23087 @code{spam-split} are provided.
23090 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
23091 @cindex spam filtering
23095 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
23096 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
23097 installed separately.
23099 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
23100 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
23101 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
23102 mail as a spam mail or not.
23104 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
23105 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
23106 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
23108 The easiest method is to make @file{spam.el} (@pxref{Filtering Spam
23109 Using The Spam ELisp Package}) call SpamOracle.
23111 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
23112 To enable SpamOracle usage by @file{spam.el}, set the variable
23113 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
23114 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy} as described in
23115 the section @xref{Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package}. In
23116 this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is filtered using
23117 SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be moved to
23118 @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham messages stay
23122 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
23123 spam-split-group "Junk"
23124 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
23125 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
23126 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
23129 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
23130 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
23134 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
23135 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
23136 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
23140 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
23141 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
23142 store its analyses. This is controlled by the variable
23143 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
23144 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
23145 database to live somewhere special, set
23146 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
23149 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
23150 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
23151 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns the
23152 characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
23153 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
23154 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary buffer
23155 and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using @file{spam.el}'s
23156 spam- and ham-processors, which is much more convenient. For a
23157 detailed description of spam- and ham-processors, @xref{Filtering Spam
23158 Using The Spam ELisp Package}.
23160 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
23161 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23162 customizing the group parameter or the
23163 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
23164 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
23165 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
23168 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
23169 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23170 customizing the group parameter or the
23171 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
23172 to a grup's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
23173 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
23174 messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam} or
23175 @emph{unclassified} groups.
23178 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of an group that has been
23179 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
23182 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
23184 (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle)))
23186 For this group the @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle} is
23187 installed. If the group contains spam message (e.g. because SpamOracle
23188 has not had enough sample messages yet) and the user marks some
23189 messages as spam messages, these messages will be processed by
23190 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}. This processor sends
23191 the messages to SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
23193 @node Extending the spam elisp package
23194 @subsubsection Extending the spam elisp package
23195 @cindex spam filtering
23196 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
23197 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
23199 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
23200 incoming mail, provide the following:
23208 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
23209 "True if blackbox should be used.")
23214 (spam-use-blackbox . spam-check-blackbox)
23216 to @code{spam-list-of-checks}.
23221 Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
23222 @samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}. See the existing
23223 @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can do.
23225 Make sure to add @code{spam-use-blackbox} to
23226 @code{spam-list-of-statistical-checks} if Blackbox is a statistical
23227 mail analyzer that needs the full message body to operate.
23231 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
23238 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
23239 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
23242 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
23243 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
23244 Only applicable to spam groups.")
23246 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
23247 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
23248 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
23256 (defun spam-blackbox-register-spam-routine ()
23257 (spam-generic-register-routine
23258 ;; @r{the spam function}
23260 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
23261 (when (stringp from)
23262 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer from))))
23263 ;; @r{the ham function}
23266 (defun spam-blackbox-register-ham-routine ()
23267 (spam-generic-register-routine
23268 ;; @r{the spam function}
23270 ;; @r{the ham function}
23272 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
23273 (when (stringp from)
23274 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender from))))))
23277 Write the @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender} and
23278 @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer} functions. You can add
23279 more complex code than fetching the message sender, but keep in mind
23280 that retrieving the whole message takes significantly longer than the
23281 sender through @code{spam-fetch-field-from-fast}, because the message
23282 senders are kept in memory by Gnus.
23287 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
23288 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
23289 @cindex Paul Graham
23290 @cindex Graham, Paul
23291 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
23292 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
23293 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
23295 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
23296 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
23297 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
23298 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
23299 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
23300 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
23301 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
23302 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
23303 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
23306 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
23307 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
23308 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
23309 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
23310 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
23311 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
23312 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
23313 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
23315 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
23316 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
23317 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
23318 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
23319 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
23322 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
23323 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
23324 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
23327 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
23328 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
23330 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
23331 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
23332 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
23333 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
23334 need several hundred emails in both collections.
23336 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
23337 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
23338 per mail. Use the following:
23340 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
23341 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
23342 is treated as one spam mail.
23345 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
23346 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
23347 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
23350 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
23351 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
23352 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
23353 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
23354 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
23355 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
23357 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
23358 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
23359 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
23360 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
23361 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
23364 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
23365 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
23366 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
23367 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
23370 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
23371 reset the dictionary.
23373 @defun spam-stat-reset
23374 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
23377 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
23378 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
23379 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
23380 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
23381 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
23382 only non-spam mails.
23384 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
23385 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
23386 to update the dictionary incrementally.
23389 @defun spam-stat-save
23390 Save the dictionary.
23393 @defvar spam-stat-file
23394 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
23395 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
23398 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
23399 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
23401 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
23402 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23405 (require 'spam-stat)
23409 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
23412 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
23413 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
23414 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
23415 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
23417 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
23418 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
23419 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
23420 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
23423 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
23424 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
23428 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
23429 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
23432 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
23433 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
23434 expression are considered potential spam.
23437 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
23438 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
23439 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
23443 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
23444 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
23445 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
23446 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
23447 mails, when creating the dictionary!
23450 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
23451 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
23452 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
23456 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
23457 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
23458 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
23459 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
23460 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
23464 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
23465 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
23466 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
23467 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
23472 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
23473 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
23475 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
23477 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
23478 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
23479 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
23482 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
23483 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
23484 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
23487 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
23488 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
23489 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
23490 already been processed as non-spam.
23493 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
23494 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
23495 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
23496 been processed as spam.
