4 @settitle T-gnus 6.15 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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282 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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291 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
293 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
296 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
297 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
298 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
299 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
300 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
301 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
302 License'' in the Emacs manual.
304 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
305 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
306 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
308 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
309 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
310 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
311 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
319 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
321 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
322 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
324 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
325 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
326 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
327 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
328 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
329 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
330 License'' in the Emacs manual.
332 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
333 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
334 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
336 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
337 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
338 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
339 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
345 @title T-gnus 6.15 Manual
347 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
350 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
351 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
353 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
355 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
356 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
357 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
358 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
359 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
360 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
361 License'' in the Emacs manual.
363 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
364 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
365 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
367 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
368 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
369 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
370 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
379 @top The gnus Newsreader
383 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
384 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
385 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
388 T-gnus provides @sc{mime} features based on @sc{semi} API. So T-gnus
389 supports your right to read strange messages including big images or
390 other various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
391 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
392 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
393 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
395 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.15.
406 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
407 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
409 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
410 being accused of plagiarism:
412 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
413 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
414 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
415 can even read news with it!
417 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
418 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
419 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
420 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
421 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
427 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
428 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
429 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
430 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
431 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
432 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
433 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
434 * Various:: General purpose settings.
435 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
436 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
437 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
438 * Key Index:: Key Index.
440 Other related manuals
442 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
443 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; MIME-specific parts.
444 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
445 * PGG:(pgg). PGP/MIME with Gnus.
448 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
452 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
453 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
454 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
455 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
456 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
457 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
458 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
459 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
460 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
461 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
462 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
466 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
467 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
468 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
472 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
473 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
474 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
475 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
476 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
477 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
478 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
479 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
480 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
481 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
482 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
483 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
484 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
485 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
486 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
487 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
488 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
492 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
493 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
494 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
498 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
499 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
500 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
501 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
502 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
506 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
507 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
508 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
509 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
510 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
514 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
515 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
516 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
517 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
518 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
519 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
520 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
521 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
522 * Threading:: How threads are made.
523 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
524 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
525 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
526 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
527 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
528 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
529 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
530 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
531 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
532 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
533 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
534 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
535 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
536 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
537 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
538 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
539 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
540 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
541 or reselecting the current group.
542 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
543 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
544 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
545 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
547 Summary Buffer Format
549 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
550 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
551 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
552 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
556 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
557 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
559 Reply, Followup and Post
561 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
562 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
563 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
564 * Canceling and Superseding::
568 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
569 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
570 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
572 * Generic Marking Commands::
573 * Setting Process Marks::
577 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
578 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
579 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
583 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
584 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
586 Customizing Threading
588 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
589 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
590 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
591 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
595 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
596 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
597 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
598 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
599 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
600 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
604 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
605 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
606 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
610 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
611 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
612 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
613 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
614 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
615 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
616 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
617 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
618 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
619 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
621 Alternative Approaches
623 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
624 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
626 Various Summary Stuff
628 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
629 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
630 * Summary Generation Commands::
631 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
635 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
636 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
637 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
638 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
639 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
643 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
644 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
645 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
646 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
647 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
648 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
649 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
650 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
654 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
655 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
656 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
657 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
658 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
659 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
660 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
661 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
665 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
666 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
667 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
668 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
669 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
670 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
671 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
675 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
676 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
680 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
681 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
682 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
686 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
687 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
688 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
689 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
690 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
691 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
692 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
693 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
694 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
695 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
696 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
697 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
698 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
702 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
703 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
704 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
706 Choosing a Mail Back End
708 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
709 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
710 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
711 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
712 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
713 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
718 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
719 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
720 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
721 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
722 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
723 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
727 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
728 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
729 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
730 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
731 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
735 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
736 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
737 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
738 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
739 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
743 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
747 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
748 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
749 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
753 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
754 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
758 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
759 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
760 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
761 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
762 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
763 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
764 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
765 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
766 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
767 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
768 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
772 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
773 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
774 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
778 * Group Agent Commands::
779 * Summary Agent Commands::
780 * Server Agent Commands::
784 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
785 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
786 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
787 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
788 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
789 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
790 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
791 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
792 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
793 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
794 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
795 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
796 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
797 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
798 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
799 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
800 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
804 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
805 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
806 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
807 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
811 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
812 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
813 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
817 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
818 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
819 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
820 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
821 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
822 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
823 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
824 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
825 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
826 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
827 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
828 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
829 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
830 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
831 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
832 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
833 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
834 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
835 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
839 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
840 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
841 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
842 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
843 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
844 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
845 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
846 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
850 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
851 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
852 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
853 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
854 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
858 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
859 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
860 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
861 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
862 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
866 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
867 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
868 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
869 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
870 * Filtering Spam Using spam.el::
871 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)::
875 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
876 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
877 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
878 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
879 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
880 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
881 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
882 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
883 * Frequently Asked Questions::
887 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
888 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
889 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
890 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
891 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
892 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
893 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
894 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
895 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
899 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
900 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
901 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
902 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
903 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
907 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
908 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
909 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
910 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
914 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
915 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
916 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
917 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
918 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
919 * Group Info:: The group info format.
920 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
921 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
922 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
926 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
927 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
928 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
929 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
930 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
931 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
935 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
936 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
940 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
941 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
947 @chapter Starting gnus
952 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
953 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
956 @findex gnus-other-frame
957 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
958 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
959 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
961 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
962 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
963 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
965 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
966 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
969 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
970 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
971 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
972 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
973 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
974 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
975 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
976 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
977 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
978 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
979 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
983 @node Finding the News
984 @section Finding the News
987 @vindex gnus-select-method
989 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
990 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
991 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
992 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
995 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
996 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
999 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1002 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1005 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1008 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1009 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1010 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1012 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1014 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
1015 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
1016 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1017 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1018 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
1019 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
1021 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1022 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1023 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1024 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1026 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1027 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1028 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1029 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1030 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
1031 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1032 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1033 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1034 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1037 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1039 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1040 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1041 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1042 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1043 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1044 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1046 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1048 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1049 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1050 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1051 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1052 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1053 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1056 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1057 you would typically set this variable to
1060 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1064 @node The First Time
1065 @section The First Time
1066 @cindex first time usage
1068 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1069 be subscribed by default.
1071 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1072 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1073 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1074 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1077 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1078 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1079 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1081 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1082 help you with most common problems.
1084 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1085 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1089 @node The Server is Down
1090 @section The Server is Down
1091 @cindex server errors
1093 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1094 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1095 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1097 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1098 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1099 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1100 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1101 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1102 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1103 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1105 @findex gnus-no-server
1106 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1108 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1109 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1110 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1111 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1112 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1113 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1114 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1118 @section Slave Gnusae
1121 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1122 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1123 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1124 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1126 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1127 @code{.newsrc} file.
1129 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1130 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1131 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1132 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1133 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1134 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1135 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1137 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1138 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1139 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1140 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1141 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1142 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1143 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1144 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1146 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1147 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1149 If the @code{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1150 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1151 file. If you answer "yes", the unsaved changes to the master will be
1152 incorporated into the slave. If you answer "no", the slave may see some
1153 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1155 @node Fetching a Group
1156 @section Fetching a Group
1157 @cindex fetching a group
1159 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1160 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1161 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1162 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1163 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1164 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1170 @cindex subscription
1172 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1173 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1174 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1175 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1176 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1177 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1178 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1179 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1180 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1183 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1184 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1185 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1189 @node Checking New Groups
1190 @subsection Checking New Groups
1192 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1193 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1194 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1195 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1196 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1197 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1198 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1199 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1200 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1201 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1203 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1204 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1205 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1206 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1207 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1208 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1209 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1210 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1211 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1212 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1213 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1215 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1216 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1217 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1218 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1219 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1220 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1223 @node Subscription Methods
1224 @subsection Subscription Methods
1226 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1227 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1228 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1230 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1231 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1233 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1237 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1238 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1239 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1240 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1241 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1243 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1244 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1245 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1246 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1248 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1249 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1250 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1252 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1253 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1254 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1255 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1256 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1257 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1258 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1259 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1260 up. Or something like that.
1262 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1263 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1264 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1265 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1266 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1268 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1269 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1270 Kill all new groups.
1272 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1273 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1274 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1275 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1276 topic parameter that looks like
1282 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1285 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1290 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1291 A closely related variable is
1292 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1293 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1294 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1295 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1298 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1299 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1300 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1301 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1304 @node Filtering New Groups
1305 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1307 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1308 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1309 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1312 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1315 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1316 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1317 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1318 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1319 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1320 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1321 subscribing these groups.
1322 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1323 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1325 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1326 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1327 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1328 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1329 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1330 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1331 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1332 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1334 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1335 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1336 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1337 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1338 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1339 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1340 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1341 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1342 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1343 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1346 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1347 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1350 @node Changing Servers
1351 @section Changing Servers
1352 @cindex changing servers
1354 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1355 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1356 very flaky and you want to use another.
1358 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1359 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1363 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1364 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1365 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1366 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1369 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1370 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1371 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1372 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1374 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1375 @findex gnus-change-server
1376 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1377 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1378 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1379 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1380 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1382 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1383 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1384 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1385 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1386 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1388 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1389 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1390 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1391 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1392 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1393 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1395 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1396 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1397 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1398 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1400 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1401 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1402 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1403 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1404 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1405 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1406 cache for all groups).
1410 @section Startup Files
1411 @cindex startup files
1416 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1417 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1419 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1420 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1421 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1422 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1423 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1424 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1425 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1427 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1428 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1429 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1430 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1431 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1432 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1434 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1435 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1436 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1437 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1438 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1439 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1440 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1441 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1442 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1443 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1445 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1446 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1447 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1448 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1449 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1450 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1451 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1452 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1453 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1454 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1455 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1456 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1458 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1459 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1460 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1461 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1463 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1464 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1465 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1466 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1467 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1468 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1469 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1470 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1471 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1472 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1475 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1476 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1478 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1479 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1482 @vindex gnus-init-file
1483 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1484 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1485 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1486 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1487 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1488 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1489 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1490 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1491 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1497 @cindex dribble file
1500 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1501 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1502 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1503 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1504 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1507 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1508 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1511 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1512 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1513 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1515 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1516 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1517 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1518 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1519 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1520 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1522 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1523 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1524 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1527 @node The Active File
1528 @section The Active File
1530 @cindex ignored groups
1532 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1533 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1534 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1536 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1537 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1538 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1539 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1540 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1541 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1542 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1545 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1546 @c if you set it to anything else.
1548 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1550 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1551 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1552 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1554 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1555 you actually subscribe to.
1557 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1558 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1559 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1560 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1562 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1563 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1564 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1565 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1566 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1567 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1569 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1570 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1571 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1574 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1575 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1576 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1577 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1578 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1579 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1581 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1582 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1584 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1585 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1587 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1588 secondary select methods.
1591 @node Startup Variables
1592 @section Startup Variables
1596 @item gnus-load-hook
1597 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1598 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1599 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1600 times you start gnus.
1602 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1603 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1604 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1606 @item gnus-startup-hook
1607 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1608 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1610 @item gnus-started-hook
1611 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1612 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1615 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1616 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1617 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1618 generating the group buffer.
1620 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1621 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1622 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1623 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1624 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1625 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1626 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1627 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1629 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1630 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1631 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1632 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1633 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1634 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1636 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1637 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1638 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1640 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1641 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1642 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1644 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1645 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1646 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1647 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1653 @chapter Group Buffer
1654 @cindex group buffer
1656 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1658 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1659 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1660 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1661 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1662 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1663 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1664 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1665 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1666 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1667 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1668 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1669 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1670 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1671 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1672 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1673 @c human rights at 9...
1676 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1677 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1678 long as gnus is active.
1682 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1683 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1684 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1685 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1686 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1687 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1688 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1689 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1695 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1696 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1697 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1698 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1699 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1700 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1701 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1702 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1703 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1704 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1705 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1706 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1707 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1708 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1709 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1710 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1711 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1715 @node Group Buffer Format
1716 @section Group Buffer Format
1719 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1720 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1721 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1725 @node Group Line Specification
1726 @subsection Group Line Specification
1727 @cindex group buffer format
1729 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1730 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1732 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1735 25: news.announce.newusers
1736 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1741 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1742 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1743 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1744 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1746 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1747 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1748 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1749 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1750 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1751 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1753 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1755 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1756 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1757 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1758 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1759 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1761 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1762 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1763 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1765 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1770 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1773 Whether the group is subscribed.
1776 Level of subscribedness.
1779 Number of unread articles.
1782 Number of dormant articles.
1785 Number of ticked articles.
1788 Number of read articles.
1791 Number of unseen articles.
1794 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1795 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1797 Gnus uses this estimation because the @sc{nntp} protocol provides
1798 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1799 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1800 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1801 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1802 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1803 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1804 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1807 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1810 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1819 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1820 comment element in the group parameters.
1823 Newsgroup description.
1826 @samp{m} if moderated.
1829 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1835 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1841 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1845 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1848 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1849 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1850 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1851 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1852 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1855 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1857 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1861 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1864 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1868 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1869 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1870 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1871 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1872 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1873 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1878 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1879 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1880 group, or a bogus native group.
1883 @node Group Modeline Specification
1884 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1885 @cindex group modeline
1887 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1888 The mode line can be changed by setting
1889 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1890 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1894 The native news server.
1896 The native select method.
1900 @node Group Highlighting
1901 @subsection Group Highlighting
1902 @cindex highlighting
1903 @cindex group highlighting
1905 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1906 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1907 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1908 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1909 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1911 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1915 (cond (window-system
1916 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1917 (defface my-group-face-1
1918 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1919 (defface my-group-face-2
1920 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1921 (defface my-group-face-3
1922 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1923 (defface my-group-face-4
1924 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1925 (defface my-group-face-5
1926 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1928 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1929 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1930 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1931 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1932 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1933 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1936 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1938 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1945 The number of unread articles in the group.
1949 Whether the group is a mail group.
1951 The level of the group.
1953 The score of the group.
1955 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1957 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1958 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1960 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1961 topic being inserted.
1964 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1965 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1966 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1968 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1969 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1970 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1971 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1972 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1975 @node Group Maneuvering
1976 @section Group Maneuvering
1977 @cindex group movement
1979 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1980 expected, hopefully.
1986 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1987 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1988 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1994 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1995 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1996 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2000 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2001 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2005 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2006 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2010 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2011 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2012 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2016 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2017 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2018 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2021 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2027 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2028 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2029 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2034 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2035 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2036 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2040 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2041 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2042 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2045 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2046 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2047 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2048 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2052 @node Selecting a Group
2053 @section Selecting a Group
2054 @cindex group selection
2059 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2060 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2061 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2062 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2063 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2064 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2065 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2066 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2067 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2068 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2070 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2071 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2072 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2074 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2075 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2080 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2081 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2082 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2083 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2084 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2088 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2089 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2090 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2091 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2092 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2093 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2094 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2095 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2096 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2097 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2100 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2101 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2102 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2103 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2104 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2107 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2108 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2109 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2110 doing any processing of its contents
2111 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2112 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2113 manner will have no permanent effects.
2117 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2118 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
2119 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2120 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2121 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2122 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2123 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2124 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2127 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2128 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2129 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2130 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2131 Which article this is is controlled by the
2132 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2138 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2141 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2144 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2146 @item unseen-or-unread
2147 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2148 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2152 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2156 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2157 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2159 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2160 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2161 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2162 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2166 @node Subscription Commands
2167 @section Subscription Commands
2168 @cindex subscription
2176 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2177 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2178 Toggle subscription to the current group
2179 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2185 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2186 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2187 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2188 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2194 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2195 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2196 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2202 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2203 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2206 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2207 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2208 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2209 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2210 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2216 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2217 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2221 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2222 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2225 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2226 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2227 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2228 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2229 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2230 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2231 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2232 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2233 @file{.newsrc} file.
2237 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2247 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2248 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2249 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2250 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2251 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2252 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2257 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2258 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2259 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2263 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2264 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2265 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2267 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2268 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2269 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2270 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2271 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2272 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2279 @section Group Levels
2283 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2284 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2285 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2286 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2287 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2289 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2295 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2296 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2297 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2298 prompted for a level.
2301 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2302 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2303 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2304 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2305 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2306 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2307 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2308 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2309 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2310 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2311 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2312 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2313 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2314 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2315 reasons of efficiency.
2317 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2318 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2320 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2321 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2322 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2323 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2324 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2325 groups are hidden, in a way.
2327 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2328 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2329 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2330 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2331 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2332 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2334 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2335 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2336 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2337 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2338 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2339 list of killed groups.)
2341 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2342 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2343 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2345 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2346 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2347 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2348 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2349 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2350 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2351 relevant valid ranges.
2353 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2354 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2355 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2356 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2357 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2358 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2361 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2362 one with the best level.
2364 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2365 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2366 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2369 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2370 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2371 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2372 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2375 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2376 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2377 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2378 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2380 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2381 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2382 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2383 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2384 to 5. The default is 6.
2388 @section Group Score
2393 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2394 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2395 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2398 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2399 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2400 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2401 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2402 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2403 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2404 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2405 least significant part.))
2407 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2408 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2409 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2410 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2411 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2412 action after each summary exit, you can add
2413 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2414 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2415 slow things down somewhat.
2418 @node Marking Groups
2419 @section Marking Groups
2420 @cindex marking groups
2422 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2423 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2424 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2425 bidding on those groups.
2427 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2428 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2429 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2437 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2438 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2444 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2445 Remove the mark from the current group
2446 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2450 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2451 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2455 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2456 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2460 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2461 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2465 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2466 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2467 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2470 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2472 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2473 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2474 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2475 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2476 the command to be executed.
2479 @node Foreign Groups
2480 @section Foreign Groups
2481 @cindex foreign groups
2483 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2484 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2485 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2486 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2493 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2494 @cindex making groups
2495 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2496 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2497 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2501 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2502 @cindex renaming groups
2503 Rename the current group to something else
2504 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2505 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2511 @findex gnus-group-customize
2512 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2516 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2517 @cindex renaming groups
2518 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2519 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2523 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2524 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2525 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2529 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2530 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2531 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2535 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2537 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2538 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2543 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2544 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2548 @cindex (ding) archive
2549 @cindex archive group
2550 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2551 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2552 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2553 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2554 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2555 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2556 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2560 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2562 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2563 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2564 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2565 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2569 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2571 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2572 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2573 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2577 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2578 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2580 Make a group based on some file or other
2581 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2582 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2583 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2584 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2585 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2586 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2587 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2588 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2589 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2593 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2594 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2595 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2596 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2600 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2604 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2605 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2606 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2607 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2608 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2609 @xref{Web Searches}.
2611 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2612 to a particular group by using a match string like
2613 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2616 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2617 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2618 This function will delete the current group
2619 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2620 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2621 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2622 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2623 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2627 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2628 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2629 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2633 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2634 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2635 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2638 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2641 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2642 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2643 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2644 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2645 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2646 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2650 @node Group Parameters
2651 @section Group Parameters
2652 @cindex group parameters
2654 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2655 Here's an example group parameter list:
2658 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2662 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2663 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2664 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2665 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2667 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2668 is an alist of regexps and values.
2670 The following group parameters can be used:
2675 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2678 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2681 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2682 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2683 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2684 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2685 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2687 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2688 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2689 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2690 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2691 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2692 list address instead.
2694 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2698 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2701 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2704 It is totally ignored
2705 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2706 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2708 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2709 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2710 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2711 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2712 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2714 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2715 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2716 sending the message.
2718 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2719 @cindex Mail List Groups
2720 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2721 entering summary buffer.
2723 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2728 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2729 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2730 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2731 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2732 headers for your posts to these lists. Look here @pxref{(message)Mailing
2733 Lists} for a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2735 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2736 directly uses this group parameter.
2740 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2741 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2742 of whether it has any unread articles.
2744 @item broken-reply-to
2745 @cindex broken-reply-to
2746 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2747 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2748 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2749 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2750 broken behavior. So there!
2754 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2755 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2759 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2760 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2761 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2766 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2767 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2768 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2769 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2770 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2771 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2772 (@pxref{Archived Messages}). CAVEAT:: It yields an error putting
2773 @code{(gcc-self . t)} in groups of a @code{nntp} server or so, because
2774 a @code{nntp} server doesn't accept articles.
2778 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2779 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2780 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2782 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2785 @cindex total-expire
2786 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2787 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2788 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2789 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2792 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2796 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2797 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2798 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2799 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2800 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2801 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2802 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2805 @cindex score file group parameter
2806 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2807 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2808 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2811 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2812 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2813 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2814 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2817 @cindex admin-address
2818 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2819 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2820 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2821 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2825 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2826 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2830 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2833 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2834 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2837 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2841 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2843 Here are some examples:
2847 Display only unread articles.
2850 Display everything except expirable articles.
2852 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2853 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2857 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2858 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2859 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2860 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2861 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2865 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2866 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2867 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2871 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2872 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2873 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2877 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2878 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2879 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2881 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2883 @item ignored-charsets
2884 @cindex ignored-charset
2885 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2886 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2887 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2889 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2892 @cindex posting-style
2893 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2894 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2895 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2896 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2897 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2899 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2900 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2901 like this in the group parameters:
2906 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2911 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2912 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2916 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2917 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2918 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2919 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2920 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2924 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2925 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2926 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2927 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2929 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2930 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2931 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2932 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2935 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2936 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2940 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2943 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2944 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2945 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2946 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2947 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2948 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2949 @code{eval}ed there.
2951 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
2952 A use for this feature, is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
2953 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
2954 @samp{nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps} has the tag
2955 @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this tag can be
2956 removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for the group by
2957 putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")} into the group
2958 parameters for the group.
2961 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2962 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2963 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2964 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2965 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2969 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2970 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2971 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2972 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2973 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2975 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2976 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2980 (setq gnus-parameters
2982 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2983 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2984 (gnus-summary-line-format
2985 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2989 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2993 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2997 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3000 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3001 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3004 @node Listing Groups
3005 @section Listing Groups
3006 @cindex group listing
3008 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3016 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3017 List all groups that have unread articles
3018 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3019 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3020 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
3021 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3028 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3029 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3030 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3031 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3032 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3033 unsubscribed groups).
3037 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3038 List all unread groups on a specific level
3039 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3040 with no unread articles.
3044 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3045 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3046 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3047 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3052 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3053 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3057 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3058 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3059 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3063 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3064 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3068 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3069 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3070 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3071 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3072 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3073 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3074 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3075 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3079 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3080 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3081 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3085 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3086 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3087 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3091 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3092 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3096 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3097 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3101 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3102 List groups limited within the current selection
3103 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3107 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3108 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3112 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3113 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3117 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3118 @cindex visible group parameter
3119 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3120 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3121 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3122 get the same effect.
3124 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3125 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3126 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3127 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3128 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3131 @node Sorting Groups
3132 @section Sorting Groups
3133 @cindex sorting groups
3135 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3136 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3137 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3138 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3139 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3140 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3145 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3146 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3147 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3149 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3150 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3151 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3153 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3154 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3155 Sort by group level.
3157 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3158 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3159 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3161 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3162 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3163 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3164 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3166 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3167 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3168 Sort by number of unread articles.
3170 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3171 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3172 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3174 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3175 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3176 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3181 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3182 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3186 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3187 some sorting criteria:
3191 @kindex G S a (Group)
3192 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3193 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3194 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3197 @kindex G S u (Group)
3198 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3199 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3200 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3203 @kindex G S l (Group)
3204 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3205 Sort the group buffer by group level
3206 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3209 @kindex G S v (Group)
3210 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3211 Sort the group buffer by group score
3212 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3215 @kindex G S r (Group)
3216 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3217 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3218 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3221 @kindex G S m (Group)
3222 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3223 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3224 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3227 @kindex G S n (Group)
3228 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3229 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3230 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3234 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3235 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3237 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3238 commands will sort in reverse order.