23499 @defun spam-stat-save
23500 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
23501 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
23504 @defun spam-stat-load
23505 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
23506 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
23509 @defun spam-stat-score-word
23510 Return the spam score for a word.
23513 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
23514 Return the spam score for a buffer.
23517 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
23518 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
23519 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
23522 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
23523 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23526 (require 'spam-stat)
23530 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
23533 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
23534 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
23535 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
23536 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
23537 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
23538 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
23539 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
23540 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
23541 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
23542 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
23543 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
23544 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
23545 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
23546 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
23549 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
23552 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
23553 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
23554 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
23555 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
23556 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
23557 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
23560 @node Various Various
23561 @section Various Various
23567 @item gnus-home-directory
23568 @vindex gnus-home-directory
23569 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
23570 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
23572 @item gnus-directory
23573 @vindex gnus-directory
23574 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
23575 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
23576 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
23578 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
23579 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
23580 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
23581 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
23583 @item gnus-default-directory
23584 @vindex gnus-default-directory
23585 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
23586 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
23587 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
23588 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
23589 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
23590 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
23593 @vindex gnus-verbose
23594 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
23595 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
23596 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
23597 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
23598 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
23600 @item gnus-verbose-backends
23601 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
23602 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
23603 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
23605 @item nnheader-max-head-length
23606 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
23607 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
23608 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
23609 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
23610 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
23611 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
23612 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
23613 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
23614 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
23616 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
23617 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
23618 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
23619 read when doing the operation described above.
23621 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
23622 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
23624 @cindex invalid characters in file names
23625 @cindex characters in file names
23626 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
23627 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
23628 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
23632 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
23637 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
23638 Windows (phooey) systems.
23640 @item gnus-hidden-properties
23641 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
23642 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
23643 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
23644 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
23646 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
23647 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
23648 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
23649 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
23650 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
23652 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
23653 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
23654 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
23656 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
23657 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
23659 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
23660 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
23661 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
23662 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
23665 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
23673 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
23674 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
23676 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
23678 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
23684 Not because of victories @*
23687 but for the common sunshine,@*
23689 the largess of the spring.
23693 but for the day's work done@*
23694 as well as I was able;@*
23695 not for a seat upon the dais@*
23696 but at the common table.@*
23701 @chapter Appendices
23704 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
23705 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
23706 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
23707 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
23708 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
23709 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
23710 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
23711 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
23712 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
23719 @cindex installing under XEmacs
23721 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
23722 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
23723 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
23724 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
23725 @samp{xemacs-base}, @samp{sh-script} and @samp{fsf-compat}. The
23726 @samp{misc-games} package is required for Morse decoding.
23733 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
23734 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
23736 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
23737 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
23738 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
23739 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
23740 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
23742 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
23743 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
23744 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
23745 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
23746 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
23747 appropriate name, don't you think?)
23749 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
23750 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
23751 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
23752 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
23755 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
23756 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
23757 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
23758 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
23759 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
23760 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
23761 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
23762 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
23763 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
23767 @node Gnus Versions
23768 @subsection Gnus Versions
23770 @cindex September Gnus
23772 @cindex Quassia Gnus
23773 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
23776 @cindex Gnus versions
23778 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
23779 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
23780 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
23782 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
23783 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
23785 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
23786 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
23788 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
23789 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
23791 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
23792 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
23795 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
23797 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
23798 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
23799 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
23800 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
23801 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
23802 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
23805 @node Other Gnus Versions
23806 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
23809 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
23810 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
23811 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
23812 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
23814 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
23815 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
23816 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
23817 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
23824 What's the point of Gnus?
23826 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
23827 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
23828 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
23829 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
23830 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
23831 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
23832 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
23833 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
23834 keep track of millions of people who post?
23836 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
23837 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
23838 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
23839 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
23840 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
23841 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
23842 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
23843 every one of you to explore and invent.
23845 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
23846 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
23849 @node Compatibility
23850 @subsection Compatibility
23852 @cindex compatibility
23853 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
23854 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
23855 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
23860 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
23864 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
23867 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
23870 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
23871 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
23872 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
23873 important variables have their values copied into their global
23874 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
23875 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
23877 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
23878 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
23879 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
23880 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
23881 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
23885 @cindex highlighting
23886 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
23887 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
23888 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
23889 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
23890 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
23891 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
23894 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
23895 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
23896 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
23897 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
23899 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
23900 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
23901 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
23902 to stop doing it the old way.
23904 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
23906 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
23908 @cindex reporting bugs
23910 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
23911 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
23912 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
23914 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
23915 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
23916 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
23917 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
23922 @subsection Conformity
23924 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
23925 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
23933 There are no known breaches of this standard.
23937 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
23939 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
23940 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
23941 We do have some breaches to this one.
23947 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
23948 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
23949 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
23950 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
23951 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
23956 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
23957 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
23958 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
23959 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
23961 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
23962 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
23963 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
23965 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
23966 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
23968 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
23971 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
23972 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
23973 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
23974 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
23975 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
23978 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
23979 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
23980 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
23981 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
23983 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
23984 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
23986 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
23987 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
23988 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
23989 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
23990 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
23991 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
23992 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
23993 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
23997 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
23998 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
24003 @subsection Emacsen
24009 Gnus should work on:
24017 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
24021 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
24022 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
24023 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
24024 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
24025 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
24027 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
24028 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
24029 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
24033 @node Gnus Development
24034 @subsection Gnus Development
24036 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
24037 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
24038 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
24039 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
24040 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
24041 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
24042 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
24043 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
24045 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
24046 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
24047 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
24048 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
24049 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
24052 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
24053 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
24054 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
24055 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
24056 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
24058 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
24059 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
24060 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
24061 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
24062 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
24063 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
24064 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
24065 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
24066 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
24067 can't be assumed to do so.