3240 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3244 @kindex G P a (Group)
3245 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3246 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3247 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3250 @kindex G P u (Group)
3251 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3252 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3253 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3256 @kindex G P l (Group)
3257 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3258 Sort the groups by group level
3259 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3262 @kindex G P v (Group)
3263 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3264 Sort the groups by group score
3265 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3268 @kindex G P r (Group)
3269 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3270 Sort the groups by group rank
3271 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3274 @kindex G P m (Group)
3275 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3276 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3277 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3280 @kindex G P n (Group)
3281 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3282 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3283 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3286 @kindex G P s (Group)
3287 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3288 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3292 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3296 @node Group Maintenance
3297 @section Group Maintenance
3298 @cindex bogus groups
3303 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3304 Find bogus groups and delete them
3305 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3309 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3310 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3311 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3312 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3313 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3317 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3318 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3319 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3320 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3321 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3322 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3325 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3326 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3327 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3328 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3333 @node Browse Foreign Server
3334 @section Browse Foreign Server
3335 @cindex foreign servers
3336 @cindex browsing servers
3341 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3342 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3343 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3344 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3347 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3348 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3349 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3350 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3352 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3357 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3358 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3362 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3363 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3366 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3367 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3368 Enter the current group and display the first article
3369 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3372 @kindex RET (Browse)
3373 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3374 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3378 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3379 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3380 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3386 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3387 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3391 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3392 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3396 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3397 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3398 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3403 @section Exiting gnus
3404 @cindex exiting gnus
3406 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3411 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3412 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3413 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3414 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3418 @findex gnus-group-exit
3419 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3420 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3424 @findex gnus-group-quit
3425 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3426 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3429 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3430 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3431 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3432 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3433 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3438 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3439 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3440 trying to customize meta-variables.
3445 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3446 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3447 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3453 @section Group Topics
3456 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3457 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3458 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3459 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3460 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3461 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3465 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3466 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3477 2: alt.religion.emacs
3480 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3482 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3483 13: comp.sources.unix
3486 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3488 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3489 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3490 is a toggling command.)
3492 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3493 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3494 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3495 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3498 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3499 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3500 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3503 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3507 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3508 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3509 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3510 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3511 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3515 @node Topic Commands
3516 @subsection Topic Commands
3517 @cindex topic commands
3519 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3520 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3521 definitions slightly.
3523 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3524 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3525 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3526 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3527 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3528 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3530 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3537 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3538 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3539 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3543 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3545 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3546 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3547 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3548 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3551 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3552 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3553 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3554 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3558 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3559 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3560 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3561 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3567 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3568 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3569 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3573 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3574 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3575 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3578 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3579 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3580 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3581 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3582 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3584 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3585 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3589 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3590 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3597 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3599 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3600 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3601 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3602 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3603 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3604 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3608 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3614 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3615 Move the current group to some other topic
3616 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3617 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3621 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3622 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3626 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3627 Copy the current group to some other topic
3628 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3629 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3633 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3634 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3635 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3639 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3640 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3641 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3645 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3646 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3647 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3648 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3649 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3650 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3651 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3654 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3655 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3659 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3660 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3661 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3665 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3666 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3667 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3671 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3672 Toggle hiding empty topics
3673 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3677 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3678 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3679 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3682 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3683 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3684 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3685 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3688 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3689 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3690 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3691 expiry process (if any)
3692 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3696 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3697 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3700 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3701 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3702 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3706 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3707 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3708 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3711 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3712 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3713 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3716 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3717 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3718 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3722 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3723 @cindex group parameters
3724 @cindex topic parameters
3726 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3727 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3732 @node Topic Variables
3733 @subsection Topic Variables
3734 @cindex topic variables
3736 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3737 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3739 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3740 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3741 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3754 Number of groups in the topic.
3756 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3758 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3761 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3762 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3763 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3766 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3767 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3769 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3770 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3771 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3775 @subsection Topic Sorting
3776 @cindex topic sorting
3778 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3784 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3785 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3786 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3787 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3790 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3791 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3792 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3793 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3796 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3797 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3798 Sort the current topic by group level
3799 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3802 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3803 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3804 Sort the current topic by group score
3805 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3808 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3809 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3810 Sort the current topic by group rank
3811 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3814 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3815 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3816 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3817 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3820 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3821 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3822 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3823 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3827 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3828 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3829 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3830 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3834 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3835 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3839 @node Topic Topology
3840 @subsection Topic Topology
3841 @cindex topic topology
3844 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3850 2: alt.religion.emacs
3853 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3855 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3856 13: comp.sources.unix
3859 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3860 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3861 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3866 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3867 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3871 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3872 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3873 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3874 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3875 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3876 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3878 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3879 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3880 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3883 @node Topic Parameters
3884 @subsection Topic Parameters
3885 @cindex topic parameters
3887 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3888 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3889 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3891 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3896 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3897 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3898 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3901 @item subscribe-level
3902 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3903 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3904 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3908 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3909 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3910 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3911 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3917 2: alt.religion.emacs
3921 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3923 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3924 13: comp.sources.unix
3928 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3929 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3930 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3931 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3932 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3933 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3935 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3936 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3937 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3938 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3939 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3941 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3942 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3943 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3944 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3945 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3946 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3947 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3948 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3951 @node Misc Group Stuff
3952 @section Misc Group Stuff
3955 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3956 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3957 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3958 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3959 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3966 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3967 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3968 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3972 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3973 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3974 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3975 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3976 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3977 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3978 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3982 @findex gnus-group-mail
3983 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3984 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3985 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3986 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3990 @findex gnus-group-news
3991 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3992 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3993 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3995 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3996 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
3997 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3998 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
3999 for this to work though.
4003 Variables for the group buffer:
4007 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4008 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4009 is called after the group buffer has been
4012 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4013 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4014 is called after the group buffer is
4015 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4018 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4019 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4020 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4021 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4023 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4024 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4025 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4026 whether they are empty or not.
4028 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4029 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4030 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4031 non-ASCII group names.
4035 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4036 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4039 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4040 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4041 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4042 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4043 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
4044 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
4048 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4049 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4054 @node Scanning New Messages
4055 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4056 @cindex new messages
4057 @cindex scanning new news
4063 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4064 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4065 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4066 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4067 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4068 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4073 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4074 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4075 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4076 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4077 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4078 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4079 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4081 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4082 @cindex activating groups
4084 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4085 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4090 @findex gnus-group-restart
4091 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4092 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4093 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
4097 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4098 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4100 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4101 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4105 @node Group Information
4106 @subsection Group Information
4107 @cindex group information
4108 @cindex information on groups
4115 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4116 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4119 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4120 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4121 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4122 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4123 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4124 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4125 for fetching the file.
4127 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
4128 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4132 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4133 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4135 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4136 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4139 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4140 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4141 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4145 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4146 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4147 @cindex control message
4148 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4149 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4150 group if given a prefix argument.
4152 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-nil, Gnus
4153 will open the control messages in a browser using @code{browse-url}.
4154 Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp} and displayed in an
4157 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4158 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode}
4159 (@pxref{(emacs)Compressed Files}).
4163 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4165 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4166 @cindex describing groups
4167 @cindex group description
4168 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4169 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4170 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4174 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4175 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4176 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4183 @findex gnus-version
4184 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4188 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4189 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4192 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4195 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4196 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4200 @node Group Timestamp
4201 @subsection Group Timestamp
4203 @cindex group timestamps
4205 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
4206 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4207 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4210 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4213 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4215 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4216 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4219 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4220 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4223 This will result in lines looking like:
4226 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4227 0: custom 19961002T012713
4230 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4231 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4235 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4236 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4239 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4240 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4244 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4245 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4246 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4247 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4249 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4255 @subsection File Commands
4256 @cindex file commands
4262 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4263 @vindex gnus-init-file
4264 @cindex reading init file
4265 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4266 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4270 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4271 @cindex saving .newsrc
4272 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4273 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4274 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4277 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4278 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4279 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4284 @node Sieve Commands
4285 @subsection Sieve Commands
4286 @cindex group sieve commands
4288 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4289 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4290 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4291 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4292 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4294 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4295 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4296 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4297 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4298 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4299 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4300 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4301 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4302 regenerate the Sieve script.
4304 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4305 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4306 is generated. If it is non-nil (the default) articles is placed in
4307 all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article is only
4308 placed in the group with the first matching rule. For example, the
4309 group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4310 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4311 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is nil. (When
4312 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-nil, it looks the same except that
4313 the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4316 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4317 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4322 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4328 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4329 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4330 @cindex generating sieve script
4331 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4332 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4336 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4337 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4338 @cindex updating sieve script
4339 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4340 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4341 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4346 @node Summary Buffer
4347 @chapter Summary Buffer
4348 @cindex summary buffer
4350 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4351 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4353 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4354 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4356 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4359 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4360 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4361 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4362 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4363 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4364 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4365 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4366 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4367 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4368 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4369 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4370 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4371 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4372 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4373 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4374 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4375 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4376 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4377 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4378 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4379 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4380 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4381 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4382 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4383 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4384 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4385 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4386 or reselecting the current group.
4387 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4388 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4389 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4390 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4394 @node Summary Buffer Format
4395 @section Summary Buffer Format
4396 @cindex summary buffer format
4400 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4401 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4402 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4408 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4409 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4410 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4411 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4414 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4415 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4416 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4417 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4418 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4419 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4420 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4421 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4422 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4423 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4424 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4425 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4426 other function instead:
4429 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4430 'mail-extract-address-components)
4433 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4434 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4435 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4436 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4439 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4440 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4442 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4443 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4444 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4445 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4446 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4448 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4449 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4450 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4451 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4452 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4453 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4455 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4457 The following format specification characters and extended format
4458 specification(s) are understood:
4464 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4465 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4467 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4468 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4469 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4471 Full @code{From} header.
4473 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4475 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4478 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4479 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4480 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4481 may be more thorough.
4483 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4486 Number of lines in the article.
4488 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4489 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4491 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4492 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4494 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4496 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4499 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4500 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4502 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4503 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4505 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4506 for adopted articles.
4508 One space for each thread level.
4510 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4512 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4515 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4516 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4517 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4520 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4522 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4523 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4524 default level. If the difference between
4525 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4526 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4534 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4536 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4542 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4543 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4545 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4546 article has any children.
4552 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4553 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4555 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4556 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4557 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4558 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4559 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4560 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4563 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4564 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4565 There can only be one such area.
4567 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4568 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4569 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4570 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4571 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4572 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4574 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4575 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4577 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4580 @node To From Newsgroups
4581 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4585 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4586 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4587 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4588 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4589 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4593 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4594 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4595 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4599 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4600 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4603 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4604 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4607 @findex gnus-extra-header
4608 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4609 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4610 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4613 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4617 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4618 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4619 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4620 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4621 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4622 headers are used instead.
4626 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4627 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4628 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4629 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4630 this variable, by entering the server buffer using `^', and then `g' on
4631 the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause regeneration.
4633 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4634 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4635 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4636 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4638 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4642 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4644 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4645 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4646 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4647 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4651 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4654 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4655 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4658 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4659 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4660 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4666 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4667 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4670 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4671 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4673 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4674 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4675 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4676 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4678 Here are the elements you can play with:
4684 Unprefixed group name.
4686 Current article number.
4688 Current article score.
4692 Number of unread articles in this group.
4694 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4697 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4698 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4699 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4700 and no unselected ones.
4702 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4703 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4705 Subject of the current article.
4707 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4709 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4711 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4713 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4715 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4717 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4721 @node Summary Highlighting
4722 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4726 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4727 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4728 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4729 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4730 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4732 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4733 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4734 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4735 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4737 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4738 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4739 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4740 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4742 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4743 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4744 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4745 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4746 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4747 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4750 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4751 ((> score default) . bold))
4753 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4754 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4758 @node Summary Maneuvering
4759 @section Summary Maneuvering
4760 @cindex summary movement
4762 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4763 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4765 None of these commands select articles.
4770 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4771 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4772 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4773 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4774 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4778 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4779 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4780 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4781 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4782 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4785 @kindex G g (Summary)
4786 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4787 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4788 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4791 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4792 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4793 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4794 to the group buffer.
4796 Variables related to summary movement:
4800 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4801 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4802 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4803 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4804 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4805 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4806 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4807 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4808 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4809 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4810 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4811 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4812 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4813 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4815 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4816 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4817 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4818 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4819 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4820 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4821 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4823 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4825 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4826 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4827 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4828 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4829 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4831 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4832 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4833 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4834 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4835 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4836 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4837 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4838 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4841 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4842 the given number of lines from the top.
4847 @node Choosing Articles
4848 @section Choosing Articles
4849 @cindex selecting articles
4852 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4853 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4857 @node Choosing Commands
4858 @subsection Choosing Commands
4860 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4861 and they all select and display an article.
4863 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4864 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4868 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4869 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4870 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4871 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4876 @kindex G n (Summary)
4877 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4878 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4879 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4884 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4885 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4886 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4891 @kindex G N (Summary)
4892 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4893 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4898 @kindex G P (Summary)
4899 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4900 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4903 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4904 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4905 Go to the next article with the same subject
4906 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4909 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4910 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4911 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4912 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4916 @kindex G f (Summary)
4918 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4919 Go to the first unread article
4920 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4924 @kindex G b (Summary)
4926 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4927 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4928 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4929 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4934 @kindex G l (Summary)
4935 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4936 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4939 @kindex G o (Summary)
4940 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4942 @cindex article history
4943 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4944 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4945 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4946 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4947 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4948 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4953 @kindex G j (Summary)
4954 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4955 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4956 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4961 @node Choosing Variables
4962 @subsection Choosing Variables
4964 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4967 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4968 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4969 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4970 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4971 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4972 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4974 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4975 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4976 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4977 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4979 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4980 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4981 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4982 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4983 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4984 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4985 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4986 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4987 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4988 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4989 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4990 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4991 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4992 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4997 @node Paging the Article
4998 @section Scrolling the Article
4999 @cindex article scrolling
5004 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5005 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5006 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5007 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5008 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5011 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5012 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5013 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5016 @kindex RET (Summary)
5017 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5018 Scroll the current article one line forward
5019 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5022 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5023 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5024 Scroll the current article one line backward
5025 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5029 @kindex A g (Summary)
5031 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5032 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5033 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5034 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5035 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5036 the way it came from the server.
5038 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5039 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5040 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5043 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5048 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5053 @kindex A < (Summary)
5054 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5055 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5056 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5061 @kindex A > (Summary)
5062 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5063 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5067 @kindex A s (Summary)
5069 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5070 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5071 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5075 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5076 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5081 @node Reply Followup and Post
5082 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5085 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5086 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5087 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5088 * Canceling and Superseding::
5092 @node Summary Mail Commands
5093 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5095 @cindex composing mail
5097 Commands for composing a mail message:
5103 @kindex S r (Summary)
5105 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5106 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5107 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5108 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5109 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5114 @kindex S R (Summary)
5115 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5116 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5117 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5118 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5119 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5122 @kindex S w (Summary)
5123 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5124 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5125 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5126 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5127 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5130 @kindex S W (Summary)
5131 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5132 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5133 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5134 the process/prefix convention.
5137 @kindex S v (Summary)
5138 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5139 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5140 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5141 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5142 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5143 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5146 @kindex S V (Summary)
5147 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5148 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5149 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5150 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5153 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5154 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5155 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5156 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5159 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5160 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5161 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5162 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5163 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5167 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5168 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5169 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5170 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5171 Forward the current article to some other person
5172 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5173 headers of the forwarded article.
5178 @kindex S m (Summary)
5179 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5180 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5181 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5182 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5183 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5188 @kindex S i (Summary)
5189 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5190 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5191 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5192 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5194 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5195 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
5196 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5197 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5198 for this to work though.
5201 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5202 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5203 @cindex bouncing mail
5204 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5205 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5206 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5207 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5208 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5209 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
5210 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5211 very well fail, though.
5214 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5215 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5216 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5217 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5218 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5219 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5220 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5221 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5222 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5223 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5225 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5226 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5227 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5228 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5229 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5231 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5232 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5235 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5236 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
5237 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5238 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
5239 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5242 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5243 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5244 @cindex crossposting
5245 @cindex excessive crossposting
5246 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5247 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5249 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5250 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5251 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5252 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5253 command understands the process/prefix convention
5254 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5258 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5259 Manual}, for more information.
5262 @node Summary Post Commands
5263 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5265 @cindex composing news
5267 Commands for posting a news article:
5273 @kindex S p (Summary)
5274 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5275 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5276 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5277 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5278 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5283 @kindex S f (Summary)
5284 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5285 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5286 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5290 @kindex S F (Summary)
5292 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5293 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5294 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5295 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5296 process/prefix convention.
5299 @kindex S n (Summary)
5300 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5301 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5302 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5305 @kindex S N (Summary)
5306 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5307 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5308 message through mail and include the original message
5309 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5310 the process/prefix convention.
5313 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5314 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5315 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5316 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5317 headers of the forwarded article.
5320 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5321 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
5323 @cindex making digests
5324 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5325 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5326 process/prefix convention.
5329 @kindex S u (Summary)
5330 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5331 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5332 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5333 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5336 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5337 Manual}, for more information.
5340 @node Summary Message Commands
5341 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5345 @kindex S y (Summary)
5346 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5347 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5348 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5349 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5350 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5355 @node Canceling and Superseding
5356 @subsection Canceling Articles
5357 @cindex canceling articles
5358 @cindex superseding articles
5360 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5361 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5363 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5365 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5367 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5368 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5369 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5370 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5371 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5372 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5374 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5375 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5378 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5379 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5380 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5382 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5383 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5384 your original article.
5386 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5388 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5389 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5390 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5393 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5394 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5395 have posted almost the same article twice.
5397 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5398 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5399 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5400 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5401 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5402 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5403 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5404 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5405 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5406 canceled/superseded.
5408 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5410 @node Delayed Articles
5411 @section Delayed Articles
5412 @cindex delayed sending
5413 @cindex send delayed
5415 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5416 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5417 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5418 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5421 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5424 @findex gnus-delay-article
5425 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5426 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5427 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5428 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5432 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5433 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5434 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5435 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5438 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5439 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5440 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5443 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5444 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5445 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5446 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5447 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5448 that means a time tomorrow.
5451 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5452 couple of variables:
5455 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5456 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5457 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5458 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5460 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5461 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5462 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5463 formats described above.
5465 @item gnus-delay-group
5466 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5467 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5468 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5469 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5471 @item gnus-delay-header
5472 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5473 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5474 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5475 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5478 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5479 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5480 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5481 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5482 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5484 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5485 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5486 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5487 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5488 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5489 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5492 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5493 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5495 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5496 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5497 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-nil,
5498 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5499 argument is ignored.
5501 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5502 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5503 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5507 @node Marking Articles
5508 @section Marking Articles
5509 @cindex article marking
5510 @cindex article ticking
5513 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5515 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5516 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5517 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5519 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5522 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5523 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5524 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5528 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5532 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5533 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5534 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5538 @node Unread Articles
5539 @subsection Unread Articles
5541 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5546 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5547 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5549 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5550 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5551 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5552 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5553 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5554 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5555 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5558 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5559 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5561 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5562 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5563 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5564 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5568 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5569 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5571 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5576 @subsection Read Articles
5577 @cindex expirable mark
5579 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5584 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5585 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5586 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5589 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5590 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5593 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5594 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5595 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5598 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5599 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5602 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5603 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5606 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5607 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5610 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5611 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5614 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5615 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5618 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5619 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5622 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5623 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5627 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5628 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5629 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5633 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5634 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5636 One more special mark, though:
5640 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5641 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5643 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5644 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5645 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5646 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5652 @subsection Other Marks
5653 @cindex process mark
5656 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5662 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5663 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5664 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5665 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5666 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5669 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5670 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5671 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5672 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5675 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5676 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5677 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5680 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5681 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5682 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5685 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5686 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5687 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5688 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5691 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5692 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5693 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5694 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5695 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5696 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5699 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5700 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5701 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5702 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5705 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5706 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, some articles might not
5707 have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you are
5708 offline (unplugged). These articles get the @samp{@@} mark in the
5709 first column. (The variable @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls
5710 which character to use.)
5713 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5714 The Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics} downloads some articles
5715 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5716 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5717 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5718 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5722 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5723 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5724 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5725 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5726 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5729 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5730 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5731 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5732 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5733 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5734 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5738 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5739 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5740 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5742 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5743 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5744 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5748 @subsection Setting Marks
5749 @cindex setting marks
5751 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5756 @kindex M c (Summary)
5757 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5758 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5759 @cindex mark as unread
5760 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5761 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5767 @kindex M t (Summary)
5768 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5769 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5770 @xref{Article Caching}.
5775 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5776 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5777 Mark the current article as dormant
5778 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5782 @kindex M d (Summary)
5784 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5785 Mark the current article as read
5786 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5790 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5791 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5792 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5797 @kindex M k (Summary)
5798 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5799 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5800 and then select the next unread article
5801 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5805 @kindex M K (Summary)
5806 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5807 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5808 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5809 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5812 @kindex M C (Summary)
5813 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5814 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5815 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5818 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5819 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5820 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5821 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5824 @kindex M H (Summary)
5825 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5826 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5827 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5830 @kindex M h (Summary)
5831 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5832 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5833 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5836 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5837 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5838 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5839 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5842 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5843 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5844 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5845 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5849 @kindex M e (Summary)
5851 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5852 Mark the current article as expirable
5853 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5856 @kindex M b (Summary)
5857 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5858 Set a bookmark in the current article
5859 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5862 @kindex M B (Summary)
5863 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5864 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5865 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5868 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5869 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5870 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5871 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5874 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5875 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5876 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5877 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5880 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5881 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5882 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5883 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5884 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5887 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5888 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5889 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5890 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5891 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5892 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5893 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5894 The default is @code{t}.
5897 @node Generic Marking Commands
5898 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5900 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5901 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5902 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5903 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5904 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5907 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5908 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5911 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5912 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5913 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5914 to list in this manual.
5916 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5917 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5918 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5919 article, you could say something like:
5922 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5923 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5924 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5930 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5931 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5935 @node Setting Process Marks
5936 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5937 @cindex setting process marks
5939 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
5940 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
5941 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
5942 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
5943 commands into the cache. For more information,
5944 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
5951 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5952 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5953 Mark the current article with the process mark
5954 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5955 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5959 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5960 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5961 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5962 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5965 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5966 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5967 Remove the process mark from all articles
5968 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5971 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5972 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5973 Invert the list of process marked articles
5974 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5977 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5978 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5979 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5980 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5983 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5984 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5985 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5986 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5989 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5990 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5991 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5995 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
5996 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
5999 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6000 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6001 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6002 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6005 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6006 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6007 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6008 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6011 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6012 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6013 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6014 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6017 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6018 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6019 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6022 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6023 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6024 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6025 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6028 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6029 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6030 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6033 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6034 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6035 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6036 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6039 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6040 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6041 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6042 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6045 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6046 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6047 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6048 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6051 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6052 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6053 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6054 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6058 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
6059 set process marks based on article body contents.
6066 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6067 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6068 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6071 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6072 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6073 additional articles.
6079 @kindex / / (Summary)
6080 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6081 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6082 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6086 @kindex / a (Summary)
6087 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6088 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6089 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6093 @kindex / x (Summary)
6094 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6095 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6096 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6097 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6102 @kindex / u (Summary)
6104 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6105 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6106 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6107 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6108 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6111 @kindex / m (Summary)
6112 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6113 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6114 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6117 @kindex / t (Summary)
6118 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6119 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6120 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6121 articles younger than that number of days.
6124 @kindex / n (Summary)
6125 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6126 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6127 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6128 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6131 @kindex / w (Summary)
6132 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6133 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6134 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6138 @kindex / . (Summary)
6139 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6140 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6141 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6144 @kindex / v (Summary)
6145 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6146 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6147 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6150 @kindex / p (Summary)
6151 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6152 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6153 group parameter predicate
6154 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). See @pxref{Group
6155 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
6159 @kindex M S (Summary)
6160 @kindex / E (Summary)
6161 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6162 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6163 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6166 @kindex / D (Summary)
6167 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6168 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6169 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6172 @kindex / * (Summary)
6173 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6174 Include all cached articles in the limit
6175 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6178 @kindex / d (Summary)
6179 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6180 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6181 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6184 @kindex / M (Summary)
6185 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6186 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6189 @kindex / T (Summary)
6190 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6191 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6194 @kindex / c (Summary)
6195 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6196 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
6197 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6200 @kindex / C (Summary)
6201 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6202 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6203 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6204 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6207 @kindex / N (Summary)
6208 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6209 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6210 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6213 @kindex / o (Summary)
6214 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6215 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6216 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6224 @cindex article threading
6226 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6227 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6228 hierarchical fashion.
6230 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6231 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6232 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6233 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6234 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6235 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6236 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6238 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6242 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6245 A tree-like article structure.
6248 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6251 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6252 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6253 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6254 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6255 called loose threads.
6257 @item thread gathering
6258 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6260 @item sparse threads
6261 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6262 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6268 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6269 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6273 @node Customizing Threading
6274 @subsection Customizing Threading
6275 @cindex customizing threading
6278 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6279 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6280 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6281 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6286 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6289 @cindex loose threads
6292 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6293 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6294 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6295 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6296 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6297 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6299 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
6300 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
6301 There are four possible values:
6305 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6306 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6307 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6308 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6309 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6314 @cindex adopting articles
6319 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6320 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6321 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6322 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6325 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6326 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6327 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6328 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6329 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6330 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6331 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6332 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6333 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6334 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to t.
6337 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6338 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6339 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6343 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6344 display them after one another.
6347 Don't gather loose threads.
6350 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6351 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6352 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6353 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
6354 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6355 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6356 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6357 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6358 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6359 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
6360 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6362 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6363 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
6364 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6367 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6368 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6369 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6370 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6371 simplification is used.
6373 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6374 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6375 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6376 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6378 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6380 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6386 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6387 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6388 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6389 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6394 (mapconcat 'identity
6395 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6397 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6400 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6403 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6404 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6405 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6406 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6407 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6408 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6410 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6413 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6414 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6415 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6417 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6418 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6421 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6422 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6423 Remove excessive whitespace.
6425 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6426 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6427 Remove all whitespace.
6430 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6433 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6434 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6435 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6436 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6437 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6438 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6439 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6440 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6442 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6443 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6444 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6445 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6446 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6447 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6448 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6449 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6450 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6454 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6455 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6456 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6457 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6459 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6460 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6461 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6464 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6468 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6469 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6475 @node Filling In Threads
6476 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6479 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6480 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6481 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6482 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6483 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6484 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6485 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6486 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6487 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6488 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6489 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6490 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6493 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6494 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6495 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6497 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6498 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6499 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6500 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6501 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6502 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6503 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6504 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6505 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6506 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6507 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6508 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6509 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6510 @code{nil} by default.
6512 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6513 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6514 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6515 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6516 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6517 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6518 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6520 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6521 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6522 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6527 @node More Threading
6528 @subsubsection More Threading
6531 @item gnus-show-threads
6532 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6533 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6534 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6535 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6536 slower and more awkward.
6538 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6539 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6540 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6543 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6544 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6545 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}).
6550 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6551 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6552 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6555 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6556 unread, but you get my drift.)
6559 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6560 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6561 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6562 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6563 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6564 threads are expunged.
6566 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6567 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6568 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6571 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6572 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6573 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6574 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6575 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6576 result in a new thread.
6578 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6579 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6580 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6583 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6584 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6585 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6586 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6587 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6588 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6589 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6590 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6591 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6592 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6593 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6598 @node Low-Level Threading
6599 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6603 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6604 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6605 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6606 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6607 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6608 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6610 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6611 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6612 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6613 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6614 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6615 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6616 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6617 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6618 meaningful. Here's one example:
6621 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6623 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6624 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6626 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6628 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6635 @node Thread Commands
6636 @subsection Thread Commands
6637 @cindex thread commands
6643 @kindex T k (Summary)
6644 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6645 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6646 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6647 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6648 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6653 @kindex T l (Summary)
6654 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6655 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6656 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6657 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6660 @kindex T i (Summary)
6661 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6662 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6663 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6666 @kindex T # (Summary)
6667 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6668 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6669 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6672 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6673 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6674 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6675 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6678 @kindex T T (Summary)
6679 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6680 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6683 @kindex T s (Summary)
6684 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6685 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6686 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6689 @kindex T h (Summary)
6690 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6691 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6694 @kindex T S (Summary)
6695 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6696 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6699 @kindex T H (Summary)
6700 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6701 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6704 @kindex T t (Summary)
6705 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6706 Re-thread the current article's thread
6707 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6708 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6711 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6712 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6713 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6714 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6718 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6719 understand the numeric prefix.
6724 @kindex T n (Summary)
6726 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6728 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6729 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6730 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6733 @kindex T p (Summary)
6735 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6737 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6738 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6739 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6742 @kindex T d (Summary)
6743 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6744 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6747 @kindex T u (Summary)
6748 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6749 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6752 @kindex T o (Summary)
6753 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6754 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6757 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6758 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6759 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6760 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6761 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6762 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6763 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6764 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6765 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6766 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6767 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6768 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6772 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6773 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6775 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6776 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6777 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6778 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6779 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6780 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6781 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6782 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6783 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6784 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6785 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6786 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6787 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6789 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6790 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6791 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6792 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6793 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6794 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6795 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6796 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6798 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6799 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6800 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6802 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6803 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6804 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6805 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6806 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6807 ascending article order.
6809 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6810 by number, you could do something like:
6813 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6814 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6815 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6816 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6819 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6820 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6821 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6822 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6823 which the articles arrived.
6825 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6829 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6831 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6832 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6835 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6836 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6837 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6838 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6841 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6842 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6843 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6844 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6845 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6846 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
6847 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6848 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
6849 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
6850 variable. It is very similar to the
6851 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
6852 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
6853 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6854 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
6855 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
6856 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
6857 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6859 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6863 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6864 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6865 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6870 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6871 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6872 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6873 @cindex article pre-fetch
6876 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6877 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6878 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6879 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6880 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6882 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6883 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
6885 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6886 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6887 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6888 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6889 connection is blocked.
6891 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6892 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6893 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6894 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
6896 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6897 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6898 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6899 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6902 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6905 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6906 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6907 happen automatically.
6909 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6910 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6911 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6912 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6913 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6914 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6915 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6917 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6918 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6919 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6920 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6921 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6922 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6923 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6924 data structure as the only parameter.
6926 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6929 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6930 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6931 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6932 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6935 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6938 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6939 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
6940 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6942 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6943 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6944 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6945 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6949 Remove articles when they are read.
6952 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6955 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6957 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6958 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6959 @c from the next group.
6962 @node Article Caching
6963 @section Article Caching
6964 @cindex article caching
6967 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6968 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6969 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6970 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6971 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6973 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6975 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6976 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6977 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6978 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6979 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6980 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6981 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6982 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6984 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6985 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6986 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6987 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6988 as dormant, and don't worry.
6990 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6992 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6993 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6994 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6995 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6996 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6997 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6998 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6999 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7000 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7001 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7003 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7004 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7005 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7006 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7007 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7008 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
7009 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7010 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7011 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7012 not then be downloaded by this command.
7014 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7015 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7016 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7017 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7018 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7019 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7021 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7022 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7023 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7024 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7025 variables, the group is not cached.
7027 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7028 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7029 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7030 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7031 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7032 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
7033 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7034 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
7035 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7038 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7039 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7040 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7041 where, isn't that cool?
7043 @node Persistent Articles
7044 @section Persistent Articles
7045 @cindex persistent articles
7047 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7048 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7049 useful in my opinion.
7051 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7052 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7053 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7054 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7055 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7056 the expiry going on at the news server.
7058 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7059 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7060 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7066 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7067 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7070 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7071 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7072 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7073 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7077 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7079 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7080 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7081 interested in persistent articles:
7084 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7088 @node Article Backlog
7089 @section Article Backlog
7091 @cindex article backlog
7093 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7094 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7095 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
7096 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7097 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7098 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7099 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
7100 increase memory usage some.
7102 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7103 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
7104 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7105 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
7106 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7107 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7108 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7110 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
7113 @node Saving Articles
7114 @section Saving Articles
7115 @cindex saving articles
7117 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7118 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7119 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7120 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7121 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7123 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7124 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7125 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7127 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7128 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
7129 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7131 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7132 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7133 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7134 deleted before saving.
7140 @kindex O o (Summary)
7142 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7143 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7144 Save the current article using the default article saver
7145 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7148 @kindex O m (Summary)
7149 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7150 Save the current article in mail format
7151 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7154 @kindex O r (Summary)
7155 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7156 Save the current article in rmail format
7157 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7160 @kindex O f (Summary)
7161 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7162 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7163 Save the current article in plain file format
7164 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7167 @kindex O F (Summary)
7168 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7169 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7170 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7173 @kindex O b (Summary)
7174 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7175 Save the current article body in plain file format
7176 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7179 @kindex O h (Summary)
7180 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7181 Save the current article in mh folder format
7182 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7185 @kindex O v (Summary)
7186 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7187 Save the current article in a VM folder
7188 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7192 @kindex O p (Summary)
7194 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7195 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7196 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7197 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7198 complete headers in the piped output.
7201 @kindex O P (Summary)
7202 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7203 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7204 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7205 external program Muttprint (see
7206 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
7207 options to use is controlled by the variable
7208 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7212 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7213 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7214 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7215 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7216 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7217 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7218 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7219 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7220 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7221 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7222 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7223 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7227 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7228 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7229 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7230 functions below, or you can create your own.
7234 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7235 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7236 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7237 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7238 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
7239 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7240 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7242 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7243 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7244 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7245 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7246 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7247 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7249 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7250 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7251 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7252 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7253 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7254 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7255 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7257 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7258 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7259 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7260 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7261 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7262 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7264 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7265 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7266 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7267 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7268 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7270 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7271 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7272 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7273 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7274 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7277 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7278 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7279 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7280 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7281 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7283 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7284 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7285 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7286 reader to use this setting.
7289 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7290 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7291 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7292 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7295 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7296 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7297 available functions that generate names:
7301 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7302 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7303 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7305 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7306 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7307 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7309 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7310 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7311 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7313 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7314 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7315 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7317 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7318 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7319 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7322 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7323 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7324 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7325 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7326 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7330 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7331 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7332 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7333 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7336 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7337 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7338 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7339 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7340 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7341 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7342 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7343 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7344 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7346 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7347 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7348 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7349 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7351 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7352 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7353 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7356 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7357 lots of mail groups called things like
7358 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7359 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7360 following will do just that:
7363 (defun my-save-name (group)
7364 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7365 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7367 (setq gnus-split-methods
7368 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7373 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7374 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7375 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7376 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7377 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7378 all the files in the top level directory
7379 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7380 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7381 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7382 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7384 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7385 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7386 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7387 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7388 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7391 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7395 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7396 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7397 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7400 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7401 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7402 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7403 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7406 @node Decoding Articles
7407 @section Decoding Articles
7408 @cindex decoding articles
7410 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7411 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7414 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7415 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7416 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7417 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7418 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7419 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7423 @cindex article series
7424 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7425 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7426 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7427 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7428 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7430 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7431 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7432 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7434 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
7435 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7436 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7438 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7439 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7440 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7443 @node Uuencoded Articles
7444 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7446 @cindex uuencoded articles
7451 @kindex X u (Summary)
7452 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7453 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7454 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7457 @kindex X U (Summary)
7458 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7459 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7460 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7463 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7464 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7465 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7468 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7469 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7470 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7471 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7475 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7476 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7477 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7478 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7479 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7481 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7482 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7483 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7484 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7487 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7488 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7489 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7490 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7491 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7492 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7496 @node Shell Archives
7497 @subsection Shell Archives
7499 @cindex shell archives
7500 @cindex shared articles
7502 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7503 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7504 some commands to deal with these:
7509 @kindex X s (Summary)
7510 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7511 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7514 @kindex X S (Summary)
7515 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7516 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7519 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7520 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7521 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7524 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7525 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7526 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7527 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7531 @node PostScript Files
7532 @subsection PostScript Files
7538 @kindex X p (Summary)
7539 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7540 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7543 @kindex X P (Summary)
7544 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7545 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7546 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7549 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7550 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7551 View the current PostScript series
7552 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7555 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7556 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7557 View and save the current PostScript series
7558 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7563 @subsection Other Files
7567 @kindex X o (Summary)
7568 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7569 Save the current series
7570 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7573 @kindex X b (Summary)
7574 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7575 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7576 doesn't really work yet.
7580 @node Decoding Variables
7581 @subsection Decoding Variables
7583 Adjective, not verb.
7586 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7587 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7588 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7592 @node Rule Variables
7593 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7594 @cindex rule variables
7596 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7597 variables are of the form
7600 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7607 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7608 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7610 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7611 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7614 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7615 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7618 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7619 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7620 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7621 user and default view rules.
7623 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7624 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7625 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7630 @node Other Decode Variables
7631 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7634 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7636 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7637 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7638 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7639 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7640 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7644 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7645 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7648 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7649 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7650 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7653 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7654 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7655 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7656 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7657 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7660 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7661 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7662 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7664 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7665 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7666 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7667 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7668 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7671 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7672 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7673 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7675 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7676 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7677 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7678 looking for files to display.
7680 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7681 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7682 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7685 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7686 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7687 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7690 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7691 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7692 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7695 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7696 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7697 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7700 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7701 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7702 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7703 decoded articles as unread.
7705 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7706 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7707 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7708 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7710 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7711 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7712 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7714 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7715 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7717 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7718 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7719 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7720 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7722 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7723 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7724 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7725 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7726 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7727 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7728 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7729 simply dropped them.
7734 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7735 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7739 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7740 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7741 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7742 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7743 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7744 for you when you post the article.
7746 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7747 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7748 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7749 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7751 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7752 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7753 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7754 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7755 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7756 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7757 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7759 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7760 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7761 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7762 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7763 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7764 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7765 Default is @code{t}.
7771 @subsection Viewing Files
7772 @cindex viewing files
7773 @cindex pseudo-articles
7775 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7776 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7777 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7778 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7779 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7780 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7781 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7783 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7784 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7785 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7786 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7788 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7789 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7790 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7792 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7793 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7794 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7795 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7796 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7798 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7799 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7800 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7801 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7802 a list of parameters to that command.
7804 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7805 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7806 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7808 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7809 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7810 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7813 @node Article Treatment
7814 @section Article Treatment
7816 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7817 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7818 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7819 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7820 these articles easier.
7823 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7824 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7825 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7826 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7827 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7828 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7829 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7830 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7831 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7832 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7836 @node Article Highlighting
7837 @subsection Article Highlighting
7838 @cindex highlighting
7840 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7841 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7846 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7847 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7848 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7849 Do much highlighting of the current article
7850 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7851 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7854 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7855 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7856 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7857 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7858 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7859 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7860 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7861 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7862 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7863 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7864 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7865 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7868 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7869 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7870 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7872 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7875 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7877 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7878 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7879 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7881 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7882 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7883 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7885 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7886 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7887 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7888 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7889 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7890 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7892 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7893 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7894 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7896 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7897 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7898 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7900 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7901 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7902 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7903 that it's a citation.
7905 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7906 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7907 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7909 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7910 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7911 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7913 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7914 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7915 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7916 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7922 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7923 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7924 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7925 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7926 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7927 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7928 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7929 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7934 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7937 @node Article Fontisizing
7938 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7940 @cindex article emphasis
7942 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7943 @kindex W e (Summary)
7944 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7945 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7946 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7947 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7949 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7950 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7951 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7952 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7953 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7954 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7955 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7956 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7960 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7961 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7962 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7971 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7972 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7973 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7974 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7975 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7976 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7977 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7978 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7979 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7980 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7981 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7982 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7983 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7985 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7986 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7987 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7991 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7994 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7996 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7997 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7998 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7999 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8001 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8004 @node Article Hiding
8005 @subsection Article Hiding
8006 @cindex article hiding
8008 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8009 too much cruft in most articles.
8014 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8015 @findex gnus-article-hide
8016 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8017 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8018 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
8021 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8022 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8023 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8027 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8028 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8029 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8030 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8033 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8034 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8035 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8039 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8040 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8041 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8042 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8043 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8044 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8045 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8046 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8050 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8051 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8052 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8053 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8058 @kindex W W p (Summary)
8059 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
8060 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
8061 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
8062 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
8063 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
8064 articles that have signatures in them do:
8066 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
8068 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
8070 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
8071 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
8073 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
8076 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
8081 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8082 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8083 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8084 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8087 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8088 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8089 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8090 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8093 @cindex stripping advertisements
8094 @cindex advertisements
8095 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8096 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8097 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8098 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8099 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8100 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8101 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8102 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8103 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8104 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8107 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8108 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8109 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8113 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8114 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8115 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8116 @code{(ADDRESS . BANNER)}, where ADDRESS is a regexp matching a mail
8117 address in the From header, BANNER is one of a symbol @code{signature},
8118 an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}, a regexp and @code{nil}.
8119 If ADDRESS matches author's mail address, it will remove things like
8120 advertisements. For example, if a sender has the mail address
8121 @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a banner something like
8122 @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he sends, you can use the
8123 following element to remove them:
8126 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" . "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8132 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8133 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8134 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8135 customizing the hiding:
8139 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8140 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8141 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8142 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8143 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8144 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8145 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8150 Starting point of the hidden text.
8152 Ending point of the hidden text.
8154 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8156 Number of lines of hidden text.
8159 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8160 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8161 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8162 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8163 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8168 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8169 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8171 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8172 following two variables:
8175 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8176 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8177 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8178 50), hide the cited text.
8180 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8181 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8182 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8187 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8188 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8189 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8190 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8191 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8192 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8196 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8197 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8198 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8200 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8201 citation customization.
8203 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8207 @node Article Washing
8208 @subsection Article Washing
8210 @cindex article washing
8212 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8213 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8215 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8216 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8219 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8220 articles by default.
8225 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8226 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8230 @kindex W l (Summary)
8231 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8232 Remove page breaks from the current article
8233 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8237 @kindex W r (Summary)
8238 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8239 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8240 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8241 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8242 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8243 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8245 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8246 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8247 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8248 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8251 @kindex W m (Summary)
8252 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8253 @c @icon{gnus-summary-morse-message}
8254 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8258 @kindex W t (Summary)
8260 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8261 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8262 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8265 @kindex W v (Summary)
8266 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8267 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8268 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8271 @kindex W m (Summary)
8272 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
8273 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
8274 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
8277 @kindex W o (Summary)
8278 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8279 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8282 @kindex W d (Summary)
8283 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8284 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8286 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8288 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8289 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8290 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8291 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8294 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8295 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8296 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8297 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8300 @kindex W k (Summary)
8301 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8302 @cindex Outlook Express
8303 Deuglify broken Outlook (Express) articles and redisplay
8304 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8307 @kindex W w (Summary)
8308 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8309 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8311 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8315 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8316 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8317 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8320 @kindex W C (Summary)
8321 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8322 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8323 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8326 @kindex W c (Summary)
8327 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8328 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8329 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8330 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8331 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8334 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8335 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8336 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8337 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8338 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is usually done
8339 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8340 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8342 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8345 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8346 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8347 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8348 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8349 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8352 @kindex W u (Summary)
8353 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8354 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8355 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8356 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8357 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8360 @kindex W h (Summary)
8361 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8362 Treat @sc{html} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8363 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8364 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @sc{html}.
8366 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8368 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8369 The default is to use the function specified by
8370 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{(emacs-mime)Display
8371 Customization}) to convert the @sc{html}, but this is controlled by
8372 the @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions
8373 you can use include:
8380 Use emacs-w3m (see @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/} for more
8384 Use Links (see @uref{http://artax.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~mikulas/links/}).
8387 Use Lynx (see @uref{http://lynx.browser.org/}).
8390 Use html2text -- a simple @sc{html} converter included with Gnus.
8395 @kindex W b (Summary)
8396 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8397 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8398 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8401 @kindex W B (Summary)
8402 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8403 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8404 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8407 @kindex W p (Summary)
8408 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8409 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8410 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8411 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8412 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8413 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8414 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8417 @kindex W s (Summary)
8418 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8419 Verify a signed (PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}) message
8420 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8423 @kindex W a (Summary)
8424 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8425 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8426 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8429 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8430 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8431 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8432 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8435 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8436 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8437 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8438 lines with a single empty line.
8439 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8442 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8443 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8444 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8445 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8448 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8449 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8450 Do all the three commands above
8451 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8454 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8455 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8456 Remove all blank lines
8457 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8460 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8461 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8462 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8463 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8466 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8467 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8468 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8469 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8473 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8476 @node Article Header
8477 @subsection Article Header
8479 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8484 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8485 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8486 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8489 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8490 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8491 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8492 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8495 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8496 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8497 Fold all the message headers
8498 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8502 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8503 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8504 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8509 @node Article Buttons
8510 @subsection Article Buttons
8513 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8514 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8515 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8516 button on these references.
8518 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8519 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8520 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links and man pages.
8521 This is controlled by two variables, one that handles article bodies and
8522 one that handles article heads:
8526 @item gnus-button-alist
8527 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8528 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8531 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8537 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8538 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8539 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8540 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8541 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}.
8544 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8545 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8546 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8549 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8550 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8551 avoid false matches.
8554 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8557 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8558 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8562 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8565 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8568 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8569 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8570 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8571 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8572 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8575 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8578 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8580 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8581 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8582 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8583 default values of the variables above.
8585 @item gnus-article-button-face
8586 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8587 Face used on buttons.
8589 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8590 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8591 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8595 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8599 @subsection Article Date
8601 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8602 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8603 when the article was sent.
8608 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8609 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8610 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8611 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8614 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8615 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8617 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8618 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8621 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8622 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8623 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8626 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8627 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8628 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8629 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8632 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8633 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8634 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8635 @findex format-time-string
8636 Display the date using a user-defined format
8637 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8638 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8639 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8640 for a list of possible format specs.
8643 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8644 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8645 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8646 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8647 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8648 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8651 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8654 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8655 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8658 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8659 into wonderful absurdities.
8661 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8664 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8667 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8668 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8672 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8673 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8674 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8675 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8676 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8677 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8678 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8682 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8683 preferred format automatically.
8686 @node Article Display
8687 @subsection Article Display
8692 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
8693 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8695 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8696 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8698 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8699 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8701 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8702 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8704 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8709 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8710 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8711 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8712 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8715 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8716 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
8717 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8720 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8721 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8722 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8725 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8726 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8727 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8728 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8731 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8732 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8733 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8734 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
8737 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8738 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8739 Remove all images from the article buffer
8740 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8746 @node Article Signature
8747 @subsection Article Signature
8749 @cindex article signature
8751 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8752 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8753 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8754 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8755 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8756 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8757 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8758 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8759 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8762 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8763 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8764 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8765 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8766 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8767 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8768 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8769 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8772 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8775 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8776 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8777 signature when displaying articles.
8781 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8784 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8787 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8788 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8790 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8791 in question is not a signature.
8794 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8795 listed above. Here's an example:
8798 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8799 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8802 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8803 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8804 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8805 signature after all.
8808 @node Article Miscellania
8809 @subsection Article Miscellania
8813 @kindex A t (Summary)
8814 @findex gnus-article-babel
8815 Translate the article from one language to another
8816 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8822 @section MIME Commands
8823 @cindex MIME decoding
8825 @cindex viewing attachments
8827 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8828 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8834 @kindex K v (Summary)
8835 View the @sc{mime} part.
8838 @kindex K o (Summary)
8839 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8842 @kindex K c (Summary)
8843 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8846 @kindex K e (Summary)
8847 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8850 @kindex K i (Summary)
8851 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8854 @kindex K | (Summary)
8855 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8858 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8863 @kindex K b (Summary)
8864 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8865 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8869 @kindex K m (Summary)
8870 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8871 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8872 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8873 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8874 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8877 @kindex X m (Summary)
8878 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8879 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8880 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8881 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8884 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8885 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
8886 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8887 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8890 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8891 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
8892 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8893 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8896 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8897 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
8898 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8899 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8901 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8902 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8903 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8904 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
8905 include @sc{mime} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
8906 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8909 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8910 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
8911 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8912 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8919 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8920 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8921 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8922 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8925 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8928 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8932 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8933 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8934 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8935 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8936 displayed or this variable is overridden by
8937 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8938 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
8939 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is nil.
8941 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8942 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8943 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8944 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8945 displayed. This variable overrides
8946 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8947 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
8950 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8951 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8952 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
8954 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
8955 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
8956 If this is non-nil, then all @sc{mime} parts get buttons. The default
8957 value is @code{nil}.
8959 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8960 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8961 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8962 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8963 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8964 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8965 save all jpegs into some directory).
8967 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8970 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8971 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8973 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8974 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8975 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8976 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8977 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8980 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8981 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8982 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8984 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8985 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8986 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8987 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8989 Ready-made functions include@*
8990 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8991 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8992 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8993 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8994 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8995 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8996 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8997 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8998 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8999 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9000 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9001 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9003 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9004 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9006 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9007 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9008 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9011 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9012 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9013 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9014 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9018 to your @file{.gnus} file.
9027 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
9028 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9029 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
9030 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9031 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9032 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9033 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9035 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9036 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9037 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9038 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9040 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
9041 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9042 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9043 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9044 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9045 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9046 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9047 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9049 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9050 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9051 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
9052 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9053 quoted-printable header encoding.
9055 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9056 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9057 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9061 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9064 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9065 means encode all charsets),
9067 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9068 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9069 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9076 @cindex coding system aliases
9077 @cindex preferred charset
9079 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9081 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9082 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9085 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9086 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9089 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9090 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
9092 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9095 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9098 This will almost do the right thing.