24072 @subsection Contributors
24073 @cindex contributors
24075 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
24076 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
24077 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
24078 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
24079 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
24080 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
24081 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
24082 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
24083 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
24084 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
24086 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
24092 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
24095 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
24096 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
24097 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
24098 functionality and stuff.
24101 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
24102 well as numerous other things).
24105 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
24108 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
24111 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
24114 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
24117 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
24118 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
24121 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
24124 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
24125 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
24128 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
24131 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
24134 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
24137 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
24140 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
24141 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
24144 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
24147 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
24150 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
24153 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
24157 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
24160 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
24163 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
24166 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
24167 well as autoconf support.
24171 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
24172 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
24174 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
24189 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
24191 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
24195 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
24205 Alexei V. Barantsev,
24220 Massimo Campostrini,
24225 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
24226 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
24230 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
24233 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
24239 Michael Welsh Duggan,
24244 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
24248 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
24256 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
24258 Michelangelo Grigni,
24262 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
24264 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
24266 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
24273 François Felix Ingrand,
24274 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
24275 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
24277 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
24287 Peter Skov Knudsen,
24288 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
24290 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
24291 Thor Kristoffersen,
24294 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
24312 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
24313 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
24320 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
24325 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
24329 John McClary Prevost,
24335 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
24340 Christian von Roques,
24343 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
24350 Philippe Schnoebelen,
24352 Randal L. Schwartz,
24366 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
24371 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
24391 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
24392 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
24393 (550kB and counting).
24395 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
24398 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
24399 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
24403 @subsection New Features
24404 @cindex new features
24407 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
24408 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
24409 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
24410 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
24411 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
24412 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10.
24415 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
24416 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
24417 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
24420 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
24422 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
24427 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
24428 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
24431 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
24432 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
24435 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
24438 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
24439 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
24440 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
24443 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
24444 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
24445 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
24446 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
24449 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
24450 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
24453 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
24454 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
24455 (@pxref{The Active File}).
24458 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
24459 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
24462 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
24463 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
24464 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
24467 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
24468 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
24469 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
24472 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
24473 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
24476 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
24477 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
24480 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
24481 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
24484 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
24485 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
24488 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
24489 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
24492 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
24493 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
24496 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
24499 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
24500 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
24503 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
24504 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
24507 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
24508 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
24511 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
24514 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
24515 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
24518 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
24522 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
24526 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
24527 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
24530 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
24536 @node September Gnus
24537 @subsubsection September Gnus
24541 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
24545 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
24550 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
24551 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
24555 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
24556 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
24560 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
24564 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
24565 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
24568 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
24572 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
24575 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
24578 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
24581 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
24585 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
24586 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
24589 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
24593 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
24597 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
24601 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
24605 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
24608 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
24609 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
24612 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
24616 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
24617 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
24620 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
24623 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
24624 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
24625 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
24628 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
24632 The Gnus cache is much faster.
24635 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
24639 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
24640 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
24643 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
24644 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
24647 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
24648 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
24651 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
24652 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
24653 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
24656 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
24657 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
24660 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
24663 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
24666 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
24669 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
24672 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
24673 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
24676 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
24680 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
24683 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
24688 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
24691 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
24695 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
24698 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
24702 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
24705 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
24708 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
24709 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
24712 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
24713 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
24717 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
24718 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
24721 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
24725 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
24726 buffer to allow easier treatment.
24729 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
24732 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
24736 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
24740 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
24741 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
24744 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
24748 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
24749 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
24752 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
24753 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
24756 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
24760 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
24763 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
24766 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
24772 @subsubsection Red Gnus
24774 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
24778 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
24785 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
24788 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
24789 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
24792 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
24793 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
24797 Article washing status can be displayed in the
24798 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
24801 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
24804 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
24805 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
24808 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
24812 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
24813 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
24817 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
24818 Server Internals}).
24821 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
24825 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
24828 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
24829 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
24832 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
24833 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
24834 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
24837 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
24838 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
24841 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
24842 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
24845 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
24849 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
24850 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
24853 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
24854 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
24857 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
24861 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
24864 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
24868 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
24869 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
24872 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
24873 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
24876 A new command for reading collections of documents
24877 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
24878 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
24881 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
24885 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
24886 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
24889 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
24890 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
24891 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
24894 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
24895 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
24899 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
24903 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
24907 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
24912 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
24916 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
24920 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
24921 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
24924 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
24930 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
24932 New features in Gnus 5.6:
24937 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
24938 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
24939 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
24942 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
24943 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
24944 group, which is created automatically.
24947 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
24951 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
24954 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
24955 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
24958 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
24962 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
24965 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
24966 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
24969 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
24972 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
24976 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
24977 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
24980 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
24981 control over simplification.
24984 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
24987 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
24991 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
24994 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
24997 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
24998 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
24999 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
25002 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
25003 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
25006 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
25010 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
25011 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
25014 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
25015 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
25018 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
25022 A history of where mails have been split is available.
25025 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
25028 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
25029 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
25032 A new function for citing in Message has been
25033 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
25036 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
25039 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
25043 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
25044 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
25047 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
25048 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
25051 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
25054 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
25058 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
25059 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
25061 New features in Gnus 5.8:
25066 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
25067 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
25069 If you used procmail like in
25072 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
25073 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
25074 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
25075 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
25078 this now has changed to
25082 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
25086 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
25089 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
25090 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
25093 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
25094 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
25097 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
25098 called to position point.