9100 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9104 (codepage-setup 1251)
9105 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9109 @node Article Commands
9110 @section Article Commands
9117 @kindex A P (Summary)
9118 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9119 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9120 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9121 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9122 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9123 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9128 @node Summary Sorting
9129 @section Summary Sorting
9130 @cindex summary sorting
9132 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9133 can't really see why you'd want that.
9138 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9139 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9140 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9143 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9144 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9145 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9148 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9149 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9150 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9153 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9154 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9155 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9158 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9159 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9160 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9163 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9164 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9165 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9168 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9169 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9170 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9173 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9174 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9175 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9178 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9179 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9180 Sort using the default sorting method
9181 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9184 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9185 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9186 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9187 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9188 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9192 @node Finding the Parent
9193 @section Finding the Parent
9194 @cindex parent articles
9195 @cindex referring articles
9200 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9201 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9202 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9203 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
9204 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9205 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9206 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9207 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9208 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9210 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9211 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9212 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
9213 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9214 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9218 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9219 @kindex A R (Summary)
9220 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9221 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9224 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9225 @kindex A T (Summary)
9226 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9227 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9228 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9229 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9230 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9231 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9232 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9234 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9235 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9236 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9237 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9238 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9239 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9242 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9243 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9245 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9246 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
9247 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9248 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9249 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9250 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9251 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9254 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9255 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9256 by giving this command a prefix.
9258 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9259 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9260 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9261 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
9262 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
9263 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9266 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9267 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9268 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9271 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9272 then ask Google if that fails:
9275 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9277 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9280 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9281 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9282 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9283 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9284 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9285 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9286 support this at all.
9289 @node Alternative Approaches
9290 @section Alternative Approaches
9292 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9293 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9296 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9297 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9302 @subsection Pick and Read
9303 @cindex pick and read
9305 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9306 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9307 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9308 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9310 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9311 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9312 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9313 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9314 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9315 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9317 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9322 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9323 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9324 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9325 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9326 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9327 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9328 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9329 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9332 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9333 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9334 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9335 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9339 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9340 Unpick the thread or article
9341 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9342 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9343 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9344 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9345 the thread or article at that line.
9349 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9350 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9351 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9352 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9353 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9354 will still be visible when you are reading.
9358 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9359 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9360 which is mapped to the same function
9361 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9363 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9366 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9369 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9370 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9372 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9373 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9374 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9376 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9377 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9378 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9379 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9380 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9381 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9382 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9386 @subsection Binary Groups
9387 @cindex binary groups
9389 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9390 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9391 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9392 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9393 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9394 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9395 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9398 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9399 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9400 command, when you have turned on this mode
9401 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9403 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9404 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9408 @section Tree Display
9411 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9412 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
9413 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9414 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9417 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9420 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9421 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9422 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9424 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9425 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9426 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9427 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9428 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9430 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9431 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9432 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9433 default is @code{modeline}.
9435 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9436 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9437 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9438 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9439 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9440 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9441 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9447 The name of the poster.
9449 The @code{From} header.
9451 The number of the article.
9453 The opening bracket.
9455 The closing bracket.
9460 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9462 Variables related to the display are:
9465 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9466 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9467 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9468 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9469 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9470 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9472 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9473 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9474 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9475 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9479 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9480 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9481 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
9482 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
9483 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9484 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9485 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9486 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9487 other windows displayed next to it.
9489 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9493 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9494 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9497 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9498 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9499 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9500 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9501 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9502 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9503 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9507 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9510 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9520 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9524 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9525 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9527 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9529 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9534 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9535 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9536 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9539 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9540 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9541 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9542 (gnus-add-configuration
9546 (summary 0.75 point)
9551 @xref{Window Layout}.
9554 @node Mail Group Commands
9555 @section Mail Group Commands
9556 @cindex mail group commands
9558 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9559 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9561 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9562 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9567 @kindex B e (Summary)
9568 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9569 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9570 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9571 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9572 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9575 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9576 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9577 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9578 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9579 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9580 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9583 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9584 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9585 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9586 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9587 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9588 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9591 @kindex B m (Summary)
9593 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9594 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9595 Move the article from one mail group to another
9596 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9597 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9600 @kindex B c (Summary)
9602 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9603 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9604 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9605 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9606 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9609 @kindex B B (Summary)
9610 @cindex crosspost mail
9611 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9612 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9613 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9614 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9615 be properly updated.
9618 @kindex B i (Summary)
9619 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9620 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9621 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9622 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9625 @kindex B I (Summary)
9626 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9627 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9628 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9629 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9632 @kindex B r (Summary)
9633 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9634 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9635 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9636 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9637 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9638 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9639 (which is the default).
9643 @kindex B w (Summary)
9645 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9646 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9647 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
9648 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9649 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9650 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9651 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9654 @kindex B q (Summary)
9655 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9656 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9657 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9658 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9661 @kindex B t (Summary)
9662 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9663 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9664 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9667 @kindex B p (Summary)
9668 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9669 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9670 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9671 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9672 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9673 article from your news server (or rather, from
9674 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9675 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9676 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9677 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9678 just not have arrived yet.
9681 @kindex K E (Summary)
9682 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
9683 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
9684 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
9685 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
9686 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
9690 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9691 @cindex moving articles
9692 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
9693 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9694 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9695 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9696 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9697 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9698 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9701 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9702 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9703 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9704 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9708 @node Various Summary Stuff
9709 @section Various Summary Stuff
9712 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9713 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9714 * Summary Generation Commands::
9715 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9719 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9720 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9721 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9723 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9724 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9725 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9726 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9727 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9728 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9731 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9732 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9733 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9734 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9735 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9737 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9738 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9739 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9742 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9743 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9744 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9745 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9746 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9747 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9748 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
9749 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9750 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9751 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9753 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9754 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9755 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9756 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9757 list of articles to be selected.
9759 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9760 the list in one particular group:
9763 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9764 (if (string= group "some.group")
9765 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9769 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9770 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9771 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9772 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9773 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9774 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9775 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9776 buffers. For example:
9779 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9780 '(message-use-followup-to
9781 (gnus-visible-headers .
9782 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9788 @node Summary Group Information
9789 @subsection Summary Group Information
9794 @kindex H f (Summary)
9795 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9796 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9797 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9798 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9799 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9800 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9801 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9802 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9803 be used for fetching the file.
9806 @kindex H d (Summary)
9807 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9808 Give a brief description of the current group
9809 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9810 rereading the description from the server.
9813 @kindex H h (Summary)
9814 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9815 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9816 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9819 @kindex H i (Summary)
9820 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9821 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9825 @node Searching for Articles
9826 @subsection Searching for Articles
9831 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9832 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9833 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9834 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9837 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9838 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9839 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9840 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9844 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9845 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9846 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9847 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9848 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9849 search backward instead.
9851 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9852 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9855 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9856 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9857 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9858 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9861 @node Summary Generation Commands
9862 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9867 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9868 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9869 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9872 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9873 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9874 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9875 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9878 @kindex Y d (Summary)
9879 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
9880 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9881 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
9886 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9887 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9893 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9894 @kindex A D (Summary)
9895 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9896 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9897 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9898 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9899 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9900 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9901 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9902 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9906 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9907 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9908 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9909 several documents into one biiig group
9910 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9911 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9912 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9913 command understands the process/prefix convention
9914 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9917 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9918 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9919 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9920 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9921 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9922 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9926 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9927 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9928 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9931 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
9932 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9933 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9934 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9937 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
9938 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9939 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9940 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9945 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9946 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9947 @cindex summary exit
9948 @cindex exiting groups
9950 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9951 group and return you to the group buffer.
9957 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9959 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9960 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9961 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9962 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9963 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9964 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9965 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9966 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9967 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9968 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9969 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9973 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9975 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9976 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9977 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9981 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9983 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9984 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9985 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9986 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9989 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9990 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9991 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9992 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9995 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9996 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9997 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9998 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10001 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10002 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10003 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10004 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10005 all articles, both read and unread.
10009 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10010 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10011 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10012 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10013 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10014 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10015 articles, both read and unread.
10018 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10019 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10020 Exit the group and go to the next group
10021 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10024 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10025 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10026 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10027 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10030 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10031 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10032 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10033 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10034 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10035 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10038 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10039 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10040 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10041 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10043 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10044 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10045 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10046 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10047 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10048 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10049 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10050 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10051 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10052 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10053 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10054 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10056 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10058 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10059 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10060 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10061 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10062 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10063 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10064 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10065 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10066 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10069 @node Crosspost Handling
10070 @section Crosspost Handling
10074 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10075 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10076 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10077 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10078 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10079 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10082 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10083 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10084 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10085 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10086 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10088 @cindex cross-posting
10091 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10092 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
10093 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10094 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
10095 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10096 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10097 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10098 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10099 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10100 the cross reference mechanism.
10102 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10103 @cindex overview.fmt
10104 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10105 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10106 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10107 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10108 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10109 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10112 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10113 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10114 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10119 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10122 @node Duplicate Suppression
10123 @section Duplicate Suppression
10125 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10126 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10127 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10128 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10133 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10134 is evil and not very common.
10137 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10138 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10141 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10142 different @sc{nntp} servers.
10145 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10148 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10149 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10151 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10152 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10153 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10154 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10155 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10156 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10157 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10160 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10161 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10162 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10163 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10164 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10165 saw the article in.
10168 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10169 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10170 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10172 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10173 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10174 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10175 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10176 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
10177 session are suppressed.
10179 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10180 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10181 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10182 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10184 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10185 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10186 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10187 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10190 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
10191 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10192 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10193 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10194 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
10195 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10196 to you to figure out, I think.
10201 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10202 The formats that are supported are PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} and @sc{s/mime},
10203 however you need some external programs to get things to work:
10207 To handle PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or gpg.el as
10208 well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG).
10211 To handle @sc{s/mime} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10212 or newer is recommended.
10216 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10217 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10220 @item mm-verify-option
10221 @vindex mm-verify-option
10222 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10223 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10224 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10226 @item mm-decrypt-option
10227 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10228 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10229 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10230 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10235 @section Mailing List
10237 @kindex A M (summary)
10238 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10239 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10240 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10241 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10242 summary buffer, or say:
10245 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
10248 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10253 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10254 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10255 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10258 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10259 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10260 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10263 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10264 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10265 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10269 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10270 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10271 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10274 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10275 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10276 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10279 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10280 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10281 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10285 @node Article Buffer
10286 @chapter Article Buffer
10287 @cindex article buffer
10289 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10290 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10291 tell gnus otherwise.
10294 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10295 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
10296 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10297 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10298 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10302 @node Hiding Headers
10303 @section Hiding Headers
10304 @cindex hiding headers
10305 @cindex deleting headers
10307 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10308 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10310 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10311 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10312 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10313 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10314 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10315 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10316 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
10317 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10318 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10320 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10324 @item gnus-visible-headers
10325 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10326 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10327 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10328 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10330 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10331 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10334 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10337 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10340 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10341 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10342 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10343 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10344 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10345 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10347 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
10348 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
10351 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10354 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10357 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10358 variable will have no effect.
10362 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10363 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10364 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10365 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10366 the headers are to be displayed.
10368 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10369 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10372 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10375 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10376 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10378 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10379 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10380 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10381 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10382 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10383 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10384 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10387 These conditions are:
10390 Remove all empty headers.
10392 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10393 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10395 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10396 @code{From} header.
10398 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10401 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10402 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10404 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10407 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10409 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10412 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10415 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10416 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10419 This is also the default value for this variable.
10423 @section Using MIME
10426 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10427 while people stand around yawning.
10429 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10430 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10432 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10433 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10434 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10436 @vindex gnus-show-mime
10437 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
10438 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
10439 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
10440 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
10441 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
10442 calls the @sc{semi} MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
10443 information on @sc{semi} MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is
10444 not existed yet, sorry).
10446 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
10447 @sc{mime} all the time. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime} set, then
10448 you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article buffer.
10449 These can't be avoided.
10451 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
10452 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
10453 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
10454 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
10455 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
10456 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
10457 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
10458 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
10459 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
10462 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10464 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
10465 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
10466 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
10467 buffer when there are nobody else.
10469 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10472 @node Customizing Articles
10473 @section Customizing Articles
10474 @cindex article customization
10476 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10477 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10478 called automatically when you select the articles.
10480 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10481 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10482 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10483 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10485 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10486 for sensible values.
10490 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10493 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10496 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10499 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10502 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10506 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10507 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10508 regexps in the list.
10511 A list where the first element is not a string:
10513 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10514 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10515 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10519 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10523 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
10528 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10529 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10530 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10531 considered to contain just a single part.
10533 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10534 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10535 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10536 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10537 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10538 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10539 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10541 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10542 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10543 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10544 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10547 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10548 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10550 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10552 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10553 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10554 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10555 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10556 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10557 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10558 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10559 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10560 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10561 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10562 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
10563 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset (t, integer)
10565 @xref{Article Washing}.
10567 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10568 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10569 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10570 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10571 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10572 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10573 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10575 @xref{Article Date}.
10577 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10578 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10579 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10583 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10585 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10587 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10588 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10589 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10593 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10597 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10598 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10599 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10600 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10601 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10602 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10603 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10604 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10606 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10608 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10609 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10610 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10612 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10614 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10615 @item gnus-treat-translate
10616 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10618 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10619 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10620 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10621 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
10623 @xref{Article Header}.
10628 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10629 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10630 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10631 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10632 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10636 @node Article Keymap
10637 @section Article Keymap
10639 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10640 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10641 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10642 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10645 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10650 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10651 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10652 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10655 @kindex DEL (Article)
10656 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10657 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10660 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10661 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10662 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10663 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10664 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10667 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10668 @findex gnus-article-mail
10669 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10670 given a prefix, include the mail.
10673 @kindex s (Article)
10674 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10675 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10676 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10679 @kindex ? (Article)
10680 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10681 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10682 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10685 @kindex TAB (Article)
10686 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10687 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10688 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10691 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10692 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10693 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10696 @kindex R (Article)
10697 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
10698 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
10699 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
10700 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10704 @kindex F (Article)
10705 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
10706 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
10707 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
10708 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10716 @section Misc Article
10720 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10721 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10722 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10723 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10726 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10727 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10729 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10730 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10732 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10733 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10734 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10735 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10736 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10737 the contents of the article buffer.
10739 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10740 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10741 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10743 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10744 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10745 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10746 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10748 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10749 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10750 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10751 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10752 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10758 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10759 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10760 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10765 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10768 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10771 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10772 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10773 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10776 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10779 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10782 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10787 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10791 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10793 @item gnus-break-pages
10794 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10795 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10796 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10797 paging will not be done.
10799 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10800 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10801 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10806 @node Composing Messages
10807 @chapter Composing Messages
10808 @cindex composing messages
10811 @cindex sending mail
10816 @cindex using s/mime
10817 @cindex using smime
10819 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10820 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10821 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10822 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
10823 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10824 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10827 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10828 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
10829 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10830 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10831 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10832 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10833 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10834 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
10837 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10838 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10844 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10847 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10848 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10849 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10850 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
10851 @code{nil} include all headers.
10853 @item gnus-add-to-list
10854 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10855 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10856 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10858 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
10859 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
10860 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus requests confirmation when replying to news.
10861 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
10862 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
10867 @node Posting Server
10868 @section Posting Server
10870 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10871 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10873 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10875 It can be quite complicated.
10877 @vindex gnus-post-method
10878 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
10879 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
10880 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
10881 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
10882 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
10883 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
10884 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
10885 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
10886 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10889 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10892 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10893 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10894 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10895 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10897 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10898 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10900 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10901 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10904 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10905 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
10907 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
10908 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
10909 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
10910 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
10911 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @sc{smtp}
10912 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
10913 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
10914 package correctly. An example:
10917 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
10918 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
10921 To the thing similar to this, there is @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}.
10922 It is useful if your ISP requires the POP-before-SMTP authentication.
10923 See the documentation for the function @code{mail-source-touch-pop}.
10925 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
10926 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
10927 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
10929 @node Mail and Post
10930 @section Mail and Post
10932 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10936 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10937 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10938 @cindex mailing lists
10940 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10941 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10942 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10943 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10944 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10945 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10946 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10947 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10948 still a pain, though.
10952 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10953 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10954 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10957 @findex ispell-message
10959 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10962 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10963 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10966 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10970 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10971 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10973 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10976 Modify to suit your needs.
10979 @node Archived Messages
10980 @section Archived Messages
10981 @cindex archived messages
10982 @cindex sent messages
10984 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10985 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10986 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10987 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10990 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
10991 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
10994 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10995 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
10996 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10999 (nnfolder "archive"
11000 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11001 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11002 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11003 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11006 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11007 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11008 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11009 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11012 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11013 '(nnfolder "archive"
11014 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11015 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11016 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11019 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11021 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11022 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11023 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11025 This variable can be used to do the following:
11030 Messages will be saved in that group.
11032 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11033 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11034 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11035 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11036 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11037 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11038 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11039 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11043 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11045 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11046 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11049 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11054 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11056 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11059 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11061 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11064 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11066 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11067 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11068 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11069 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11072 More complex stuff:
11074 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11075 '((if (message-news-p)
11080 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11081 messages in one file per month:
11084 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11085 '((if (message-news-p)
11087 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11090 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11091 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11093 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11094 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11095 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11096 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11097 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11098 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11099 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11100 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11101 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11102 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11104 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11105 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11106 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11107 this will disable archiving.
11110 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11111 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11112 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11113 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11114 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11117 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11118 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11119 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11122 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11123 but the latter is the preferred method.
11125 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11126 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11127 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11129 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11130 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11131 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11132 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11133 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11134 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11135 changed in the future.
11140 @node Posting Styles
11141 @section Posting Styles
11142 @cindex posting styles
11145 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11147 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11148 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11149 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11152 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11153 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11154 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11155 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11156 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11161 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11162 (organization "What me?"))
11164 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11165 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11166 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11169 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11170 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11171 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11172 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11173 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11174 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11175 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11176 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11178 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11179 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11180 If it is the form @code{(header MATCH REGEXP)}, then Gnus will look in
11181 the original article for a header whose name is MATCH and compare that
11182 REGEXP. MATCH and REGEXP are strings. (There original article is the
11183 one you are replying or following up to. If you are not composing a
11184 reply or a followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11185 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with no
11186 arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11187 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11188 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
11191 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11192 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11193 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
11194 @code{x-face-file}, @code{address} (overriding
11195 @code{user-mail-address}), @code{name} (overriding
11196 @code{(user-full-name)}) or @code{body}. The attribute name can also
11197 be a string or a symbol. In that case, this will be used as a header
11198 name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article; if
11199 the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed. If the
11200 attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the result
11203 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11204 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11205 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11206 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11207 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11208 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11209 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11210 references chars lines xref extra.
11212 @vindex message-reply-headers
11214 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11215 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11216 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11218 @findex message-mail-p
11219 @findex message-news-p
11221 So here's a new example:
11224 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11226 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11228 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11229 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11231 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11232 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; A form
11233 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11234 (message-news-p ;; A function symbol
11235 (signature my-news-signature))
11236 (window-system ;; A value symbol
11237 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11238 ;; If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.
11239 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11240 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11241 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; A user defined function
11242 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11243 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11244 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11245 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11247 (From (save-excursion
11248 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11249 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11251 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11254 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11255 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11256 if you fill many roles.
11258 Setting the @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} variable will make
11259 posting-styles allow to have distinctive names. You can specify an
11260 arbitrary posting-style when article posting with @kbd{S P} in the
11261 summary buffer. @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} is an alist which maps
11262 the names to styles. Once a posting-style is added to the alist, we can
11263 import it from @code{gnus-posting-styles}. If an attribute whose name
11264 is @code{import} is found, Gnus will look for the attribute value in
11265 @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} and expand it in place.
11270 (setq gnus-named-posting-styles
11272 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11274 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11275 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11278 (organization "The Church of Emacs"))))
11281 The posting-style named "Emacs" will inherit all the attributes from
11282 "Default" except @code{organization}.
11289 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11290 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11291 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11292 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11293 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11295 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11296 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11297 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11298 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11299 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11303 @vindex nndraft-directory
11304 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11305 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11306 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11307 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11308 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11309 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11311 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11312 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11315 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11316 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11317 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11318 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11319 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11320 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11321 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11322 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11323 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11324 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11325 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11326 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11327 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11328 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11330 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11331 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11332 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11334 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11335 @kindex D e (Draft)
11336 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11337 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11338 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11340 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11343 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11344 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11345 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11346 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11347 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11348 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11349 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11352 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11353 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11354 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11357 @node Rejected Articles
11358 @section Rejected Articles
11359 @cindex rejected articles
11361 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11362 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11363 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11364 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11366 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
11367 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11368 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11369 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
11370 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11372 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11373 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11374 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11376 @node Signing and encrypting
11377 @section Signing and encrypting
11379 @cindex using s/mime
11380 @cindex using smime
11382 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla PGP
11383 format or @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}. For decoding such messages,
11384 see the @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} options
11385 (@pxref{Security}).
11387 For PGP, Gnus supports two external libraries, @sc{gpg.el} and
11388 @sc{Mailcrypt}, you need to install at least one of them. The
11389 @sc{s/mime} support in Gnus requires the external program OpenSSL.
11391 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11392 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11393 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11394 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11395 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11396 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11397 automatically encrypted messages.
11399 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @sc{mime} part is
11400 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
11401 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11406 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11407 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
11409 Digitally sign current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11412 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11413 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11415 Digitally sign current message using PGP.
11418 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11419 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11421 Digitally sign current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11424 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11425 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
11427 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11430 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11431 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
11433 Digitally encrypt current message using PGP.
11436 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11437 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
11439 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11442 @kindex C-c C-m C-n
11443 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11444 Remove security related MML tags from message.
11448 Also @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}.
11450 @node Select Methods
11451 @chapter Select Methods
11452 @cindex foreign groups
11453 @cindex select methods
11455 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11456 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11457 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11458 personal mail group.
11460 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11461 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11462 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11463 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11464 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11465 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11467 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11468 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11470 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11473 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11474 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11475 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11476 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11477 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11479 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11482 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11483 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11484 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11485 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11486 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11487 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11488 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11489 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11493 @node Server Buffer
11494 @section Server Buffer
11496 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11497 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11498 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11499 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11500 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11501 back end represents a virtual server.
11503 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11504 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11505 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11506 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11508 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11509 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11510 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11511 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11512 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11513 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11514 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11516 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11517 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11520 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11521 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11522 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11523 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11524 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11525 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11526 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11529 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11530 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11533 @node Server Buffer Format
11534 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11535 @cindex server buffer format
11537 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11538 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11539 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11540 variable, with some simple extensions:
11545 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11548 The name of this server.
11551 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11554 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11557 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11558 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11559 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11560 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11570 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11573 @node Server Commands
11574 @subsection Server Commands
11575 @cindex server commands
11581 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11582 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11586 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11587 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11590 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11591 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11592 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11596 @findex gnus-server-exit
11597 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11601 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11602 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11606 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11607 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11611 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11612 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11616 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11617 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11621 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11622 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11623 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11628 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11629 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11630 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11631 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11636 @node Example Methods
11637 @subsection Example Methods
11639 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11642 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11645 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11651 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11652 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11655 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11656 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11658 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11659 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11663 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11666 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11667 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11669 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11670 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11671 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11675 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11678 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11681 Here's the method for a public spool:
11685 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11686 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11692 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11693 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11694 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11695 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11696 should probably look something like this:
11700 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11701 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11702 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11703 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11706 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11707 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11708 configuration to the example above:
11711 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11714 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
11716 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11717 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11718 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11722 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11723 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11724 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11725 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11728 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11729 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11730 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11731 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11734 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11735 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11737 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11738 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11740 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11741 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11742 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11744 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11746 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11747 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11748 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11749 will contain the following:
11759 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11760 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11761 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11764 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11765 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11766 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11769 @node Server Variables
11770 @subsection Server Variables
11772 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11773 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11774 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11775 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11776 won't change the "derived" variables.
11778 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11779 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11780 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11781 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11782 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11783 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11784 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11785 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11786 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11790 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11791 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11792 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11796 @node Servers and Methods
11797 @subsection Servers and Methods
11799 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11800 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11801 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11802 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11806 @node Unavailable Servers
11807 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11809 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11810 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11811 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11812 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11813 actually the case or not.
11815 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11816 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11817 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11818 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11819 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11820 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11821 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11822 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11824 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11825 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11827 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11828 with the following commands:
11834 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11835 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11836 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11840 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11841 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11842 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11846 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11847 Mark the current server as unreachable
11848 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11851 @kindex M-o (Server)
11852 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11853 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11854 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11857 @kindex M-c (Server)
11858 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11859 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11860 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11864 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11865 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11866 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11870 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
11871 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
11877 @section Getting News
11878 @cindex reading news
11879 @cindex news back ends
11881 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11882 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11883 or it can read from a local spool.
11886 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11887 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11895 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11896 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11897 server as the, uhm, address.
11899 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11900 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11901 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11902 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11904 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11905 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11906 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11908 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11913 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11914 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11915 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11917 @cindex authentification
11918 @cindex nntp authentification
11919 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11920 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11921 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11922 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11923 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11924 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11925 present in this hook.
11927 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11928 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11929 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11930 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11931 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11932 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11933 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11934 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11935 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11936 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11937 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11938 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11942 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11945 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11947 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11948 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11949 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11950 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11951 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11952 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11953 @samp{force} is explained below.
11957 Here's an example file:
11960 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11961 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11964 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11965 have to be first, for instance.
11967 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
11968 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
11969 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
11970 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
11971 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
11972 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
11973 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
11975 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
11976 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
11982 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
11983 previously mentioned.
11985 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11987 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11988 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11989 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11990 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11991 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
11994 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
11995 '(("innd" (ding))))
11998 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12000 The default value is
12003 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12004 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12005 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12008 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12009 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12011 @item nntp-maximum-request
12012 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12013 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
12014 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12015 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12016 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12017 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12018 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12020 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12021 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12022 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12023 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
12024 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12025 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12026 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12027 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12028 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12029 no timeouts are done.
12031 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12032 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12033 @c @cindex PPP connections
12034 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12035 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12036 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12037 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
12038 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12039 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12040 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12041 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12042 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12043 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12045 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12046 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12047 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12048 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12049 @c described above.
12051 @item nntp-server-hook
12052 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12053 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
12056 @item nntp-buggy-select
12057 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12058 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12060 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12061 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12062 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
12063 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
12066 @item nntp-xover-commands
12067 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12070 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
12071 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12075 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12076 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
12077 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12078 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12079 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
12080 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12081 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12082 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12083 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12084 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12085 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12087 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12088 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12089 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
12091 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12092 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12093 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12094 server closes connection.
12096 @item nntp-record-commands
12097 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12098 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12099 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12100 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
12101 that doesn't seem to work.
12103 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12104 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12105 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12106 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12107 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12108 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12109 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12110 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12112 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12113 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12114 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12115 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12116 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12117 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12118 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12121 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12124 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12125 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12127 @item nntp-list-options
12128 @vindex nntp-list-options
12129 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
12130 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
12131 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
12132 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
12133 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
12137 (setq gnus-select-method
12138 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12139 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
12142 @item nntp-options-subscribe
12143 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
12144 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
12145 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12146 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12147 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12148 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12151 (setq gnus-select-method
12152 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12153 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
12156 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
12157 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
12158 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
12159 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12160 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12161 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12162 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12165 (setq gnus-select-method
12166 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12167 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
12172 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12173 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12174 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12178 @node Direct Functions
12179 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12180 @cindex direct connection functions
12182 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12183 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
12184 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12185 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12188 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12189 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12190 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12193 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12194 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12195 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12196 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
12197 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
12198 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
12199 define a server as follows:
12202 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
12204 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
12205 ;; however, openssl s_client -port doesn't like named ports
12207 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12208 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12209 (nntp-port-number 563)
12210 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12213 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12214 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12215 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12216 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12217 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12218 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12219 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12220 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12224 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12225 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12226 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12229 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12230 session, which is not a good idea.
12234 @node Indirect Functions
12235 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12236 @cindex indirect connection functions
12238 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12239 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
12240 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12241 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
12242 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12243 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12246 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12247 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12248 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12249 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12250 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12252 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12255 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12256 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12257 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12258 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12260 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12261 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12262 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12263 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12264 @samp{ssh} for `nntp-via-rlogin-command', you may set this to
12265 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12266 this to @samp{("-t")} or @samp{("-C" "-t")} if the telnet command
12267 requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate host.
12270 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12271 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12272 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12273 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12275 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12278 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12279 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12280 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12283 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12284 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12285 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12286 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12288 @item nntp-via-user-password
12289 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12290 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12292 @item nntp-via-envuser
12293 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12294 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12295 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12296 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12298 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12299 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12300 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12301 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12308 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12313 @item nntp-via-user-name
12314 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12315 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12317 @item nntp-via-address
12318 @vindex nntp-via-address
12319 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12324 @node Common Variables
12325 @subsubsection Common Variables
12327 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12328 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12333 @item nntp-pre-command
12334 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12335 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
12336 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
12337 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
12338 wrapper for instance.
12341 @vindex nntp-address
12342 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
12344 @item nntp-port-number
12345 @vindex nntp-port-number
12346 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
12347 If you use @sc{nntp} over @sc{ssl}, you may want to use integer ports rather
12348 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews}), because
12349 external SSL tools may not work with named ports.
12351 @item nntp-end-of-line
12352 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12353 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
12354 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12355 using a non native connection function.
12357 @item nntp-telnet-command
12358 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12359 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
12360 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
12361 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
12363 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12364 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12365 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12372 @subsection News Spool
12376 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12377 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12378 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12381 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12382 anything else) as the address.
12384 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12385 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12386 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12387 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12391 @item nnspool-inews-program
12392 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12393 Program used to post an article.
12395 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12396 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12397 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12399 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12400 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12401 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12402 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12404 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12405 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12406 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
12407 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12409 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12410 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12411 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12413 @item nnspool-active-file
12414 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12415 The path to the active file.
12417 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12418 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12419 The path to the group descriptions file.
12421 @item nnspool-history-file
12422 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12423 The path to the news history file.
12425 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12426 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12427 The path to the active date file.
12429 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12430 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12431 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
12434 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12435 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12437 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12438 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
12439 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
12445 @section Getting Mail
12446 @cindex reading mail
12449 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12453 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12454 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12455 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12456 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12457 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12458 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12459 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12460 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12461 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12462 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12463 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12464 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12465 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12469 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12470 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12472 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12473 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12474 of a culture shock.
12476 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12477 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12479 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12480 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12481 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12482 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12484 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12486 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12487 deleted? How awful!
12489 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12490 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12491 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12492 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12495 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12496 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12497 they want to treat a message.
12499 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12500 via @sc{smtp}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12501 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12502 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12503 archived somewhere else.
12505 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12506 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12507 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12508 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12509 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12511 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12512 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12513 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12515 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12516 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12519 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12520 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12521 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12522 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12523 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12525 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12526 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12527 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12528 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12529 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12530 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12534 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12535 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12537 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12538 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12539 and things will happen automatically.
12541 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
12542 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
12545 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12548 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12549 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12550 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12551 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12552 like any other group.
12554 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12557 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12558 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12559 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12563 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12564 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12565 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12568 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12569 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12570 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12573 @node Splitting Mail
12574 @subsection Splitting Mail
12575 @cindex splitting mail
12576 @cindex mail splitting
12578 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12579 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12580 to be split into groups.
12583 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12584 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12585 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12586 ("mail.other" "")))
12589 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12590 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12591 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12592 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12593 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12594 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12595 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12598 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12601 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12602 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12603 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12604 mail belongs in that group.
12606 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12607 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
12608 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12609 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12610 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
12611 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
12613 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12614 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12615 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12616 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12617 thinks should carry this mail message.
12619 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12620 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12621 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12622 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12624 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12625 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12626 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12627 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12628 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
12630 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12633 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12634 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12635 links. If that's the case for you, set
12636 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12637 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12639 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12640 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12641 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12642 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12643 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12644 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12647 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
12648 Header lines longer than the value of
12649 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
12652 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
12653 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
12654 By default the splitting codes MIME decodes headers so you can match
12655 on non-ASCII strings. The @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
12656 variable specifies the default charset for decoding. The behaviour
12657 can be turned off completely by binding
12658 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to nil, which is useful if you
12659 want to match articles based on the raw header data.
12661 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12662 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If
12663 you specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable
12664 @code{mail-sources} @pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}, however, then
12665 splitting does @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
12666 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-nil value to make splitting
12667 happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on other kinds
12670 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12671 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12672 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12673 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12674 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12675 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12676 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12677 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12678 month's rent money.
12682 @subsection Mail Sources
12684 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12685 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12689 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12690 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12691 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12695 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12696 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12698 @cindex mail server
12701 @cindex mail source
12703 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12704 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12709 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12712 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12713 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12714 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12717 The following mail source types are available:
12721 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12727 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12728 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
12729 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
12732 An example file mail source:
12735 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12738 Or using the default path:
12744 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12745 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12746 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12749 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12753 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12756 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12760 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12763 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12765 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12768 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12772 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
12773 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
12774 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. That is,
12775 there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that directory and
12776 groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in
12777 the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12778 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12779 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus to
12780 scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you want
12781 to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12783 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12784 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
12785 that to a non-nil value, then the normal splitting process is applied
12786 to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
12792 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12796 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12800 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12801 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12802 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12803 predicate are considered.
12807 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12811 An example directory mail source:
12814 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12819 Get mail from a POP server.
12825 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12826 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12829 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12830 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12831 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12832 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12833 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12836 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12840 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12844 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12845 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12848 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12851 The valid format specifier characters are:
12855 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12856 included in this string.
12859 The name of the server.
12862 The port number of the server.
12865 The user name to use.
12868 The password to use.
12871 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12872 corresponding keywords.
12875 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12876 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12879 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12880 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12883 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12884 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12887 @item :authentication
12888 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12889 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12893 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this can be the symbol
12894 @code{ssl}, the symbol @code{tls} or others. The default is @code{nil}
12895 and use insecure connections. Note that for SSL/TLS, you need external
12896 programs and libraries:
12900 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL@. Requires OpenSSL (the program
12901 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
12902 library @samp{ssl.el}.
12904 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to SSL)@.
12905 Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
12910 Non-@code{nil} if mail is to be left on the server and UIDL used for
12911 message retrieval. The default is @code{nil}.
12915 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12916 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12918 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12919 default user name, and default fetcher:
12925 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12928 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12929 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12932 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12935 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12939 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12940 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12941 contains exactly one mail.
12947 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12948 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12951 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12952 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12954 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12955 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12956 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12959 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12960 from locking problems).
12964 Two example maildir mail sources:
12967 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12968 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12972 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12977 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12978 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12979 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12980 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12983 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
12984 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
12990 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12991 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12994 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12995 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
12998 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
13002 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
13006 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13007 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13008 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
13009 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13011 @item :authentication
13012 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13013 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13014 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13015 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13018 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13019 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
13020 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13026 The valid format specifier characters are:
13030 The name of the server.
13033 User name from `imap-default-user'.
13036 The port number of the server.
13039 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13040 corresponding keywords.
13043 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13044 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13047 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13048 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13049 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
13050 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13051 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13052 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13055 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13056 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13057 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13058 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13061 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
13062 after finishing the fetch.
13066 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
13069 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13071 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13075 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{www.hotmail.com},
13076 @uref{webmail.netscape.com}, @uref{www.netaddress.com},
13077 @uref{mail.yahoo..com}.
13079 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13080 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13082 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13088 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13089 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13092 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13096 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13100 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
13101 folder after finishing the fetch.
13105 An example webmail source:
13108 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13110 :password "secret")
13115 @item Common Keywords
13116 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13122 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
13123 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
13127 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13132 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13133 useful when you use local mail and news.
13138 @subsubsection Function Interface
13140 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13141 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13142 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13143 consider the following mail-source setting:
13146 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13147 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13150 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13151 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13152 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13153 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13154 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13156 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13159 @node Mail Source Customization
13160 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13162 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13163 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13167 @item mail-source-crash-box
13168 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13169 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
13170 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13172 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13173 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13174 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
13176 @item mail-source-directory
13177 @vindex mail-source-directory
13178 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
13179 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
13180 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
13183 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13184 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13185 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13186 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13187 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13188 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13190 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13191 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13192 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13194 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13195 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13196 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
13197 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13202 @node Fetching Mail
13203 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13205 @vindex mail-sources
13206 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13207 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13208 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13209 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13211 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13212 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13215 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
13216 mail server, you'd say something like:
13221 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13222 :password "secret")))
13225 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13229 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13230 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13233 :password "secret")))
13237 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13238 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13239 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13240 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13241 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13242 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13246 @node Mail Back End Variables
13247 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13249 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13253 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13254 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13255 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13256 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13258 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13259 @item nnmail-split-hook
13260 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
13261 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
13262 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
13263 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13264 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13265 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13266 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13267 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13268 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13271 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13272 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13273 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13274 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13275 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13276 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13277 starting to handle the new mail) and
13278 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13279 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13280 default file modes the new mail files get:
13283 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13284 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13286 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13287 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13290 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13291 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13292 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13293 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13294 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13295 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13296 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13298 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13299 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13300 @findex delete-file
13301 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13303 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13304 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13305 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13306 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13307 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13309 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13310 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13311 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13312 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13313 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
13315 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
13316 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
13317 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
13322 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13323 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13324 @cindex mail splitting
13325 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13327 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13328 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13329 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13330 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13331 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13332 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13334 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13337 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
13338 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
13339 ;; from real errors.
13340 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13342 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
13343 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
13344 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
13345 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13346 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13347 ;; Other mailing lists...
13348 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13349 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13350 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
13351 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
13352 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
13353 ;; message was really cross-posted.
13354 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13355 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13357 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13358 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
13362 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
13363 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
13364 the five possible split syntaxes:
13369 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
13370 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
13374 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
13375 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
13376 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
13377 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
13378 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
13379 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
13380 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
13381 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13384 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13385 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
13386 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
13387 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
13390 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13391 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
13394 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
13395 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
13398 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
13399 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
13400 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
13401 function should return a @var{split}.
13404 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13405 body of the messages:
13408 (defun split-on-body ()
13410 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
13411 (goto-char (point-min))
13412 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13416 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
13417 when the @code{:} function is run.
13420 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13421 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
13422 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
13426 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13430 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13431 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13432 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13433 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13434 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13436 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13437 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
13438 are expanded as specified by the variable
13439 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
13440 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
13443 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13444 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13445 when all this splitting is performed.
13447 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13448 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13449 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13452 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13455 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13456 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13458 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13459 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13460 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13461 groupings 1 through 9.
13463 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13464 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13465 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13466 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13467 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13468 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13469 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13470 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13471 it once per thread.
13473 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
13474 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
13475 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
13478 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; or 'delete
13479 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
13481 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13482 ;; other splits go here
13486 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13487 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
13488 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
13489 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
13490 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
13491 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
13492 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
13493 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
13494 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
13495 unless the group name matches the regexp
13496 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
13497 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
13498 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
13499 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
13500 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13501 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13502 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13503 messages goes into the new group.
13505 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
13506 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
13507 outgoing messages are written to an `outgoing' group, you could set
13508 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
13509 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
13513 @node Group Mail Splitting
13514 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13515 @cindex mail splitting
13516 @cindex group mail splitting
13518 @findex gnus-group-split
13519 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13520 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13521 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13522 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13523 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13524 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13525 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13526 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13528 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13529 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13530 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13531 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13533 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13534 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13535 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
13536 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
13537 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
13538 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
13539 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
13541 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
13542 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
13543 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
13544 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
13545 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
13546 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
13547 @code{gnus-group-split}.
13549 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
13550 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
13551 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
13552 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
13553 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
13554 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
13555 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
13556 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
13557 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
13558 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
13559 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
13560 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
13561 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
13563 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13568 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13569 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13571 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13572 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13573 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13574 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13576 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13579 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13580 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13581 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13584 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13585 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13586 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13590 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13591 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13592 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13596 (: gnus-group-split-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13599 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13600 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13601 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13602 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13603 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13604 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13605 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13606 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13607 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13609 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13610 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13611 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13612 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13613 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13614 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13615 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13616 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13617 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13619 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13620 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13621 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13622 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13623 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13624 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
13627 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13630 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13631 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13632 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13633 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13634 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13637 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13638 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13639 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13640 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13642 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13643 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13644 @cindex incorporating old mail
13645 @cindex import old mail
13647 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13648 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13649 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13652 Doing so can be quite easy.
13654 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13655 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13656 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13657 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13658 your @code{nnml} groups.
13664 Go to the group buffer.
13667 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13668 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13671 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
13674 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13675 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13678 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13679 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13682 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13683 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13684 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13685 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13686 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13688 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13689 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13690 using the new mail back end.
13693 @node Expiring Mail
13694 @subsection Expiring Mail
13695 @cindex article expiry
13697 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13698 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13699 different approach to mail reading.
13701 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13702 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13703 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13704 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13705 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13706 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13709 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13710 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default keybindings, this means
13711 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
13712 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13713 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13714 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13715 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13716 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13717 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13719 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
13720 two features, called `auto-expire' and `total-expire', that can help you
13721 with this. In a nutshell, `auto-expire' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
13722 for you when you select an article. And `total-expire' means that Gnus
13723 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
13724 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
13725 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
13728 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
13729 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
13730 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
13731 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
13732 into its own group.)
13734 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
13735 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
13736 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
13737 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
13738 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
13739 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
13740 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring @pxref{Adaptive
13741 Scoring}. Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
13744 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13745 Groups that match the regular expression
13746 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
13747 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
13748 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
13750 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13751 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13752 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13753 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13756 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13758 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13759 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13760 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13763 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13764 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13765 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13766 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13767 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13769 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13770 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13773 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13774 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13777 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13778 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13780 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13781 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13782 don't really mix very well.
13784 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13785 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13786 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13787 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13790 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13791 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13792 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13793 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13796 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13798 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13800 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13802 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13804 ((string= group "important")
13810 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13811 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13813 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13814 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13815 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13818 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13819 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13821 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13822 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13823 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
13824 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
13825 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
13826 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
13827 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
13828 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
13829 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
13830 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
13831 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
13832 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
13833 name or @code{delete}.
13835 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13837 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13840 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13841 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13842 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
13843 expire mail to groups according to the variable
13844 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
13847 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13848 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13849 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
13850 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
13851 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
13854 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
13855 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
13856 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
13857 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
13858 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
13859 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
13861 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
13862 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
13863 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
13864 easier for procmail users.
13866 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
13867 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
13868 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
13869 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
13870 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
13871 caution. Even more dangerous is the
13872 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
13873 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
13874 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
13875 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
13876 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
13877 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
13878 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
13881 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
13883 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
13884 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
13885 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
13886 auto-expire turned on.
13890 @subsection Washing Mail
13891 @cindex mail washing
13892 @cindex list server brain damage
13893 @cindex incoming mail treatment
13895 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
13896 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
13897 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
13898 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
13899 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
13900 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
13902 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
13903 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
13904 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
13907 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
13908 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
13909 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
13910 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
13913 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13914 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13915 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
13916 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
13917 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
13920 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13921 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13922 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
13923 Emacs running on MS machines.
13927 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13928 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13929 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
13930 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13933 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13934 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13935 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13936 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13938 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
13939 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
13940 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
13941 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
13942 into a feature by documenting it.)
13944 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13945 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13946 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13947 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13948 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13949 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13950 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13953 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13954 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13957 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13958 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13961 This can also be done non-destructively with
13962 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13964 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13965 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13966 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13968 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13969 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13971 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13972 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13973 @code{References} headers.
13977 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13978 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13979 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13983 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13984 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13985 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13992 @subsection Duplicates
13994 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13995 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13996 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13997 @cindex duplicate mails
13998 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
13999 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14000 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14001 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14002 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14003 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14004 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14005 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14006 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14007 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14008 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14009 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14010 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14012 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14013 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14014 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14015 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14017 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14020 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14021 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14025 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14026 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
14027 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14028 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
14029 (any mail "mail.misc")
14036 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14037 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14042 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14043 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14044 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14045 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14046 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14049 @node Not Reading Mail
14050 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14052 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14053 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14054 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14056 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14057 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14058 mail, which should help.
14060 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14061 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14062 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14063 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14064 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14065 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14066 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
14067 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14068 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14069 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14070 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14072 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14073 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14077 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14078 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14080 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14081 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14082 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14084 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14085 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14086 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14087 Spool}). You might notice that only five back ends are listed below;
14088 @code{nnmaildir}'s documentation has not yet been completely
14089 incorporated into this manual. Until it is, you can find it at
14090 @uref{http://multivac.cwru.edu./nnmaildir/}.
14093 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14094 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
14095 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14096 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14097 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14098 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14102 @node Unix Mail Box
14103 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14105 @cindex unix mail box
14107 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14108 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14109 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14110 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14111 which group it belongs in.
14113 Virtual server settings:
14116 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14117 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14118 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14121 @item nnmbox-active-file
14122 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14123 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14124 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14126 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14127 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14128 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14129 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14134 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14138 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14139 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14140 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
14141 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14142 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14144 Virtual server settings:
14147 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14148 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14149 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14151 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14152 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14153 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14154 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14156 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14157 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14158 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14164 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14166 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
14168 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14169 format. It should be used with some caution.
14171 @vindex nnml-directory
14172 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14173 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14174 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14175 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14177 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14180 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14181 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14182 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14183 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14184 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14185 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
14186 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
14187 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
14189 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
14190 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
14191 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
14192 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
14194 @cindex self contained nnml servers
14196 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
14197 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14198 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14199 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
14200 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
14201 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
14202 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
14203 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
14206 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
14207 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
14208 them next time it starts.
14210 Virtual server settings:
14213 @item nnml-directory
14214 @vindex nnml-directory
14215 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
14216 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
14219 @item nnml-active-file
14220 @vindex nnml-active-file
14221 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
14222 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
14224 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
14225 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
14226 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14227 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
14229 @item nnml-get-new-mail
14230 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14231 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
14234 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
14235 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
14236 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14237 default is @code{nil}.
14239 @item nnml-nov-file-name
14240 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
14241 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
14243 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14244 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14245 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
14247 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
14248 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
14249 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14250 default is @code{nil}.
14252 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14253 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14254 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14256 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
14257 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
14258 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14263 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14264 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
14265 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14266 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14267 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14268 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14269 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14274 @subsubsection MH Spool
14276 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14278 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14279 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
14280 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
14281 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
14283 Virtual server settings:
14286 @item nnmh-directory
14287 @vindex nnmh-directory
14288 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
14289 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14292 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
14293 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14294 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
14298 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
14299 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
14300 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
14301 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
14302 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
14303 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
14304 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
14309 @subsubsection Mail Folders
14311 @cindex mbox folders
14312 @cindex mail folders
14314 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
14315 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
14316 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
14319 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
14321 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
14322 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14323 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14324 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
14325 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
14326 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
14327 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
14328 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
14329 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
14330 @code{nnfolder} directory).
14332 Virtual server settings:
14335 @item nnfolder-directory
14336 @vindex nnfolder-directory
14337 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
14338 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14341 @item nnfolder-active-file
14342 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
14343 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
14345 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14346 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14347 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14348 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
14350 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
14351 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14352 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
14355 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14356 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14357 @cindex backup files
14358 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
14359 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
14360 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
14361 your @file{.emacs} file:
14364 (defun turn-off-backup ()
14365 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
14367 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
14370 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14371 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14372 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
14373 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
14374 extract some information from it before removing it.
14376 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14377 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14378 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14379 default is @code{nil}.
14381 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14382 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14383 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
14385 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
14386 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
14387 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
14388 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14390 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14391 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14392 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14393 default is @code{nil}.
14395 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14396 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14397 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
14399 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
14400 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
14401 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
14402 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14407 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
14408 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
14409 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
14410 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
14411 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
14412 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
14415 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
14416 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
14418 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
14419 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
14420 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
14421 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
14422 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
14424 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
14425 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
14426 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
14427 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
14428 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
14429 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
14430 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
14431 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
14434 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
14435 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
14436 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
14437 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
14442 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
14443 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
14444 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
14445 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
14446 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
14447 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
14448 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
14449 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
14450 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
14451 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
14452 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
14453 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
14454 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
14459 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
14460 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
14461 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
14462 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
14463 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
14464 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
14465 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
14466 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
14467 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
14468 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
14469 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
14470 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
14471 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
14472 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
14474 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
14475 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
14480 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
14481 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
14482 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
14483 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
14484 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
14485 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
14486 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
14487 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
14488 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
14489 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
14490 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
14491 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
14492 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
14493 provided by the active file and overviews.
14495 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
14496 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
14497 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
14498 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
14499 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
14502 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
14503 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
14508 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
14509 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
14510 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
14511 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
14512 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
14513 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
14514 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
14518 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
14519 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
14520 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
14521 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
14522 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
14523 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
14524 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
14525 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
14526 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
14528 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
14529 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
14530 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
14531 friendly mail back end all over.