25101 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
25102 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
25105 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
25106 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
25109 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
25110 subtly different manner.
25113 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
25114 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
25115 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
25118 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
25123 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
25126 New features in Gnus 5.10:
25131 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
25132 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
25135 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
25137 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
25138 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
25139 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
25140 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
25141 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
25142 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
25143 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
25144 isn't save in general.
25149 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
25150 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
25151 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
25152 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
25157 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} installs key bindings in dired buffers to send
25158 a file as an attachment (@kbd{C-c C-a}), open a file using the appropriate
25159 mailcap entry (@kbd{C-c C-l}), and print a file using the mailcap entry
25160 (@kbd{C-c P}). It is enabled with
25162 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
25166 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
25169 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
25174 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
25175 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
25177 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
25178 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
25182 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
25183 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
25186 Retrieval of charters and control messages
25188 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
25189 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
25194 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
25195 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
25196 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
25199 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
25200 decompressed when activated.
25203 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
25204 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
25207 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
25210 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
25211 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
25214 Warn about email replies to news
25216 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
25217 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
25221 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
25222 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
25226 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
25227 opposed to old but unread messages).
25230 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
25231 Gcc articles as read.
25234 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
25237 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
25238 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
25241 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
25242 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
25245 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
25246 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
25249 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
25250 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
25253 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
25255 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
25256 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
25257 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
25258 @file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
25261 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
25263 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
25264 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
25265 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, iff you want
25266 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
25267 the second parameter.
25269 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
25270 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
25271 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
25272 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
25273 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
25274 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
25275 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
25276 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
25277 cycle used under Unix systems.
25279 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} superfluous, so it has
25283 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
25285 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
25286 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
25287 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
25288 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
25289 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
25293 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
25295 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
25296 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
25297 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
25298 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
25302 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
25304 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
25305 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
25306 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
25307 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
25309 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
25310 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
25311 message cited below.
25314 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
25317 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
25319 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
25320 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
25321 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
25322 variable in @file{~/.emacs} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
25323 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
25326 (setq gnus-parameters
25328 (gnus-show-threads nil)
25329 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
25330 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
25331 (to-group . "\\1"))))
25335 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now iconized for Emacs too.
25337 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.emacs} to
25341 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
25343 Earlier it was generated iff the user configurable email address was
25344 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
25345 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
25346 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
25347 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
25348 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
25349 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
25350 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
25351 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
25354 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
25356 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
25357 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
25358 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
25359 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
25360 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
25361 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
25364 References and X-Draft-Headers are no longer generated when you start
25365 composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
25369 Improved anti-spam features.
25371 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
25372 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
25373 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
25374 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
25375 are also new. @xref{Thwarting Email Spam}.
25378 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers.
25381 Face headers handling.
25384 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
25385 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
25388 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
25391 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
25393 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
25394 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
25395 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
25396 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
25397 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
25398 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
25399 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
25400 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
25401 when getting new mail, remove the function.
25404 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
25406 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
25407 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
25408 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
25409 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
25410 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
25411 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
25412 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
25413 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
25414 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
25415 was inserted directly.
25418 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
25420 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
25421 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
25427 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
25428 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
25429 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
25430 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
25431 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
25432 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
25433 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
25434 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
25435 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
25436 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
25437 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
25438 behaviour of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
25439 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
25440 is not needed any more.
25443 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
25445 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
25446 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
25447 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
25448 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
25449 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
25453 @file{deuglify.el} (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article})
25455 A new file from Raymond Scholz @email{rscholz@@zonix.de} for deuglifying
25456 broken Outlook (Express) articles.
25459 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
25461 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
25462 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
25463 lisp directory into load-path.
25465 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
25466 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
25469 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
25471 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
25474 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
25476 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
25477 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
25478 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
25479 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
25482 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
25484 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
25486 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
25487 'bbdb-complete-name)
25491 Externalizing and deleting of attachments.
25493 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
25494 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
25495 local files as external parts.
25497 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
25498 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
25499 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
25500 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
25501 that support editing.
25504 @code{gnus-default-charset}
25506 The default value is determined from the
25507 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
25508 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
25509 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
25512 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
25514 Add a new format of match like
25516 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
25517 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
25519 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
25521 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
25522 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
25526 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
25528 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
25529 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
25530 need add those two headers too.
25533 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
25535 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
25536 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
25537 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
25540 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
25541 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
25542 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
25546 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
25548 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
25551 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
25553 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
25556 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
25558 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
25559 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
25560 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
25563 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
25565 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
25569 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
25571 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
25572 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
25573 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
25574 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
25575 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
25576 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
25577 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
25578 The behaviour can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
25581 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
25583 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
25584 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
25585 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
25586 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
25587 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
25590 Extended format specs.
25592 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
25593 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
25594 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
25595 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
25596 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
25597 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
25600 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
25602 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
25603 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
25604 out other articles.
25606 @item Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
25608 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
25609 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
25610 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
25611 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
25614 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
25616 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
25617 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
25618 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
25621 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
25623 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
25624 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
25625 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
25626 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
25627 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
25628 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
25629 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
25630 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
25631 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
25632 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
25633 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
25636 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
25637 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
25640 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
25641 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
25642 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
25643 message, Message Manual}).
25646 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
25647 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
25649 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
25650 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
25651 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
25653 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
25657 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
25658 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
25660 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
25661 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
25662 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
25663 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
25666 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
25669 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
25672 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
25673 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
25676 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to symbol @code{best}.