14535 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
14536 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
14537 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
14538 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
14539 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
14540 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
14541 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to ReiserFS
14542 (@uref{http://www.namesys.com/}) or another non-block-structured
14545 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
14546 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
14547 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
14548 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
14549 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
14550 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
14551 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
14552 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
14553 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
14554 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will undergo
14555 treatment such as duplicate checking.
14557 An article will not necessarily keep the same number across Gnus
14558 sessions; articles are renumbered starting from 1 for each Gnus session
14559 (more precisely, each time you open the @code{nnmaildir} server). This
14560 way, you don't get gaps in your article number ranges, and when entering
14561 large groups, Gnus is likely to give a more accurate article count. The
14562 price is that @code{nnmaildir} doesn't work with the cache or agent.
14563 This will probably be changed in the future.
14565 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
14566 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
14567 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
14568 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
14569 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
14572 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses group
14573 parameters slightly different from those of other mail back ends.
14575 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
14576 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
14577 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
14578 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
14579 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
14580 would) to make it use less memory.
14582 Startup and shutdown are likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than
14583 with other back ends. Everything in between is likely to be faster,
14584 depending in part on your file system.
14586 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
14587 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
14592 @node Browsing the Web
14593 @section Browsing the Web
14595 @cindex browsing the web
14599 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
14600 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
14601 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
14602 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
14603 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
14604 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
14605 even know what a news group is.
14607 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
14608 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
14609 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
14610 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
14611 you mad in the end.
14613 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
14616 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
14617 interfaces to these sources.
14621 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
14622 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
14623 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
14624 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
14625 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
14626 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
14629 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
14631 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
14632 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
14633 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
14634 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
14635 though, you should be ok.
14637 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
14638 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
14639 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
14640 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
14641 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
14643 @node Archiving Mail
14644 @subsection Archiving Mail
14645 @cindex archiving mail
14646 @cindex backup of mail
14648 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
14649 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
14650 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
14651 marks is fairly simple.
14653 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
14654 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
14657 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
14658 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
14659 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
14660 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
14661 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
14662 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
14663 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
14664 before you restore the data.
14666 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
14667 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
14668 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
14669 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
14670 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
14671 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
14672 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
14673 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
14674 is unnecessary in that case.
14677 @subsection Web Searches
14682 @cindex Usenet searches
14683 @cindex searching the Usenet
14685 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
14686 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
14687 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
14688 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
14689 searches without having to use a browser.
14691 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
14692 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
14693 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
14694 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
14695 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
14697 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
14698 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
14699 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
14700 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
14701 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
14702 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
14703 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
14704 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
14705 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
14706 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
14709 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
14710 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
14711 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
14712 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
14713 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
14714 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
14716 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
14717 to use @code{nnweb}.
14719 Virtual server variables:
14724 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
14725 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
14726 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
14729 @vindex nnweb-search
14730 The search string to feed to the search engine.
14732 @item nnweb-max-hits
14733 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
14734 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
14737 @item nnweb-type-definition
14738 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
14739 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
14740 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
14745 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
14749 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
14752 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
14755 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
14759 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
14766 @subsection Slashdot
14770 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
14771 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
14772 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
14774 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
14775 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
14778 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14779 '((nnslashdot "")))
14782 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
14783 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
14784 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
14785 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
14786 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
14789 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
14790 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14792 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
14793 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
14794 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
14795 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
14796 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
14797 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
14800 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
14803 @item nnslashdot-threaded
14804 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
14805 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
14806 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
14807 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
14808 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
14809 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
14811 @item nnslashdot-login-name
14812 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
14813 The login name to use when posting.
14815 @item nnslashdot-password
14816 @vindex nnslashdot-password
14817 The password to use when posting.
14819 @item nnslashdot-directory
14820 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
14821 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
14822 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
14824 @item nnslashdot-active-url
14825 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
14826 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
14827 news articles and comments. The default is
14828 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
14830 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
14831 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
14832 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
14834 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
14836 @item nnslashdot-article-url
14837 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
14838 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
14840 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
14842 @item nnslashdot-threshold
14843 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
14844 The score threshold. The default is -1.
14846 @item nnslashdot-group-number
14847 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
14848 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
14849 updated. The default is 0.
14856 @subsection Ultimate
14858 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
14860 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
14861 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
14862 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
14863 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
14865 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
14866 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
14867 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
14868 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
14869 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
14870 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
14871 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
14873 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
14876 @item nnultimate-directory
14877 @vindex nnultimate-directory
14878 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
14879 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
14884 @subsection Web Archive
14886 @cindex Web Archive
14888 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
14889 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
14890 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
14891 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14894 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
14895 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
14896 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
14897 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
14898 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
14899 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
14900 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
14902 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
14905 @item nnwarchive-directory
14906 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
14907 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
14908 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
14910 @item nnwarchive-login
14911 @vindex nnwarchive-login
14912 The account name on the web server.
14914 @item nnwarchive-passwd
14915 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
14916 The password for your account on the web server.
14924 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
14925 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
14926 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14929 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
14930 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
14933 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
14936 @item nnrss-directory
14937 @vindex nnrss-directory
14938 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
14939 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
14943 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
14944 the summary buffer.
14947 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
14948 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
14950 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
14952 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
14953 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
14956 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
14959 (require 'browse-url)
14961 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
14963 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
14966 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
14967 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
14970 (browse-url (cdr url))
14971 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
14972 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
14974 (eval-after-load "gnus"
14975 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
14976 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
14977 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
14980 @node Customizing w3
14981 @subsection Customizing w3
14987 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
14988 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
14989 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
14991 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
14992 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
14993 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
14996 (eval-after-load "w3"
14998 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
14999 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
15000 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
15001 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
15003 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
15006 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
15007 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
15016 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
15017 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
15018 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
15019 specify the network address of the server.
15021 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
15022 POP can, it can hence be viewed as a POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
15023 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
15024 protocol -- however, @sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp}
15025 because news is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
15027 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a POP++, use an imap entry in
15028 @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the
15029 @sc{imap} server and store them on the local disk. This is not the
15030 usage described in this section--@xref{Mail Sources}.
15032 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
15033 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
15034 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
15035 usage explained in this section.
15037 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
15038 might look something like the following. (Note that for SSL/TLS, you
15039 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
15042 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15043 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
15044 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
15046 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15047 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
15048 ; a UW server running on localhost
15050 (nnimap-server-port 143)
15051 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15052 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
15053 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
15054 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
15055 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
15056 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
15057 (nnimap-stream network))
15058 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
15060 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
15061 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
15062 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
15065 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
15070 @item nnimap-address
15071 @vindex nnimap-address
15073 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
15074 server name if not specified.
15076 @item nnimap-server-port
15077 @vindex nnimap-server-port
15078 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
15080 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
15083 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15084 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
15087 @item nnimap-list-pattern
15088 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
15089 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
15090 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
15091 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
15092 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
15093 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
15095 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
15096 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
15097 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
15100 Example server specification:
15103 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15104 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
15105 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
15108 @item nnimap-stream
15109 @vindex nnimap-stream
15110 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
15111 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
15112 of SSL/TLS. (@sc{imap} over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
15113 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
15115 Example server specification:
15118 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15119 (nnimap-stream ssl))
15122 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
15126 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
15127 @samp{imtest} program.
15129 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
15131 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
15132 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
15135 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
15136 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
15137 library @samp{ssl.el}.
15139 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
15141 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
15144 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
15145 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
15146 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
15147 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
15148 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
15149 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
15150 restrictions on @sc{imap} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
15151 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
15152 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
15155 @vindex imap-ssl-program
15156 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
15157 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
15158 and nnimap support it too - although the most recent versions of
15159 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
15160 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
15161 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
15162 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
15163 distribution, for instance).
15165 @vindex imap-shell-program
15166 @vindex imap-shell-host
15167 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
15168 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
15170 @item nnimap-authenticator
15171 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
15173 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
15174 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
15176 Example server specification:
15179 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15180 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
15183 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
15187 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
15188 external program @code{imtest}.
15190 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
15193 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
15194 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
15196 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
15198 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
15200 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your email address as password.
15203 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
15205 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
15206 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
15207 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
15208 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
15209 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
15210 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
15213 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
15214 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
15215 running in circles yet?
15217 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
15218 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
15221 The possible options are:
15226 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
15229 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
15230 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
15231 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
15232 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
15234 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
15239 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
15240 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
15242 If non-nil (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as well),
15243 for other @sc{imap} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
15244 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
15245 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @sc{imap}
15246 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @sc{imap}
15249 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
15250 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
15253 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
15254 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15255 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
15256 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15259 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
15260 as ticked for other users.
15262 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
15264 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
15266 This variable contain the @sc{imap} search command sent to server when
15267 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
15268 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
15269 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
15271 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
15272 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
15273 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
15274 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
15276 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
15277 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
15279 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
15280 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
15281 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
15287 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
15288 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
15289 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
15290 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
15291 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
15296 @node Splitting in IMAP
15297 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
15298 @cindex splitting imap mail
15300 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
15301 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
15302 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
15303 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
15304 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
15308 Here are the variables of interest:
15312 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
15313 @cindex splitting, crosspost
15315 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
15317 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
15318 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
15320 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
15322 @item nnimap-split-inbox
15323 @cindex splitting, inbox
15325 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
15327 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
15328 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
15332 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
15333 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
15336 No nnmail equivalent.
15338 @item nnimap-split-rule
15339 @cindex Splitting, rules
15340 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
15342 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
15345 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
15346 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
15347 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
15348 Neither did I, we need examples.
15351 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15353 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
15354 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
15355 ("INBOX.private" "")))
15358 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
15359 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
15360 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
15362 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
15363 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
15367 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
15370 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
15371 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
15373 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
15374 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
15375 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
15376 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
15378 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
15379 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
15380 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
15381 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
15382 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
15383 them every time you fetch new mail.)
15385 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
15386 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
15387 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
15389 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
15390 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
15391 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15393 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
15395 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
15396 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
15397 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
15400 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15401 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
15402 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
15403 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
15404 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
15405 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
15408 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
15409 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
15410 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
15411 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
15412 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
15413 group/function elements.
15415 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
15417 @item nnimap-split-predicate
15419 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
15421 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
15422 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
15424 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
15425 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
15426 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
15429 @item nnimap-split-fancy
15430 @cindex splitting, fancy
15431 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
15432 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
15434 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15435 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
15436 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15438 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
15439 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15440 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
15441 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15446 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
15447 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
15450 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
15454 @node Expiring in IMAP
15455 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
15456 @cindex expiring imap mail
15458 Even though @sc{nnimap} is not a proper @sc{nnmail} derived back end,
15459 it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
15460 Unlike splitting in IMAP (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}) it do not clone
15461 the @sc{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating @var{nnimap-expiry-wait})
15462 but reuse the @sc{nnmail} variables. What follows below are the
15463 variables used by the @sc{nnimap} expiry process.
15465 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @sc{imap} server is
15466 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
15467 @sc{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
15468 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
15469 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
15470 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
15471 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
15472 messages. Most do, fortunately.
15476 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
15477 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
15479 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
15480 number, the symbol @var{immediate} or @var{never}.
15482 @item nnmail-expiry-target
15484 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
15485 @sc{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
15486 that if the destination is a IMAP group on the same server, the
15487 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
15491 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
15492 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
15493 @cindex editing imap acls
15494 @cindex Access Control Lists
15495 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
15497 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
15499 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
15500 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
15501 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
15504 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
15505 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
15506 editing window with detailed instructions.
15508 Some possible uses:
15512 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
15513 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
15514 follow the list without subscribing to it.
15516 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
15517 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
15518 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
15522 @node Expunging mailboxes
15523 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
15527 @cindex Manual expunging
15529 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
15531 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
15532 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
15533 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
15535 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
15538 @node A note on namespaces
15539 @subsection A note on namespaces
15540 @cindex IMAP namespace
15543 The IMAP protocol has a concept called namespaces, described by the
15544 following text in the RFC:
15547 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
15549 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
15550 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
15551 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
15552 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
15554 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
15555 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
15556 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
15557 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
15558 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
15559 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
15562 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the IMAP
15563 implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace prefixes in a way
15564 that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
15566 Specifically, University of Washington's IMAP server uses mailbox
15567 names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only in the
15568 @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is created
15569 (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed without
15570 the namespace prefix, i.e @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do not make it
15571 possible for the user to guarantee that user entered mailbox names
15572 will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands, you should
15573 simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in Gnus.
15575 See the UoW @sc{imapd} documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
15576 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
15577 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
15579 @node Other Sources
15580 @section Other Sources
15582 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
15583 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
15587 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
15588 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
15589 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
15590 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
15591 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
15595 @node Directory Groups
15596 @subsection Directory Groups
15598 @cindex directory groups
15600 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
15601 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
15604 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
15605 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
15606 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
15607 back end to read directories. Big deal.
15609 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
15610 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
15611 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
15612 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
15613 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
15615 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
15617 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
15618 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
15619 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
15620 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
15623 @node Anything Groups
15624 @subsection Anything Groups
15627 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
15628 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
15629 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
15632 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
15633 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
15634 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
15635 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
15636 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
15637 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
15638 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
15639 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
15640 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
15641 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
15644 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
15645 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
15646 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
15647 in the article buffer, just as usual.
15649 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
15650 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
15651 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
15652 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
15654 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
15655 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
15656 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
15657 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
15658 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
15659 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
15660 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
15661 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
15666 @item nneething-map-file-directory
15667 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
15668 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
15669 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
15671 @item nneething-exclude-files
15672 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
15673 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
15674 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
15676 @item nneething-include-files
15677 @vindex nneething-include-files
15678 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
15679 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
15681 @item nneething-map-file
15682 @vindex nneething-map-file
15683 Name of the map files.
15687 @node Document Groups
15688 @subsection Document Groups
15690 @cindex documentation group
15693 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
15694 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
15701 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
15706 The standard Unix mbox file.
15708 @cindex MMDF mail box
15710 The MMDF mail box format.
15713 Several news articles appended into a file.
15716 @cindex rnews batch files
15717 The rnews batch transport format.
15718 @cindex forwarded messages
15721 Forwarded articles.
15724 Netscape mail boxes.
15727 @sc{mime} multipart messages.
15729 @item standard-digest
15730 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
15733 A @sc{mime} digest of messages.
15735 @item lanl-gov-announce
15736 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
15738 @item rfc822-forward
15739 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
15742 The Outlook mail box.
15745 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
15748 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
15751 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
15754 An RFC934-forwarded message.
15760 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
15763 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
15769 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
15770 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
15771 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
15774 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
15775 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
15776 group. And that's it.
15778 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
15779 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
15780 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
15781 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
15782 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
15783 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
15784 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
15785 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
15786 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
15787 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
15789 Virtual server variables:
15792 @item nndoc-article-type
15793 @vindex nndoc-article-type
15794 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
15795 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
15796 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
15797 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
15798 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
15800 @item nndoc-post-type
15801 @vindex nndoc-post-type
15802 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
15803 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
15808 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
15812 @node Document Server Internals
15813 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
15815 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
15816 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
15817 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
15818 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
15820 First, here's an example document type definition:
15824 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
15825 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
15828 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
15829 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
15830 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
15831 types can be defined with very few settings:
15834 @item first-article
15835 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
15836 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
15839 @item article-begin
15840 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
15841 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
15843 @item head-begin-function
15844 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
15847 @item nndoc-head-begin
15848 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
15851 @item nndoc-head-end
15852 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
15853 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
15855 @item body-begin-function
15856 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
15860 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
15863 @item body-end-function
15864 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
15868 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
15871 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
15872 regexp will be totally ignored.
15876 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
15877 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
15878 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
15879 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
15880 something that's palatable for Gnus:
15883 @item prepare-body-function
15884 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
15885 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
15886 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
15888 @item article-transform-function
15889 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
15890 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
15891 body of the article.
15893 @item generate-head-function
15894 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
15895 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
15896 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
15897 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
15901 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
15906 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15907 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15908 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
15909 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
15910 (head-end . "^ ?$")
15911 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
15912 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
15913 (subtype digest guess))
15916 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
15917 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
15918 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
15919 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
15920 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
15922 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
15923 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
15924 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
15925 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
15926 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
15927 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
15928 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
15929 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
15930 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
15931 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
15939 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
15940 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
15941 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
15943 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
15944 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
15945 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
15948 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
15949 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
15950 that interested in doing things properly.
15952 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
15953 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
15956 First some terminology:
15961 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
15962 get news and/or mail from.
15965 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
15966 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
15969 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
15973 @item message packets
15974 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
15975 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
15976 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15978 @item response packets
15979 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
15980 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
15981 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15991 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
15992 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
15993 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
15994 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
15997 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
16000 You put the packet in your home directory.
16003 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
16004 the native or secondary server.
16007 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
16008 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
16011 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
16015 You transfer this packet to the server.
16018 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
16021 You then repeat until you die.
16025 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
16026 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
16029 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
16030 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
16031 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
16035 @node SOUP Commands
16036 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
16038 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
16042 @kindex G s b (Group)
16043 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
16044 Pack all unread articles in the current group
16045 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
16046 process/prefix convention.
16049 @kindex G s w (Group)
16050 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
16051 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
16054 @kindex G s s (Group)
16055 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
16056 Send all replies from the replies packet
16057 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
16060 @kindex G s p (Group)
16061 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
16062 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
16065 @kindex G s r (Group)
16066 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
16067 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
16070 @kindex O s (Summary)
16071 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
16072 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
16073 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
16074 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16079 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
16084 @item gnus-soup-directory
16085 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
16086 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
16087 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
16089 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
16090 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
16091 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
16092 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
16094 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
16095 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
16096 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
16097 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
16099 @item gnus-soup-packer
16100 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
16101 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16102 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
16104 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
16105 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
16106 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16107 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16109 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
16110 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
16111 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
16113 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16114 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16115 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
16116 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
16122 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
16125 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
16126 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
16127 you can read them at leisure.
16129 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
16133 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
16134 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
16135 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
16136 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
16138 @item nnsoup-directory
16139 @vindex nnsoup-directory
16140 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
16141 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
16143 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
16144 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
16145 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
16146 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
16148 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
16149 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
16150 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
16151 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
16152 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
16154 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
16155 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
16156 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
16157 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
16159 @item nnsoup-active-file
16160 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
16161 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
16162 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
16163 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
16164 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
16166 @item nnsoup-packer
16167 @vindex nnsoup-packer
16168 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
16169 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
16171 @item nnsoup-unpacker
16172 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
16173 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
16174 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16176 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
16177 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
16178 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
16181 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
16182 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
16183 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
16186 @item nnsoup-always-save
16187 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
16188 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
16194 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
16196 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
16197 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
16198 more for that to happen.
16200 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
16201 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
16202 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
16205 In specific, this is what it does:
16208 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
16209 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
16212 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
16213 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
16214 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
16217 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
16218 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
16219 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
16222 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
16223 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
16224 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
16226 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
16232 @item nngateway-address
16233 @vindex nngateway-address
16234 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
16236 @item nngateway-header-transformation
16237 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
16238 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
16239 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
16240 transformation should be called, and defaults to
16241 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
16242 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
16245 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
16246 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
16247 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
16250 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
16253 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
16256 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
16259 The following pre-defined functions exist:
16261 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16264 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16265 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16266 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
16268 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16270 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16271 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16272 @code{nngateway-address}.
16277 (setq gnus-post-method
16279 "mail2news@@replay.com"
16280 (nngateway-header-transformation
16281 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
16289 So, to use this, simply say something like:
16292 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
16297 @node Combined Groups
16298 @section Combined Groups
16300 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
16304 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
16305 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
16309 @node Virtual Groups
16310 @subsection Virtual Groups
16312 @cindex virtual groups
16313 @cindex merging groups
16315 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
16318 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
16319 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
16320 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
16322 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
16323 regexp to match component groups.
16325 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
16326 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
16327 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
16328 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
16329 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
16330 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
16331 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
16332 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
16334 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
16335 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
16338 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
16341 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
16342 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
16344 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
16345 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
16346 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
16347 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
16350 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
16353 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
16354 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
16355 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
16357 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
16358 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
16359 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
16360 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
16361 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
16363 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
16364 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
16365 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
16367 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
16368 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
16369 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
16370 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
16371 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
16372 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
16373 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
16374 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
16375 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
16376 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
16377 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
16379 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
16380 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
16381 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
16382 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
16383 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
16384 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
16385 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
16387 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
16388 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
16390 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
16391 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
16395 @node Kibozed Groups
16396 @subsection Kibozed Groups
16400 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
16401 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
16402 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
16403 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
16405 @kindex G k (Group)
16406 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
16409 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
16410 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
16411 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
16412 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
16414 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
16415 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
16416 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
16418 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
16419 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
16420 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
16421 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
16422 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
16423 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
16424 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
16425 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
16427 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
16428 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
16429 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
16430 Stranger things have happened.
16432 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
16433 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
16435 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
16436 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
16437 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
16438 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
16439 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
16440 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
16442 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
16443 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
16446 @node Gnus Unplugged
16447 @section Gnus Unplugged
16452 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
16454 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
16455 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
16456 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
16457 read news. Believe it or not.
16459 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
16460 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
16461 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
16462 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
16463 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
16465 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
16466 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
16467 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
16468 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
16469 reading news on a machine.
16471 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
16472 fact, you don't even have to configure anything.
16474 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
16477 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
16478 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
16479 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
16480 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
16481 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
16482 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
16483 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
16484 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
16485 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
16486 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
16487 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
16492 @subsection Agent Basics
16494 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
16496 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
16497 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
16498 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
16499 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
16501 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
16502 connected to the net continuously.
16504 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
16505 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
16507 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
16512 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
16513 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
16514 already fetched while in this mode.
16517 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
16518 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
16519 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
16520 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
16521 Source Specifiers}).
16524 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
16525 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
16526 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
16527 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
16528 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
16531 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
16532 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
16533 then you read the news offline.
16536 And then you go to step 2.
16539 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
16545 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
16546 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
16547 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
16548 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
16549 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
16550 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
16551 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} groups in @code{gnus-select-method} and
16552 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
16555 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
16562 @node Agent Categories
16563 @subsection Agent Categories
16565 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
16566 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
16567 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
16568 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
16569 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
16570 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
16571 you're interested in the articles anyway.
16573 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
16574 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
16575 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
16576 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
16577 managing categories.
16580 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
16581 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
16582 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
16586 @node Category Syntax
16587 @subsubsection Category Syntax
16589 A category consists of two things.
16593 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
16594 are eligible for downloading; and
16597 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
16598 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
16599 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
16602 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
16603 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
16604 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
16605 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
16607 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
16608 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
16609 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
16611 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
16612 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
16613 operators sprinkled in between.
16615 Perhaps some examples are in order.
16617 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
16618 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
16624 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
16625 short (for some value of ``short'').
16627 Here's a more complex predicate:
16636 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
16637 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
16640 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
16641 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
16642 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
16644 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
16645 you want to do, you can write your own.
16649 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
16650 lines; default 100.
16653 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
16654 lines; default 200.
16657 True iff the article has a download score less than
16658 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
16661 True iff the article has a download score greater than
16662 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
16665 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
16666 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
16667 checksum and sees whether articles match.
16676 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
16677 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
16678 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
16681 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
16682 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
16683 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
16684 something along the lines of the following:
16687 (defun my-article-old-p ()
16688 "Say whether an article is old."
16689 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
16690 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
16693 with the predicate then defined as:
16696 (not my-article-old-p)
16699 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
16700 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
16704 (require 'gnus-agent)
16705 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
16706 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
16707 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
16710 and simply specify your predicate as:
16716 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
16717 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
16718 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
16719 just don't give a damn.
16721 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
16722 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
16723 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
16724 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
16725 parameters like so:
16728 (agent-predicate . short)
16731 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
16732 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
16733 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
16735 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
16738 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
16741 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
16742 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
16743 predicate is assumed to be a list.
16746 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
16747 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
16748 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
16749 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
16750 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
16751 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
16753 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
16754 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
16755 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
16756 if it's to be specific to that group.
16758 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
16765 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
16766 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
16772 Category specification
16776 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16782 Group Parameter specification
16785 (agent-score ("from"
16786 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16791 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
16797 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
16804 Category specification
16807 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
16813 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
16817 Group Parameter specification
16820 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
16823 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
16828 Use @code{normal} score files
16830 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
16831 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
16832 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
16833 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
16835 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
16836 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
16837 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
16838 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
16842 Category Specification
16849 Group Parameter specification
16852 (agent-score . file)
16857 @node Category Buffer
16858 @subsubsection Category Buffer
16860 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
16861 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
16862 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
16864 The following commands are available in this buffer:
16868 @kindex q (Category)
16869 @findex gnus-category-exit
16870 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
16873 @kindex k (Category)
16874 @findex gnus-category-kill
16875 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
16878 @kindex c (Category)
16879 @findex gnus-category-copy
16880 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
16883 @kindex a (Category)
16884 @findex gnus-category-add
16885 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
16888 @kindex p (Category)
16889 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
16890 Edit the predicate of the current category
16891 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
16894 @kindex g (Category)
16895 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
16896 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
16897 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
16900 @kindex s (Category)
16901 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
16902 Edit the download score rule of the current category
16903 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
16906 @kindex l (Category)
16907 @findex gnus-category-list
16908 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
16912 @node Category Variables
16913 @subsubsection Category Variables
16916 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
16917 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
16918 Hook run in category buffers.
16920 @item gnus-category-line-format
16921 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
16922 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
16923 Variables}). Valid elements are:
16927 The name of the category.
16930 The number of groups in the category.
16933 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
16934 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
16935 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
16937 @item gnus-agent-short-article
16938 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
16939 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
16941 @item gnus-agent-long-article
16942 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
16943 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
16945 @item gnus-agent-low-score
16946 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
16947 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
16950 @item gnus-agent-high-score
16951 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
16952 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
16958 @node Agent Commands
16959 @subsection Agent Commands
16961 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
16962 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
16963 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
16967 * Group Agent Commands::
16968 * Summary Agent Commands::
16969 * Server Agent Commands::
16972 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
16973 following incantation:
16975 @cindex gnus-agent-batch
16977 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch
16982 @node Group Agent Commands
16983 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
16987 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
16988 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
16989 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
16990 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
16993 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
16994 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
16995 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
16998 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
16999 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
17000 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
17001 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
17004 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
17005 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
17006 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
17007 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
17010 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
17011 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
17012 Add the current group to an Agent category
17013 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
17014 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17017 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
17018 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
17019 Remove the current group from its category, if any
17020 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
17021 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17024 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
17025 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17026 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
17032 @node Summary Agent Commands
17033 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
17037 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
17038 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
17039 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
17042 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
17043 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
17044 Remove the downloading mark from the article
17045 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
17048 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
17049 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
17050 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
17053 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
17054 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
17055 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
17058 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
17059 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
17060 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
17061 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
17066 @node Server Agent Commands
17067 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
17071 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
17072 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
17073 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
17074 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
17077 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
17078 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
17079 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
17080 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
17085 @node Agent as Cache
17086 @subsection Agent as Cache
17088 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
17089 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
17090 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
17091 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
17092 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
17093 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
17094 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
17095 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
17096 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
17098 This behaviour can be controlled by @code{gnus-agent-cache}
17099 (@pxref{Agent Variables}).
17102 @subsection Agent Expiry
17104 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
17105 @findex gnus-agent-expire
17106 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
17107 @cindex Agent expiry
17108 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
17111 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
17112 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
17113 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
17114 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
17115 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
17116 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
17118 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} can also be a list of regexp/day pairs.
17119 The regexps will be matched against group names to allow differing
17120 expiry in different groups.
17123 (setq gnus-agent-expire-days
17129 If you use the list form, the last element must always be the default
17130 method---it must always match all groups.
17132 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
17133 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
17134 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
17135 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
17136 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
17138 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
17139 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
17140 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's a special
17141 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} command to fix possible problems.
17143 @node Agent and IMAP
17144 @subsection Agent and IMAP
17146 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
17147 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
17148 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
17149 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
17151 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
17152 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
17153 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
17154 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
17156 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
17157 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
17158 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
17159 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
17161 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17162 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
17163 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
17164 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
17165 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
17166 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
17168 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
17169 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
17170 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
17171 in the group buffer.
17173 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
17174 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
17179 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
17182 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
17186 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
17187 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
17188 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
17189 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
17190 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
17191 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
17192 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
17193 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
17196 @node Outgoing Messages
17197 @subsection Outgoing Messages
17199 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
17200 stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view
17201 them there after posting, and edit them at will.
17203 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
17204 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
17205 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
17206 messages in the draft group.
17210 @node Agent Variables
17211 @subsection Agent Variables
17214 @item gnus-agent-directory
17215 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
17216 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
17217 @file{~/News/agent/}.
17219 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
17220 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
17221 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
17222 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
17223 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
17226 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17227 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17228 Hook run when connecting to the network.
17230 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17231 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17232 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
17234 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17235 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17236 Hook run when after finishing fetching articles.
17238 @item gnus-agent-cache
17239 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
17240 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @sc{nov} and
17241 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
17242 The default is non-nil, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
17244 @item gnus-agent-go-online
17245 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
17246 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
17247 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
17248 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
17249 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
17250 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
17253 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
17254 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
17255 Perhaps not a Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
17256 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
17257 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
17258 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
17259 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
17260 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
17261 is only valid if the Agent is used.
17266 @node Example Setup
17267 @subsection Example Setup
17269 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
17270 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
17271 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
17274 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
17275 ;;; from your ISP's server.
17276 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
17278 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
17279 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
17280 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
17282 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
17283 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
17285 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
17286 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; The obsolete setting.
17287 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; Now the default.
17290 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
17291 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
17294 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
17295 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
17296 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
17297 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
17298 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
17301 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
17302 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
17303 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
17304 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
17305 back all the killed groups.)
17307 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
17308 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
17309 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
17312 @node Batching Agents
17313 @subsection Batching Agents
17315 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
17316 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
17317 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
17321 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
17325 @node Agent Caveats
17326 @subsection Agent Caveats
17328 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
17329 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
17333 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
17337 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
17339 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is `nil'.
17343 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
17344 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP and also uses the
17345 locally stored articles.
17352 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
17353 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
17354 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
17357 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
17358 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
17359 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
17360 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
17361 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
17363 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
17364 before generating the summary buffer.
17366 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
17367 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
17368 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
17370 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
17371 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
17372 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
17373 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
17376 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
17377 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
17378 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
17379 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
17380 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
17381 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
17382 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
17383 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
17384 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
17385 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
17386 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
17387 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
17388 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
17389 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
17390 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
17391 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
17392 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
17396 @node Summary Score Commands
17397 @section Summary Score Commands
17398 @cindex score commands
17400 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
17401 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
17402 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
17403 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
17404 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
17406 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
17407 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
17408 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
17409 score file the current one.
17411 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
17416 @kindex V s (Summary)
17417 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
17418 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
17421 @kindex V S (Summary)
17422 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
17423 Display the score of the current article
17424 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
17427 @kindex V t (Summary)
17428 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
17429 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
17430 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
17433 @kindex V w (Summary)
17434 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
17435 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
17438 @kindex V R (Summary)
17439 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
17440 Run the current summary through the scoring process
17441 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
17442 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
17443 effect you're having.
17446 @kindex V c (Summary)
17447 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
17448 Make a different score file the current
17449 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
17452 @kindex V e (Summary)
17453 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
17454 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
17455 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
17459 @kindex V f (Summary)
17460 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
17461 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
17462 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
17465 @kindex V F (Summary)
17466 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17467 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
17468 after editing score files.
17471 @kindex V C (Summary)
17472 @findex gnus-score-customize
17473 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
17474 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
17478 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
17483 @kindex V m (Summary)
17484 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
17485 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
17486 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
17489 @kindex V x (Summary)
17490 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
17491 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
17492 expunge all articles below this score
17493 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
17496 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
17497 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
17500 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
17501 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
17505 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
17506 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
17508 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
17509 keys are available:
17513 Score on the author name.
17516 Score on the subject line.
17519 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
17522 Score on the @code{References} line.
17528 Score on the number of lines.
17531 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
17534 Score on an "extra" header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
17535 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
17538 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
17539 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
17540 @file{ADAPT} files.)
17549 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
17555 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
17556 what headers you are scoring on.
17568 Substring matching.
17571 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
17600 Greater than number.
17605 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
17606 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
17607 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
17612 Temporary score entry.
17615 Permanent score entry.
17618 Immediately scoring.
17622 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
17623 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
17624 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
17628 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
17629 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
17630 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
17631 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
17633 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
17634 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
17635 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
17636 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
17637 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
17639 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
17640 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
17641 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
17642 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
17643 current score file.
17645 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
17646 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
17647 pretend they are keymaps or not.
17650 @node Group Score Commands
17651 @section Group Score Commands
17652 @cindex group score commands
17654 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
17659 @kindex W f (Group)
17660 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17661 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
17662 all the time. This command will flush the cache
17663 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
17667 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
17669 @findex gnus-batch-score
17670 @cindex batch scoring
17672 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
17676 @node Score Variables
17677 @section Score Variables
17678 @cindex score variables
17682 @item gnus-use-scoring
17683 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
17684 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
17685 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
17687 @item gnus-kill-killed
17688 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
17689 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
17690 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
17691 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
17692 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
17693 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
17694 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
17696 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
17697 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
17698 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
17699 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
17700 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
17702 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
17703 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
17704 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
17705 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
17707 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17708 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17709 @cindex score cache
17710 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
17711 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
17712 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
17713 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
17714 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
17715 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
17718 @item gnus-save-score
17719 @vindex gnus-save-score
17720 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
17721 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
17722 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17724 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
17725 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
17726 across group visits.
17728 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17729 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17730 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
17731 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
17732 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
17733 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
17734 manually entered data.
17736 @item gnus-summary-default-score
17737 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
17738 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
17740 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
17741 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
17742 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
17743 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
17744 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
17745 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
17747 @item gnus-score-over-mark
17748 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
17749 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
17750 default. Default is @samp{+}.
17752 @item gnus-score-below-mark
17753 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
17754 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
17755 default. Default is @samp{-}.
17757 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17758 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17759 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
17760 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
17762 Predefined functions available are:
17765 @item gnus-score-find-single
17766 @findex gnus-score-find-single
17767 Only apply the group's own score file.
17769 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
17770 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
17771 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
17772 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
17773 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
17774 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
17775 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
17776 then a regexp match is done.
17778 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
17779 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
17781 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
17782 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
17783 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
17784 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
17786 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17787 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17788 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
17789 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
17790 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
17794 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
17795 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
17796 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
17797 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
17798 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
17799 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
17800 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
17803 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
17804 overall score file, you could use the value
17806 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
17807 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
17810 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
17811 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
17812 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
17813 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
17814 are expired. It's 7 by default.
17816 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17817 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17818 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
17819 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
17820 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
17821 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
17822 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
17823 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
17825 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17826 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17827 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
17829 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
17830 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
17831 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
17832 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
17833 threading---according to the current value of
17834 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
17835 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
17836 simplified in this manner.
17841 @node Score File Format
17842 @section Score File Format
17843 @cindex score file format
17845 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
17846 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
17847 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
17849 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
17853 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
17855 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
17857 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
17859 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
17864 (mark-and-expunge -10)
17868 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
17869 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
17870 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
17871 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
17875 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
17876 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
17878 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
17879 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
17880 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
17882 Six keys are supported by this alist:
17887 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
17888 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
17889 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
17890 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
17891 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
17892 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
17893 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
17894 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
17895 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
17896 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
17897 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
17898 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
17899 to articles that matches these score entries.
17901 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
17902 score entry has one to four elements.
17906 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
17907 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
17911 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
17912 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
17913 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
17914 is successful. If this element is not present, the
17915 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
17916 instead. This is 1000 by default.
17919 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
17920 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
17921 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
17922 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
17923 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
17926 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
17927 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
17928 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
17929 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
17932 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
17933 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
17934 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
17935 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
17936 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
17937 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
17938 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
17939 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
17940 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
17941 instead, if you feel like.
17944 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
17945 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
17946 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
17947 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
17948 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
17949 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
17952 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
17956 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
17957 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
17959 These predicates are true if
17962 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
17965 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
17966 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
17973 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
17974 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
17975 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
17976 it's not. I think.)
17978 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
17979 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
17980 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
17981 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
17984 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
17985 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
17986 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
17987 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
17988 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
17989 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
17990 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
17994 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
17995 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
17996 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
17997 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
17998 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
17999 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
18000 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
18001 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
18004 @item Head, Body, All
18005 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
18009 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
18010 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
18011 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
18012 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
18013 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
18014 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
18015 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
18019 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
18020 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
18021 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
18022 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
18023 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
18024 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
18025 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
18026 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
18027 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
18028 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
18029 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
18033 @cindex Score File Atoms
18035 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18036 lower than this number will be marked as read.
18039 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18040 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
18042 @item mark-and-expunge
18043 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18044 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
18047 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
18048 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
18049 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
18050 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
18051 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
18054 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
18055 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
18058 @item exclude-files
18059 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
18060 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
18064 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
18065 ignored when handling global score files.
18068 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
18069 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
18070 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
18071 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
18074 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
18075 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
18076 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
18077 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
18079 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
18083 (mark-and-expunge -100)
18086 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
18087 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
18088 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
18089 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
18090 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
18092 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
18093 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
18094 scoring rules exist.
18097 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
18098 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
18099 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
18100 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
18101 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
18102 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
18103 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18104 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
18105 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
18106 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
18107 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
18111 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
18112 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
18113 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
18114 file for a number of groups.
18117 @cindex local variables
18118 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
18119 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
18120 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
18121 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
18122 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
18126 @node Score File Editing
18127 @section Score File Editing
18129 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
18130 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
18131 with a mode for that.
18133 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
18134 additional commands:
18139 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
18140 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
18141 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
18142 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
18145 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
18146 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
18147 Insert the current date in numerical format
18148 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
18149 you were wondering.
18152 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
18153 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
18154 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
18155 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
18156 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
18161 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
18163 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
18164 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
18166 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
18167 e} to begin editing score files.
18170 @node Adaptive Scoring
18171 @section Adaptive Scoring
18172 @cindex adaptive scoring
18174 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
18175 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
18176 stupidity, to be precise.
18178 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
18179 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
18180 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
18181 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
18182 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18183 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
18184 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
18185 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
18186 variable to @code{(word line)}.
18188 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18189 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
18190 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
18191 might look something like this:
18194 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18195 '((gnus-unread-mark)
18196 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
18197 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
18198 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
18199 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
18200 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
18201 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
18202 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
18203 (gnus-ancient-mark)
18204 (gnus-low-score-mark)
18205 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
18208 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
18209 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
18210 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
18211 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
18212 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
18213 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
18216 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
18217 will be applied to each article.
18219 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
18220 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
18221 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
18222 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
18224 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
18225 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
18226 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
18227 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
18229 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
18230 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
18231 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
18232 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
18234 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
18235 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
18236 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
18237 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
18238 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
18239 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
18241 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
18242 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
18243 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
18244 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
18245 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
18246 aspirins afterwards.)
18248 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
18249 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
18250 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
18252 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
18253 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
18254 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
18256 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
18257 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
18258 let you use different rules in different groups.
18260 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
18261 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
18262 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
18265 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
18266 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
18267 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
18268 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
18269 the length of the match is less than
18270 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
18271 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
18274 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18275 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
18276 headers. If you adapt on words, the
18277 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
18278 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
18281 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18282 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
18283 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
18284 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
18285 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
18288 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
18289 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
18290 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
18291 score with 30 points.
18293 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
18294 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
18295 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
18296 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
18297 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
18299 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
18300 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
18301 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
18302 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
18303 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
18305 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
18306 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
18307 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
18308 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
18310 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
18311 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
18312 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
18313 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
18315 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
18316 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
18317 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
18318 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
18319 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
18321 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
18322 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
18323 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
18325 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
18326 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
18327 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
18328 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
18331 @node Home Score File
18332 @section Home Score File
18334 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
18335 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
18336 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
18337 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
18339 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
18340 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
18341 could perhaps use the same home score file.
18343 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
18344 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
18349 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
18353 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
18354 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
18358 A list. The elements in this list can be:
18362 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
18363 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
18366 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
18367 the home score file.
18370 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
18373 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
18378 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
18381 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18382 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
18385 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
18386 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
18388 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
18390 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18391 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
18394 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
18395 Other functions include
18398 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
18399 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
18400 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
18401 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
18405 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
18406 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
18407 their own home score files:
18410 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18411 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
18412 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
18413 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
18414 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
18417 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
18418 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
18419 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
18420 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
18421 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
18423 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
18424 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
18425 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
18426 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
18427 precedence over this variable.
18430 @node Followups To Yourself
18431 @section Followups To Yourself
18433 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
18434 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
18435 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
18436 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
18437 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
18438 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
18442 @item gnus-score-followup-article
18443 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
18444 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
18447 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
18448 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
18449 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
18453 @vindex message-sent-hook
18454 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
18455 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
18457 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
18461 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
18462 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
18466 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18467 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18470 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
18471 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
18476 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
18480 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
18481 is system-dependent.
18484 @node Scoring On Other Headers
18485 @section Scoring On Other Headers
18486 @cindex scoring on other headers
18488 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
18489 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
18490 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
18491 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
18492 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
18494 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
18495 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
18496 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
18497 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
18498 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
18500 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18503 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
18504 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
18507 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
18508 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
18509 time if you have much mail.
18511 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
18512 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
18518 @section Scoring Tips
18519 @cindex scoring tips
18525 @cindex scoring crossposts
18526 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
18527 the @code{Xref} header.
18529 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
18532 @item Multiple crossposts
18533 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
18534 more than, say, 3 groups:
18537 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
18541 @item Matching on the body
18542 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
18543 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
18544 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
18545 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
18546 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
18547 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
18548 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
18551 @item Marking as read
18552 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
18553 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
18554 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
18558 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
18560 @item Negated character classes
18561 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
18562 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
18563 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
18567 @node Reverse Scoring
18568 @section Reverse Scoring
18569 @cindex reverse scoring
18571 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
18572 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
18573 like this in your score file:
18577 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
18582 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
18583 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
18586 @node Global Score Files
18587 @section Global Score Files
18588 @cindex global score files
18590 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
18591 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
18592 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
18594 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
18595 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
18596 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
18598 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
18599 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
18600 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
18601 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
18602 files are applicable to which group.
18604 To use the score file
18605 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
18606 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
18610 (setq gnus-global-score-files
18611 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
18612 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
18615 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
18617 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
18618 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
18619 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
18620 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
18622 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
18623 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
18625 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
18626 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
18627 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
18628 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
18629 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
18630 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
18632 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
18638 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
18640 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
18642 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
18644 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
18645 lowered out of existence.
18647 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
18648 articles completely.
18651 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
18652 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
18653 old articles for a long time.
18656 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
18657 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
18658 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
18659 holding our breath yet?
18663 @section Kill Files
18666 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
18667 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
18668 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
18670 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
18671 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
18672 files into score files.
18674 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
18675 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
18676 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
18677 that isn't a very good idea.
18679 Normal kill files look like this:
18682 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18683 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
18687 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
18688 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
18690 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
18691 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
18694 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
18699 @kindex M-k (Summary)
18700 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
18701 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
18704 @kindex M-K (Summary)
18705 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
18706 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
18709 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
18714 @kindex M-k (Group)
18715 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
18716 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
18719 @kindex M-K (Group)
18720 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
18721 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
18724 Kill file variables:
18727 @item gnus-kill-file-name
18728 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
18729 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
18730 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
18731 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
18732 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
18733 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
18735 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18736 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18737 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
18738 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
18741 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
18742 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
18743 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
18744 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
18745 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
18746 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
18747 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
18748 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
18749 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
18751 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18752 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18753 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
18758 @node Converting Kill Files
18759 @section Converting Kill Files
18761 @cindex converting kill files
18763 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
18764 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
18765 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
18768 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
18769 You can fetch it from
18770 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
18772 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
18773 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
18774 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
18782 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
18783 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
18784 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
18785 news articles generated every day.
18787 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
18788 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
18789 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
18790 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
18791 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
18792 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
18793 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
18794 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
18797 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
18798 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
18801 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
18802 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
18803 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
18804 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
18808 @node Using GroupLens
18809 @subsection Using GroupLens
18811 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
18813 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
18814 better bit in town at the moment.
18816 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
18820 @item gnus-use-grouplens
18821 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
18822 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
18823 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
18825 @item grouplens-pseudonym
18826 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
18827 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
18828 with the Better Bit Bureau.
18830 @item grouplens-newsgroups
18831 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
18832 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
18836 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
18837 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
18838 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
18839 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
18840 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
18841 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
18844 @node Rating Articles
18845 @subsection Rating Articles
18847 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
18848 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
18849 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
18850 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
18853 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
18858 @kindex r (GroupLens)
18859 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
18860 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
18863 @kindex k (GroupLens)
18864 @findex grouplens-score-thread
18865 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
18866 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
18867 threads in rec.humor.
18871 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
18872 the score of the article you're reading.
18877 @kindex n (GroupLens)
18878 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
18879 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
18882 @kindex , (GroupLens)
18883 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
18884 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
18888 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
18889 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
18892 @node Displaying Predictions
18893 @subsection Displaying Predictions
18895 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
18896 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
18897 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
18898 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
18899 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
18901 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
18902 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
18903 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
18904 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
18905 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
18906 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
18907 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
18908 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
18909 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
18910 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
18911 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
18912 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
18913 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
18915 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
18916 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
18917 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
18918 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
18920 The following are valid values for that variable.
18923 @item prediction-spot
18924 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
18927 @item confidence-interval
18928 A numeric confidence interval.
18930 @item prediction-bar
18931 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
18933 @item confidence-bar
18934 Numerical confidence.
18936 @item confidence-spot
18937 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
18939 @item prediction-num
18940 Plain-old numeric value.
18942 @item confidence-plus-minus
18943 Prediction +/- confidence.
18948 @node GroupLens Variables
18949 @subsection GroupLens Variables
18953 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
18954 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
18955 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
18956 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
18959 @item grouplens-bbb-host
18960 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
18963 @item grouplens-bbb-port
18964 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
18966 @item grouplens-score-offset
18967 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
18968 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
18971 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
18972 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
18973 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
18978 @node Advanced Scoring
18979 @section Advanced Scoring
18981 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
18982 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
18983 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
18984 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
18985 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
18987 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
18991 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
18992 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
18993 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
18997 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
18998 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
19000 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
19001 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
19002 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
19003 non-@code{nil} value.
19005 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
19006 operator, and various match operators.
19013 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19014 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
19015 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
19020 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19021 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
19022 then this operator will return @code{false}.
19027 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
19028 logical negation of the value of its argument.
19032 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
19033 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
19034 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
19035 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
19036 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
19037 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
19038 the ancestry you want to go.
19040 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
19041 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
19042 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
19043 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
19044 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
19047 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
19048 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
19050 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
19051 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
19054 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
19055 when he's talking about Gnus:
19059 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19060 ("subject" "Gnus"))
19066 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
19070 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19077 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
19078 really don't want to read what he's written:
19082 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19083 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
19087 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
19088 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
19089 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
19096 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
19097 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
19098 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
19099 ("body" "white.*socks"))
19103 The possibilities are endless.
19106 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
19107 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
19109 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
19110 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
19111 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
19112 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
19113 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
19114 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
19115 @samp{subject}) first.
19117 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
19118 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
19129 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
19130 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
19136 ("subject" "Gnus")))
19143 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
19144 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
19149 @section Score Decays
19150 @cindex score decays
19153 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
19154 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
19155 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
19156 use them in any sensible way.
19158 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
19159 @findex gnus-decay-score
19160 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
19161 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
19162 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
19163 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
19164 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
19165 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
19166 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
19167 definition of that function:
19170 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
19172 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
19173 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
19176 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
19178 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
19180 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
19183 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
19184 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
19185 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
19186 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
19190 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
19193 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
19196 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
19200 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
19201 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
19202 the new score, which should be an integer.
19204 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
19205 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
19210 @include message.texi
19211 @chapter Emacs MIME
19212 @include emacs-mime.texi
19214 @include sieve.texi
19216 @c @include pgg.texi
19224 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
19225 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
19226 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
19227 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
19228 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
19229 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
19230 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
19231 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
19232 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
19233 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
19234 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
19235 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
19236 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
19237 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
19238 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
19239 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
19240 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
19241 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
19242 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
19246 @node Process/Prefix
19247 @section Process/Prefix
19248 @cindex process/prefix convention
19250 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
19251 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
19253 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
19254 command to be performed on.
19258 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
19259 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
19260 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
19261 with the current one.
19263 @vindex transient-mark-mode
19264 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
19265 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
19267 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
19268 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
19271 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
19272 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
19274 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
19277 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
19278 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
19279 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
19280 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19282 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
19283 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
19284 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
19285 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
19286 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
19287 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
19288 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
19289 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
19291 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
19292 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
19293 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
19294 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
19295 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
19299 @section Interactive
19300 @cindex interaction
19304 @item gnus-novice-user
19305 @vindex gnus-novice-user
19306 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
19307 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
19308 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
19309 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
19312 @item gnus-expert-user
19313 @vindex gnus-expert-user
19314 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
19315 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
19316 matter how strange.