25678 The behaviour for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
25679 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
25680 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
25681 invalidate the digital signature.
25688 @section The Manual
25692 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
25693 either @code{texi2dvi}
25695 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
25696 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
25698 to get what you hold in your hands now.
25700 The following conventions have been used:
25705 This is a @samp{string}
25708 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
25711 This is a @file{file}
25714 This is a @code{symbol}
25718 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
25722 (setq flargnoze "yes")
25725 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
25728 (setq flumphel 'yes)
25731 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
25732 ever get them confused.
25736 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
25737 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
25738 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
25739 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
25740 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
25741 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
25742 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
25748 @node On Writing Manuals
25749 @section On Writing Manuals
25751 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
25752 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
25753 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
25754 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
25755 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
25756 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
25759 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
25760 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
25761 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
25764 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
25765 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
25770 @section Terminology
25772 @cindex terminology
25777 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
25778 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
25779 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
25780 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
25781 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
25785 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
25786 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
25787 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
25788 not posting, and replying is not following up.
25792 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
25796 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
25801 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
25802 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
25803 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
25804 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
25805 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
25806 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
25807 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
25808 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
25809 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
25812 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
25813 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
25814 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
25815 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
25816 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
25817 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
25819 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
25820 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
25821 access the articles.
25823 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
25824 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
25825 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
25830 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
25831 default, way of getting news.
25835 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
25836 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
25841 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
25842 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
25846 A message that has been posted as news.
25849 @cindex mail message
25850 A message that has been mailed.
25854 A mail message or news article
25858 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
25863 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
25868 A line from the head of an article.
25872 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
25873 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
25875 @item @acronym{NOV}
25876 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
25877 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
25878 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
25879 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
25880 normal @sc{head} format.
25884 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
25885 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
25886 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
25887 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
25888 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
25889 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
25891 @item killed groups
25892 @cindex killed groups
25893 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
25894 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
25896 @item zombie groups
25897 @cindex zombie groups
25898 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
25901 @cindex active file
25902 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
25903 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
25904 is rather large, as you might surmise.
25907 @cindex bogus groups
25908 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
25909 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
25910 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
25913 @cindex activating groups
25914 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
25915 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
25916 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
25920 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
25922 @item select method
25923 @cindex select method
25924 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
25927 @item virtual server
25928 @cindex virtual server
25929 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
25930 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
25931 whole is a virtual server.
25935 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
25936 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
25939 @item ephemeral groups
25940 @cindex ephemeral groups
25941 @cindex temporary groups
25942 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
25943 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
25944 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
25947 @cindex solid groups
25948 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
25949 group buffer are solid groups.
25951 @item sparse articles
25952 @cindex sparse articles
25953 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
25954 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
25958 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
25959 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
25963 @cindex thread root
25964 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
25965 articles in the thread.
25969 An article that has responses.
25973 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
25977 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
25978 specified by RFC 1153.
25981 @cindex splitting, terminolgy
25982 @cindex mail sorting
25983 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
25984 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
25985 incorrectly called mail filtering.
25991 @node Customization
25992 @section Customization
25993 @cindex general customization
25995 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
25996 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
25997 for some quite common situations.
26000 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
26001 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
26002 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
26003 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
26007 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
26008 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
26010 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
26011 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
26012 Gnus has to get from the @acronym{NNTP} server.
26016 @item gnus-read-active-file
26017 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
26018 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
26019 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
26020 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
26021 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
26023 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
26024 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
26025 the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast. Not all @acronym{NNTP} servers
26026 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
26030 @node Slow Terminal Connection
26031 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
26033 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
26034 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
26035 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
26039 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
26040 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
26041 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
26042 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
26043 horizontal and vertical recentering.
26045 @item gnus-visible-headers
26046 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
26047 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
26048 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
26049 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
26051 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
26053 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
26054 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
26055 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
26058 @item gnus-use-full-window
26059 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
26060 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
26061 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
26062 want to read them anyway.
26064 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
26065 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
26069 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
26070 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
26071 lines, which might save some time.
26075 @node Little Disk Space
26076 @subsection Little Disk Space
26079 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
26080 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
26084 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
26085 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
26086 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
26087 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
26090 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
26091 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
26092 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
26093 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
26096 @item gnus-save-killed-list
26097 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
26098 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
26099 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
26100 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
26106 @subsection Slow Machine
26107 @cindex slow machine
26109 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
26110 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
26112 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
26113 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
26115 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
26116 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
26117 summary buffer faster.
26121 @node Troubleshooting
26122 @section Troubleshooting
26123 @cindex troubleshooting
26125 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
26133 Make sure your computer is switched on.
26136 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
26137 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
26141 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
26142 like @samp{T-gnus 6.16.* (based on Gnus v5.10.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
26143 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. Otherwise you have some old
26144 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
26147 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
26148 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
26151 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
26152 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
26153 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
26154 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
26155 something like that.
26158 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
26161 @cindex reporting bugs
26163 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
26165 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
26166 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
26167 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
26168 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
26170 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
26171 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
26172 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
26173 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
26176 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
26177 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
26178 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
26179 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
26180 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
26181 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
26183 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
26184 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
26185 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
26189 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
26190 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
26193 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
26194 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
26195 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
26196 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
26197 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
26198 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
26199 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
26200 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
26201 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
26202 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
26203 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
26204 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
26205 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
26206 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
26211 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
26212 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
26213 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
26214 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
26215 helps isolating the real problem areas).
26217 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
26218 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
26219 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
26220 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
26221 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
26222 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
26223 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
26224 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
26225 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
26226 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
26227 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
26228 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
26229 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
26232 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
26233 @cindex ding mailing list
26234 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
26235 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
26236 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
26237 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
26241 @node Gnus Reference Guide
26242 @section Gnus Reference Guide
26244 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
26245 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
26246 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
26247 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
26250 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
26251 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
26252 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
26253 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
26254 and general methods of operation.
26257 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
26258 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
26259 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
26260 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
26261 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
26262 * Group Info:: The group info format.
26263 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
26264 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
26265 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
26269 @node Gnus Utility Functions
26270 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
26271 @cindex Gnus utility functions
26272 @cindex utility functions
26274 @cindex internal variables
26276 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
26277 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
26278 Below is a list of the most common ones.
26282 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
26283 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
26284 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
26286 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
26287 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
26288 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
26290 @item gnus-group-real-name
26291 @findex gnus-group-real-name
26292 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
26295 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
26296 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
26297 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
26298 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
26300 @item gnus-get-info
26301 @findex gnus-get-info
26302 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
26304 @item gnus-group-unread
26305 @findex gnus-group-unread
26306 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
26310 @findex gnus-active
26311 The active entry for @var{group}.
26313 @item gnus-set-active
26314 @findex gnus-set-active
26315 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
26317 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
26318 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
26319 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
26322 @item gnus-continuum-version
26323 @findex gnus-continuum-version
26324 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
26325 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
26328 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
26329 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
26330 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
26332 @item gnus-news-group-p
26333 @findex gnus-news-group-p
26334 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
26336 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
26337 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
26338 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
26340 @item gnus-server-to-method
26341 @findex gnus-server-to-method
26342 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
26344 @item gnus-server-equal
26345 @findex gnus-server-equal
26346 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
26348 @item gnus-group-native-p
26349 @findex gnus-group-native-p
26350 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
26352 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
26353 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
26354 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
26356 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
26357 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
26358 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
26360 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
26361 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
26362 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
26363 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
26365 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
26366 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
26367 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
26369 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
26370 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
26371 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
26373 @item gnus-check-backend-function
26374 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
26375 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
26376 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
26379 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
26383 @item gnus-read-method
26384 @findex gnus-read-method
26385 Prompts the user for a select method.
26390 @node Back End Interface
26391 @subsection Back End Interface
26393 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
26394 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
26395 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
26396 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
26397 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
26398 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
26400 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
26401 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
26402 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
26403 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
26404 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
26405 been opened, the function should fail.
26407 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
26408 name. Take this example:
26412 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
26413 (nntp-port-number 4324))
26416 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
26417 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
26419 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
26420 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
26421 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
26423 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
26424 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
26425 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
26427 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
26428 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
26429 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
26430 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
26431 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
26432 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
26435 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
26436 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
26437 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
26438 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
26441 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
26442 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
26443 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
26444 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
26445 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
26446 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
26447 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
26448 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
26449 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
26450 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
26452 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
26453 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
26454 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
26455 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
26456 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
26457 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
26458 of numbers as long as possible.
26460 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
26461 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
26462 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
26464 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
26467 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
26470 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
26471 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
26472 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
26473 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
26474 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
26475 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
26479 @node Required Back End Functions
26480 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
26484 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
26486 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
26487 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
26488 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
26489 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
26491 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
26492 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
26493 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
26494 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
26496 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
26497 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
26498 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
26499 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
26500 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
26501 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
26502 number, do maximum fetches.
26504 Here's an example HEAD:
26507 221 1056 Article retrieved.
26508 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
26509 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
26510 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
26511 Subject: Re: Something very droll
26512 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
26513 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
26515 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
26516 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
26517 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
26521 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
26522 these in the data buffer.
26524 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
26528 head = error / valid-head
26529 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
26530 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
26531 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
26532 header = <text> eol
26536 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
26538 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
26539 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
26543 nov-buffer = *nov-line
26544 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
26545 field = <text except TAB>
26548 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
26552 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
26554 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
26555 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
26557 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
26558 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
26559 server. In fact, it should do so.
26561 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
26562 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
26565 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
26567 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
26568 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
26571 There should be no data returned.
26574 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
26576 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
26577 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
26578 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
26579 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
26581 There should be no data returned.
26584 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
26586 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
26587 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
26588 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
26589 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
26591 There should be no data returned.
26594 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
26596 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
26598 There should be no data returned.
26601 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
26603 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
26604 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
26605 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
26606 it would be nice if that were possible.
26608 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
26609 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
26610 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
26611 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
26612 into its article buffer.
26614 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
26615 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
26616 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
26617 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
26618 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
26619 on successful article retrieval.
26622 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
26624 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
26625 making @var{group} the current group.
26627 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
26630 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
26633 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
26636 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
26637 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
26638 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
26639 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
26640 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
26641 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
26642 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
26643 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
26644 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
26648 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
26649 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
26650 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
26654 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
26656 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
26657 a no-op on most back ends.
26659 There should be no data returned.
26662 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
26664 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
26667 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
26670 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
26671 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
26674 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
26675 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
26676 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
26677 and the highest as 0.
26680 active-file = *active-line
26681 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
26683 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
26686 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
26687 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
26688 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
26691 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
26693 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
26694 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
26695 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
26696 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
26697 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
26698 clear if the posting could not be completed.
26700 There should be no result data from this function.
26705 @node Optional Back End Functions
26706 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
26710 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
26712 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
26713 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
26714 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
26716 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
26717 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
26718 former is in the same format as the data from
26719 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
26720 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
26723 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
26727 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
26729 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
26730 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
26731 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
26732 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
26733 should return a non-@code{nil} value.
26735 There should be no result data from this function.
26738 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
26740 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
26741 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
26742 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
26743 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
26744 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
26745 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
26746 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
26747 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
26749 There should be no result data from this function.
26752 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
26754 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
26755 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
26756 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
26757 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
26758 propagate the mark information to the server.
26760 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
26763 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
26766 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
26767 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
26768 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
26769 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
26770 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
26771 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
26772 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
26773 possible, not limit itself to these.
26775 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
26776 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
26777 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
26778 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
26780 An example action list:
26783 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
26784 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
26785 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
26788 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
26789 mark on (currently not used for anything).
26791 There should be no result data from this function.
26793 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
26795 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
26796 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
26797 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
26798 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
26799 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
26801 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
26802 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
26803 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
26806 There should be no result data from this function.
26809 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
26811 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
26812 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
26813 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
26814 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
26815 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
26816 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
26817 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
26818 local if that's practical.
26820 There should be no result data from this function.
26823 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
26825 The result data from this function should be a description of
26829 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
26831 description = <text>
26834 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
26836 The result data from this function should be the description of all
26837 groups available on the server.
26840 description-buffer = *description-line
26844 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
26846 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
26847 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
26848 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
26849 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
26850 in the active buffer format.
26852 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
26853 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
26854 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
26855 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
26856 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
26857 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
26858 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
26861 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
26863 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
26865 There should be no return data.
26868 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
26870 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
26871 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
26872 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
26873 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
26874 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
26877 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
26880 There should be no result data returned.
26883 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
26885 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
26886 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
26888 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
26889 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
26890 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
26891 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
26892 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
26893 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
26895 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
26896 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
26899 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
26900 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
26902 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
26903 article for that group.
26905 There should be no data returned.
26908 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
26910 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
26911 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
26912 this function in short order.
26914 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
26915 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
26917 There should be no data returned.
26920 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
26922 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
26923 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
26925 There should be no data returned.
26928 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
26930 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
26931 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
26932 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
26934 There should be no data returned.
26937 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
26939 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
26940 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
26942 There should be no data returned.
26947 @node Error Messaging
26948 @subsubsection Error Messaging
26950 @findex nnheader-report
26951 @findex nnheader-get-report
26952 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
26953 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
26954 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
26955 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
26956 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
26957 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
26960 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
26962 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
26965 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
26966 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
26967 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
26968 takes one argument---the server symbol.
26970 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
26971 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
26972 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
26975 @node Writing New Back Ends
26976 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
26978 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
26979 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
26980 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
26981 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
26982 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
26985 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
26986 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
26987 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
26989 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
26990 package called @code{nnoo}.
26992 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
26993 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
26999 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
27000 parameters. For instance:
27003 (nnoo-declare nndir
27007 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
27008 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
27011 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
27012 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
27013 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
27015 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
27016 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
27017 a function in those back ends.
27020 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
27021 "Where nndir will look for groups."
27022 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
27025 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
27026 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
27027 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
27029 @item nnoo-define-basics
27030 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
27034 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
27038 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
27039 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
27040 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
27042 @item nnoo-map-functions
27043 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
27044 functions from the parent back ends.
27047 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
27048 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27049 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
27052 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
27053 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
27054 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
27055 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
27058 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
27059 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
27060 haven't already been defined.
27066 nnmh-request-newgroups)
27070 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
27071 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
27072 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
27077 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
27080 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
27081 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
27085 (require 'nnheader)
27089 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
27091 (nnoo-declare nndir
27094 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
27095 "Where nndir will look for groups."
27096 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
27098 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
27099 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
27102 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
27104 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
27105 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
27106 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
27108 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
27109 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
27111 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
27113 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
27115 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
27116 (setq nndir-directory
27117 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
27119 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
27120 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
27121 (push `(nndir-current-group
27122 ,(file-name-nondirectory
27123 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
27125 (push `(nndir-top-directory
27126 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
27128 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
27130 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
27131 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27132 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27133 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
27134 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
27138 nnmh-status-message
27140 nnmh-request-newgroups))
27146 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
27147 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
27149 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
27150 @findex gnus-declare-backend
27151 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
27152 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
27153 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
27155 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
27156 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
27161 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
27164 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
27166 The abilities can be:
27170 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
27172 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
27174 This back end supports both mail and news.
27176 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
27179 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
27180 articles and groups.
27182 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
27183 true for almost all back ends.
27184 @item prompt-address
27185 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
27186 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
27187 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
27191 @node Mail-like Back Ends
27192 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
27194 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
27195 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
27196 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
27197 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
27200 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
27201 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
27202 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
27205 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
27206 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
27209 This function takes four parameters.
27213 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
27216 @item exit-function
27217 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
27219 @item temp-directory
27220 Where the temporary files should be stored.
27223 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
27224 performed for one group only.
27227 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
27228 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
27229 find the article number assigned to this article.
27231 The function also uses the following variables:
27232 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
27233 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
27234 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
27235 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
27239 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
27240 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
27244 @node Score File Syntax
27245 @subsection Score File Syntax
27247 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
27248 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
27249 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
27251 Here's a typical score file:
27255 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
27262 BNF definition of a score file:
27265 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
27266 element = rule / atom
27267 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
27268 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
27269 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
27270 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
27272 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
27273 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
27274 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
27275 date-header = "date"
27276 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
27277 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
27278 score = "nil" / <integer>
27279 date = "nil" / <natural number>
27280 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
27281 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
27282 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
27283 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
27284 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
27285 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
27286 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
27287 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
27288 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
27289 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
27290 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
27291 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
27292 exclude-files / read-only / touched
27293 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
27294 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
27295 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
27296 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
27297 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
27298 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
27299 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
27300 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
27301 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
27302 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
27303 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
27304 eval = "eval" space <form>
27305 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
27308 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
27311 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
27312 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
27313 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
27314 one looong line, then that's ok.
27316 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
27317 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
27321 @subsection Headers
27323 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
27324 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
27325 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
27326 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
27328 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
27329 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
27330 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
27331 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
27332 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
27333 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
27334 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
27336 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
27337 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
27338 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
27339 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
27340 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
27342 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
27343 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
27349 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
27350 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
27352 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
27353 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
27354 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
27355 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
27357 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
27361 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
27364 is transformed into
27367 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
27370 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
27371 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
27374 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
27377 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
27378 is slightly tricky:
27381 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
27387 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
27390 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
27396 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
27403 and is equal to the previous range.
27405 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
27406 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
27407 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
27411 range = simple-range / normal-range
27412 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
27413 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
27414 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
27415 number *[ " " contents ]
27418 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
27419 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
27420 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
27421 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
27422 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
27427 @subsection Group Info
27429 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
27430 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
27431 describes the group.
27433 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
27434 second is a more complex one:
27437 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
27439 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
27440 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
27442 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
27445 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
27446 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
27447 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
27448 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
27449 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
27450 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
27451 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
27452 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
27453 this section is about.
27455 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
27456 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
27457 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
27459 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
27462 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
27463 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
27464 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
27465 group = quote <string> quote
27466 ralevel = rank / level
27467 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
27468 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
27469 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
27471 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
27472 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
27473 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
27474 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
27477 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
27478 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
27481 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
27482 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
27485 @item gnus-info-group
27486 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
27487 @findex gnus-info-group
27488 @findex gnus-info-set-group
27489 Get/set the group name.
27491 @item gnus-info-rank
27492 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
27493 @findex gnus-info-rank
27494 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
27495 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
27497 @item gnus-info-level
27498 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
27499 @findex gnus-info-level
27500 @findex gnus-info-set-level
27501 Get/set the group level.
27503 @item gnus-info-score
27504 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
27505 @findex gnus-info-score
27506 @findex gnus-info-set-score
27507 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
27509 @item gnus-info-read
27510 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
27511 @findex gnus-info-read
27512 @findex gnus-info-set-read
27513 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
27515 @item gnus-info-marks
27516 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
27517 @findex gnus-info-marks
27518 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
27519 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
27521 @item gnus-info-method
27522 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
27523 @findex gnus-info-method
27524 @findex gnus-info-set-method
27525 Get/set the group select method.
27527 @item gnus-info-params
27528 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
27529 @findex gnus-info-params
27530 @findex gnus-info-set-params
27531 Get/set the group parameters.
27534 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
27535 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
27537 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
27538 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
27539 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
27540 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
27543 @node Extended Interactive
27544 @subsection Extended Interactive
27545 @cindex interactive
27546 @findex gnus-interactive
27548 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
27549 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
27550 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
27553 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
27554 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
27559 The best thing to do would have been to implement
27560 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
27561 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
27562 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
27563 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
27564 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
27565 @code{interactive}.
27567 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
27572 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
27573 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
27577 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
27578 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
27579 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
27582 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
27586 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
27590 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
27596 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
27597 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
27601 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
27602 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
27603 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
27605 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
27606 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
27607 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
27608 Gnus, that's very useful.
27610 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
27611 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
27612 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
27613 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
27614 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
27615 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
27616 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
27617 following function:
27620 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
27624 (,function ,@@args))
27628 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
27629 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
27630 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
27633 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
27634 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
27635 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
27637 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
27638 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
27639 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
27642 @node Various File Formats
27643 @subsection Various File Formats
27646 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
27647 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
27651 @node Active File Format
27652 @subsubsection Active File Format
27654 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
27655 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
27658 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
27661 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
27662 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
27663 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
27664 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
27665 no.general 1000 900 y
27668 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
27671 active = *group-line
27672 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
27673 group = <non-white-space string>
27675 high-number = <non-negative integer>
27676 low-number = <positive integer>
27677 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
27680 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
27681 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
27684 @node Newsgroups File Format
27685 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
27687 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
27688 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
27689 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
27692 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
27693 Here's the definition:
27697 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
27698 group = <non-white-space string>
27700 description = <string>
27705 @node Emacs for Heathens
27706 @section Emacs for Heathens
27708 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
27709 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
27710 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
27711 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
27712 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
27713 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
27714 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
27718 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
27719 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
27724 @subsection Keystrokes
27728 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
27731 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
27734 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
27735 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
27736 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
27737 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
27738 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
27739 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
27741 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
27742 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
27743 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
27744 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
27745 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
27746 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
27747 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
27749 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
27750 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
27751 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
27752 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
27753 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
27754 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
27755 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
27757 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
27758 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
27759 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
27760 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
27761 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
27767 @subsection Emacs Lisp
27769 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
27770 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
27771 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
27772 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
27774 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
27775 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
27776 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
27777 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
27778 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
27779 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
27780 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
27783 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
27784 write the following:
27787 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
27790 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
27791 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
27792 you can go and fill your @file{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
27795 If you have put that thing in your @file{.emacs} file, it will be read
27796 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
27797 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
27798 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
27799 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
27801 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
27802 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
27803 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
27807 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
27811 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
27814 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
27815 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
27818 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
27821 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
27822 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
27825 @include gnus-faq.texi
27845 @c Local Variables:
27847 @c coding: iso-8859-1