19318 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
19319 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
19320 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
19321 is @code{t} by default.
19323 @item gnus-interactive-exit
19324 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
19325 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
19330 @node Symbolic Prefixes
19331 @section Symbolic Prefixes
19332 @cindex symbolic prefixes
19334 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
19335 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
19336 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
19337 rule of 900 to the current article.
19339 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
19340 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
19341 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
19342 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
19343 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
19344 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
19345 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
19347 @kindex M-i (Summary)
19348 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
19349 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
19350 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
19351 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
19352 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
19353 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
19354 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
19355 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
19357 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
19358 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
19359 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
19361 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
19365 @node Formatting Variables
19366 @section Formatting Variables
19367 @cindex formatting variables
19369 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
19370 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
19371 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
19372 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
19373 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
19376 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
19377 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
19378 lots of percentages everywhere.
19381 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
19382 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
19383 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
19384 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
19385 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
19386 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
19387 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
19388 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
19391 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
19392 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
19393 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
19394 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
19395 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
19396 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
19397 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
19398 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
19400 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
19401 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
19403 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
19404 @findex gnus-update-format
19405 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
19406 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
19407 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
19408 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
19412 @node Formatting Basics
19413 @subsection Formatting Basics
19415 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
19416 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
19417 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
19419 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
19420 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
19421 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
19422 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
19423 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
19426 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
19427 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
19428 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
19429 less than 4 characters wide.
19431 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
19432 @samp{%&user-date;}.
19435 @node Mode Line Formatting
19436 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
19438 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
19439 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
19440 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
19441 with the following two differences:
19446 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
19449 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
19450 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
19451 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
19452 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
19453 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
19454 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
19455 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
19460 @node Advanced Formatting
19461 @subsection Advanced Formatting
19463 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
19464 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
19465 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
19466 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
19468 These are the valid modifiers:
19473 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
19477 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
19482 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
19485 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
19490 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
19493 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
19496 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
19499 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
19505 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
19510 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
19511 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
19512 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
19513 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
19514 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
19515 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
19516 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
19518 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
19519 last operation, padding.
19521 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
19522 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
19523 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
19524 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
19525 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
19526 the look of your lines.
19527 @xref{Compilation}.
19530 @node User-Defined Specs
19531 @subsection User-Defined Specs
19533 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
19534 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
19535 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
19536 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
19537 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
19538 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
19539 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
19540 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
19541 should protect against that.
19543 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
19544 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
19546 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
19547 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
19548 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
19549 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
19553 @node Formatting Fonts
19554 @subsection Formatting Fonts
19556 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
19557 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
19558 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
19559 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
19562 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
19563 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
19564 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
19565 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
19566 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
19567 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
19569 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
19570 special @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}.
19571 If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on.
19572 The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or
19573 symbols naming functions that return a string. When the mouse passes
19574 over text with this property set, a balloon window will appear and
19575 display the string. Please refer to @ref{(emacs)Help Echo} (in GNU
19576 Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in XEmacs) for
19577 more information on this. (For technical reasons, the guillemets have
19578 been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this paragraph.)
19580 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
19583 ;; Create three face types.
19584 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
19585 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
19587 ;; We want the article count to be in
19588 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
19589 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
19590 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
19592 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
19593 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
19595 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
19596 (setq gnus-group-line-format
19597 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
19600 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
19601 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
19603 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
19604 mode-line variables.
19606 @node Positioning Point
19607 @subsection Positioning Point
19609 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
19610 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
19611 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
19613 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
19615 @findex gnus-goto-colon
19616 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
19617 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
19619 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
19620 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
19621 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
19626 @subsection Tabulation
19628 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
19629 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
19630 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
19631 about lining up the following text afterwards.
19633 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
19634 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
19636 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19637 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
19638 This is the soft tabulator.
19640 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19641 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
19642 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
19645 @node Wide Characters
19646 @subsection Wide Characters
19648 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
19649 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
19650 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
19652 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
19653 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
19654 these countries, that's not true.
19656 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
19657 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
19658 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
19659 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
19663 @node Window Layout
19664 @section Window Layout
19665 @cindex window layout
19667 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
19669 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
19670 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
19671 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
19672 @code{t} by default.
19674 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
19675 glitches. Use at your own peril.
19677 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
19678 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
19679 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
19682 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
19683 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
19684 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19688 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
19689 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
19690 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
19691 possible names is listed below.
19693 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
19694 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
19697 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19701 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
19702 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
19703 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
19704 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
19705 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
19706 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
19707 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
19708 size spec per split.
19710 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
19711 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
19712 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
19713 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
19714 present) gets focus.
19716 Here's a more complicated example:
19719 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
19720 (summary 0.25 point)
19721 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
19725 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
19726 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
19727 occupy, not a percentage.
19729 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
19730 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
19731 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
19732 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
19733 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
19736 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
19739 (article (horizontal 1.0
19744 (summary 0.25 point)
19749 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
19750 @code{horizontal} thingie?
19752 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
19753 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
19754 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
19755 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
19756 the screen is to be given to this strip.
19758 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
19759 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
19760 lines from the splits.
19762 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
19766 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
19767 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
19768 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
19769 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
19770 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
19771 size = number | frame-params
19772 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
19775 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
19776 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
19777 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
19778 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
19780 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
19781 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
19782 @cindex window height
19783 @cindex window width
19784 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
19785 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
19786 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
19787 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
19788 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
19789 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
19791 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
19792 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
19793 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
19794 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
19796 @findex gnus-configure-frame
19797 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
19798 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
19799 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
19800 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
19801 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
19802 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
19803 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
19804 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
19805 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
19806 configuration list.
19809 (gnus-configure-frame
19813 (article 0.3 point))
19821 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
19822 @code{frame} split:
19825 (gnus-configure-frame
19828 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
19830 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
19831 (user-position . t)
19832 (left . -1) (top . 1))
19837 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
19838 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
19839 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
19840 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
19841 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
19842 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
19843 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
19844 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
19846 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
19847 be found in its default value.
19849 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
19850 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
19851 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
19855 (message (horizontal 1.0
19856 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
19858 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
19863 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
19864 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
19865 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
19870 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
19871 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
19872 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
19873 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
19874 (name . "Message"))
19875 (message 1.0 point))))
19878 @findex gnus-add-configuration
19879 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
19880 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
19881 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
19882 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
19885 (gnus-add-configuration
19886 '(article (vertical 1.0
19888 (summary .25 point)
19892 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
19893 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
19894 Gnus has been loaded.
19896 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
19897 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
19898 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
19899 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
19900 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
19902 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
19903 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
19904 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
19907 @subsection Example Window Configurations
19911 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
19912 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
19927 (gnus-add-configuration
19930 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19932 (summary 0.16 point)
19935 (gnus-add-configuration
19938 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19939 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
19945 @node Faces and Fonts
19946 @section Faces and Fonts
19951 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
19952 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
19953 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
19958 @section Compilation
19959 @cindex compilation
19960 @cindex byte-compilation
19962 @findex gnus-compile
19964 Remember all those line format specification variables?
19965 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
19966 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
19967 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
19968 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
19969 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
19970 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
19971 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
19974 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
19975 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
19976 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
19977 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
19978 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
19981 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
19982 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
19983 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
19984 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
19985 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
19990 @section Mode Lines
19993 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
19994 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
19995 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
19996 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
19997 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
19998 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
19999 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
20002 @cindex display-time
20004 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
20005 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
20006 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
20007 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
20008 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
20009 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
20010 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
20011 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
20014 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
20016 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
20017 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
20019 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
20020 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
20021 (length display-time-string)))))
20024 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
20025 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
20026 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
20027 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
20028 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
20031 @node Highlighting and Menus
20032 @section Highlighting and Menus
20034 @cindex highlighting
20037 @vindex gnus-visual
20038 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
20039 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
20040 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
20043 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
20044 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
20047 @item group-highlight
20048 Do highlights in the group buffer.
20049 @item summary-highlight
20050 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
20051 @item article-highlight
20052 Do highlights in the article buffer.
20054 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
20056 Create menus in the group buffer.
20058 Create menus in the summary buffers.
20060 Create menus in the article buffer.
20062 Create menus in the browse buffer.
20064 Create menus in the server buffer.
20066 Create menus in the score buffers.
20068 Create menus in all buffers.
20071 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
20072 buffers, you could say something like:
20075 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
20078 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
20081 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
20084 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
20085 in all Gnus buffers.
20087 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
20090 @item gnus-mouse-face
20091 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
20092 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
20093 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
20097 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
20101 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
20102 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
20103 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
20105 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
20106 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
20107 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
20109 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
20110 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
20111 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
20113 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
20114 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
20115 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
20117 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
20118 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
20119 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
20121 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
20122 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
20123 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
20134 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
20135 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
20136 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
20137 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
20138 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
20142 @vindex gnus-carpal
20143 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
20144 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
20145 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
20150 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20151 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20152 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
20154 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
20155 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
20156 Face used on buttons.
20158 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
20159 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
20160 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
20162 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20163 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20164 Buttons in the group buffer.
20166 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20167 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20168 Buttons in the summary buffer.
20170 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20171 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20172 Buttons in the server buffer.
20174 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20175 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20176 Buttons in the browse buffer.
20179 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
20180 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
20181 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
20189 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
20190 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
20191 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
20192 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
20193 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
20195 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
20196 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
20197 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
20199 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
20200 been idle for thirty minutes:
20203 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
20206 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
20210 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
20213 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
20214 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
20215 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20217 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
20218 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
20219 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
20220 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20222 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
20223 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
20224 @var{idle} minutes.
20226 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
20227 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
20230 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
20231 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
20232 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
20234 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
20235 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
20236 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
20237 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
20239 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
20240 your @file{.gnus} file:
20242 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
20244 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
20247 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
20248 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
20249 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
20250 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
20251 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
20252 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
20253 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
20254 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
20255 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
20256 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
20257 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
20259 @findex gnus-demon-init
20260 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
20261 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
20262 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
20263 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
20264 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
20266 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
20267 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
20268 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
20277 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
20278 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
20280 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
20281 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
20282 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
20283 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
20286 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
20287 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
20288 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
20289 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
20291 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
20292 this will make spam disappear.
20294 There are some variables to customize, of course:
20297 @item gnus-use-nocem
20298 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
20299 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
20302 @item gnus-nocem-groups
20303 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
20304 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
20305 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
20306 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
20308 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
20309 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
20310 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
20311 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
20312 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
20313 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
20315 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
20316 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
20318 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
20319 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
20320 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
20321 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
20322 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
20323 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
20324 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
20325 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
20326 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
20327 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
20329 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
20330 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
20333 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
20336 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
20337 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
20340 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
20343 The specs are applied left-to-right.
20346 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
20347 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
20349 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
20350 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
20351 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
20352 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
20354 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
20355 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
20358 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
20360 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
20368 This might be dangerous, though.
20370 @item gnus-nocem-directory
20371 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
20372 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
20373 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
20375 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20376 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20377 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
20378 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
20379 might then see old spam.
20381 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
20382 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
20383 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
20384 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
20385 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
20388 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20389 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20390 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
20391 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
20395 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
20396 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
20397 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
20398 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
20405 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
20406 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
20407 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
20409 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
20410 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
20411 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
20412 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
20413 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
20414 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
20415 @code{undo} function.
20417 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
20418 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
20419 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
20420 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
20421 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
20422 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
20423 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
20424 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
20425 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
20426 never be totally undoable.
20428 @findex gnus-undo-mode
20429 @vindex gnus-use-undo
20431 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
20432 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
20433 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
20434 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
20438 @node Predicate Specifiers
20439 @section Predicate Specifiers
20440 @cindex predicate specifiers
20442 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
20443 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
20444 to type all that much.
20446 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
20451 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
20452 gnus-article-unread-p)
20455 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
20456 functions all take one parameter.
20458 @findex gnus-make-predicate
20459 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
20460 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
20461 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
20466 @section Moderation
20469 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
20470 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
20471 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
20474 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
20478 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
20481 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
20483 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
20488 You split your incoming mail by matching on
20489 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
20490 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
20493 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
20494 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
20497 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
20498 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
20502 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
20505 (setq gnus-moderated-list
20506 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
20510 @node Image Enhancements
20511 @section Image Enhancements
20513 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
20514 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
20517 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
20518 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
20519 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
20520 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
20521 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
20534 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
20535 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
20536 over your shoulder as you read news.
20539 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
20540 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
20541 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
20542 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
20543 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
20548 @subsubsection Picon Basics
20550 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
20559 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
20560 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
20561 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
20562 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
20563 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
20564 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
20565 @code{GIF} formats.
20568 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20569 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
20570 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
20571 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
20572 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
20574 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20575 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
20576 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
20577 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
20578 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
20579 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20581 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
20582 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
20585 @node Picon Requirements
20586 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
20588 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
20589 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
20590 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
20591 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
20593 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20594 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
20595 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
20596 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
20597 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
20598 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20601 @subsubsection Easy Picons
20603 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
20604 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
20607 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
20608 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
20611 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
20612 containing the Picons databases.
20614 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
20617 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20618 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
20623 @subsubsection Hard Picons
20631 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
20632 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
20633 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
20634 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
20635 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
20640 @item gnus-picons-database
20641 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20642 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
20643 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
20644 subdirectories. This is only useful if
20645 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
20646 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
20648 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20649 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20650 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
20651 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
20652 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
20653 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
20654 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20656 @item gnus-picons-display-where
20657 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20658 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
20659 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
20660 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
20661 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
20662 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
20663 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
20665 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20666 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20667 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
20672 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
20673 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
20675 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
20676 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
20679 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20681 @item gnus-article-display-picons
20682 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
20683 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
20684 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
20686 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20687 @findex gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20688 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
20689 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the function name, not @code{xface})
20695 @node Picon Useless Configuration
20696 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
20704 The following variables offer further control over how things are
20705 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
20706 don't need to worry about.
20710 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
20711 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
20712 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20713 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
20715 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
20716 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
20717 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
20718 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
20720 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
20721 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
20722 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20723 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
20724 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
20726 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20727 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20728 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
20729 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
20730 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
20731 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
20732 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
20733 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20735 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20736 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20737 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
20738 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
20739 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20741 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20742 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20743 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
20744 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
20745 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
20746 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
20747 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
20749 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20750 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20751 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
20752 Defaults to @code{nil}.
20754 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
20755 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
20756 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
20757 Defaults to @code{t}.
20759 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20760 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20761 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
20762 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
20764 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
20765 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
20766 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
20768 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20769 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20770 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
20771 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
20773 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
20774 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
20776 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20777 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20778 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
20779 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
20780 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
20781 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
20782 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
20783 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
20794 @subsection Smileys
20799 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
20804 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
20805 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
20807 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
20808 @file{.gnus.el} file:
20811 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
20814 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
20815 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
20816 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
20817 text and maps that to file names.
20819 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
20820 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
20821 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
20822 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
20823 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
20824 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
20826 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
20827 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
20829 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
20830 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
20831 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
20833 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
20834 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
20838 @item smiley-data-directory
20839 @vindex smiley-data-directory
20840 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
20842 @item smiley-flesh-color
20843 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
20844 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
20846 @item smiley-features-color
20847 @vindex smiley-features-color
20848 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20850 @item smiley-tongue-color
20851 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
20852 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
20854 @item smiley-circle-color
20855 @vindex smiley-circle-color
20856 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20858 @item smiley-mouse-face
20859 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
20860 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
20869 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
20870 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
20871 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
20875 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
20876 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
20877 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
20878 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
20886 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
20887 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
20888 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
20889 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
20891 The variable that controls this is the
20892 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
20893 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
20894 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
20895 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
20896 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
20898 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
20899 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
20900 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
20901 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
20904 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
20905 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
20906 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
20907 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
20908 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
20909 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
20910 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
20911 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
20913 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
20916 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
20917 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
20919 @findex gnus-random-x-face
20920 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files
20921 in @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
20922 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
20923 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
20924 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big.
20926 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
20927 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
20928 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
20930 Here's how you would typically use the former function. Put something
20931 like the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20934 (setq message-required-news-headers
20935 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20936 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
20939 Using the latter function would be something like this:
20942 (setq message-required-news-headers
20943 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20944 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
20945 (gnus-x-face-from-file
20946 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
20951 @subsection Toolbar
20961 @item gnus-use-toolbar
20962 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
20963 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
20964 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
20965 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
20967 @item gnus-group-toolbar
20968 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
20969 The toolbar in the group buffer.
20971 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
20972 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
20973 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
20975 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20976 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20977 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
20983 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
20986 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20987 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20988 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
20989 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
20990 unusual directory structure.
20992 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20993 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20994 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
20995 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
20997 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20998 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20999 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
21000 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
21001 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
21002 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
21004 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
21005 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
21006 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
21020 @node Fuzzy Matching
21021 @section Fuzzy Matching
21022 @cindex fuzzy matching
21024 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
21025 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
21027 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
21028 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
21029 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
21031 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
21032 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
21033 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
21034 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
21035 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
21038 @node Thwarting Email Spam
21039 @section Thwarting Email Spam
21043 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21045 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
21046 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
21047 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
21048 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
21049 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
21050 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
21051 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
21052 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
21055 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
21056 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
21057 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
21058 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
21059 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
21060 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
21062 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
21065 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
21066 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
21067 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
21068 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
21069 * Filtering Spam Using spam.el::
21070 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)::
21073 @node The problem of spam
21074 @subsection The problem of spam
21076 @cindex spam filtering approaches
21077 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
21079 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21081 First, some background on spam.
21083 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
21084 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it exists
21085 because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail, so only
21086 a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to make it
21087 worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most common
21088 spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for further
21089 spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers}, but terms like
21090 @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, and @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
21092 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
21093 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
21094 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
21095 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
21096 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
21097 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
21098 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
21099 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
21100 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
21103 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering. If you get 200
21104 spam messages per day from @email{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you
21105 block @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about
21106 @samp{VIAGRA}, you discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the
21107 message. This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate
21108 e-mail. For instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest
21109 has been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it
21110 @strong{contained} words that were common in spam messages.
21111 Nevertheless, in isolated cases, with great care, direct filtering of
21112 mail can be useful.
21114 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
21115 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
21116 @code{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @samp{X} in
21117 China, Ghana, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
21118 @code{N} systems enter @samp{X} or the spam e-mail from @samp{X} into
21119 a database. The criteria for spam detection vary - it may be the
21120 number of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When
21121 a user of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a
21122 message is spam, he consults one of those @code{N} systems.
21124 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
21125 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
21126 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
21127 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
21128 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
21129 sending spam, and their web sites have been shut down for some time
21130 because of the incident.
21132 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
21133 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
21134 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
21135 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
21136 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
21137 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
21138 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
21139 to store the database of spam analyses.
21141 @node Anti-Spam Basics
21142 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
21146 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21148 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
21149 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
21151 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
21152 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
21153 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
21154 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
21155 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
21156 part of the mail address.)
21159 (setq message-default-news-headers
21160 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
21163 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
21164 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21169 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
21170 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
21171 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
21177 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
21178 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
21179 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
21180 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
21182 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @sc{smtp} server
21183 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
21184 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
21185 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
21186 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
21187 your fancy split rule in this way:
21192 (to "larsi" "misc")
21196 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
21197 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
21198 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
21199 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
21200 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
21202 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
21203 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
21204 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
21205 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
21206 cosmic balance somewhat.
21208 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
21209 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
21210 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
21211 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
21216 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
21217 @cindex SpamAssassin
21218 @cindex Vipul's Razor
21221 The days where the hints in the previous section was sufficient in
21222 avoiding spam is coming to an end. There are many tools out there
21223 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
21224 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
21225 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
21226 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
21227 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
21229 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
21230 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
21231 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
21232 Specifiers}) follows.
21236 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
21239 :postscript "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
21242 Once you managed to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
21243 the mail contain e.g. a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
21244 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
21247 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
21251 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21254 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
21255 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
21259 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
21260 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
21261 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
21262 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
21265 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
21267 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
21269 (let ((buf (or (get-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
21270 (get-buffer " *nnml move*"))))
21272 (progn (message "Oops, cannot find message buffer") nil)
21274 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
21275 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
21279 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
21280 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
21281 spam. And here is the nifty function:
21284 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
21285 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
21287 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
21288 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
21289 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
21293 @subsection Hashcash
21296 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
21297 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
21298 you cannot rely on that everyone in the world uses this technique,
21299 since it is not part of the Internet standards, but it may be useful
21300 in smaller communities.
21302 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
21303 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
21304 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
21305 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
21306 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
21307 instead requires that everyone you communicate with supports the
21308 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
21309 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
21310 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
21311 one of them separately.
21314 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
21315 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
21316 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
21317 header. For more details, and for the external application
21318 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
21319 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
21320 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
21322 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
21326 (require 'hashcash)
21327 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
21330 The @code{hashcash.el} library can be found at
21331 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}, or in the Gnus
21332 development contrib directory.
21334 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
21338 @item hashcash-default-payment
21339 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
21340 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
21341 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
21342 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
21344 @item hashcash-payment-alist
21345 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
21346 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
21347 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(ADDR AMOUNT)} cells,
21348 where ADDR is the receiver (email address or newsgroup) and AMOUNT is
21349 the number of bits in the collision that is needed. It can also
21350 contain @samp{(ADDR STRING AMOUNT)} cells, where the STRING is the
21351 string to use (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
21355 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
21359 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
21360 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
21361 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
21362 a useful contribution, however.
21364 @node Filtering Spam Using spam.el
21365 @subsection Filtering Spam Using spam.el
21366 @cindex spam filtering
21369 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
21370 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
21371 filters incoming mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
21372 @emph{Ham} is the name used throughout @code{spam.el} to indicate
21375 So, what happens when you load @code{spam.el}? First of all, you get
21376 the following keyboard commands:
21386 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
21387 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
21389 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{H} mark.
21390 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
21391 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
21392 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
21398 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
21399 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
21401 You must have bogofilter processing enabled for that command to work
21408 Also, when you load @code{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
21409 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
21412 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
21413 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
21414 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
21415 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
21416 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
21417 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
21418 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
21419 will be detected later.
21421 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
21422 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
21423 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
21424 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
21425 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
21426 by customizing the corresponding variable
21427 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
21428 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
21429 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
21430 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
21431 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
21432 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
21433 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
21436 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
21437 they get the @samp{H} mark when you enter the group. You must review
21438 these messages from time to time and remove the @samp{H} mark for
21439 every message that is not spam after all. To remove the @samp{H}
21440 mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to "unread" the article, or @kbd{d} for
21441 declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a group, all
21442 spam-marked (@samp{H}) articles are sent to a spam processor which
21443 will study them as spam samples.
21445 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
21446 @code{spam-ham-marks} gets overridden below, marks @samp{R} and
21447 @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
21448 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
21449 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
21450 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
21451 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
21452 should then adjust the @code{spam-ham-marks} variable.
21454 @defvar spam-ham-marks
21455 You can customize this variable to be the list of marks you want to
21456 consider ham. By default, the list contains the deleted, read,
21457 killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks.
21460 @defvar spam-spam-marks
21461 You can customize this variable to be the list of marks you want to
21462 consider spam. By default, the list contains only the spam mark.
21465 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
21466 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
21467 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
21468 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
21469 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
21470 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{H},
21473 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
21474 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
21475 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups.
21477 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
21478 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
21480 @strong{TODO: The @code{ifile} spam processor does not work at this
21481 time. I'm waiting for info from the author of @code{ifile-gnus.el},
21482 because I think that functionality should go in @code{ifile-gnus.el}
21483 rather than @code{spam.el}. You can still use @code{spam-use-ifile}
21484 to tell @code{spam-split} you want to use ifile for splitting incoming
21487 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
21488 must add the following to your fancy split list
21489 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
21495 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
21496 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
21497 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
21499 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
21500 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
21501 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
21502 but you can customize it.
21504 The following are the methods you can use to control the behavior of
21505 @code{spam-split} and their corresponding spam and ham processors:
21508 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
21509 * BBDB Whitelists::
21512 * Ifile spam filtering::
21513 * Extending spam.el::
21516 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
21517 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
21518 @cindex spam filtering
21519 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
21520 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
21523 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
21524 Set this variable to t if you want to use blacklists when splitting
21525 incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist will be
21526 sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit filter,
21527 meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to be
21531 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
21532 Set this variable to t if you want to use whitelists when splitting
21533 incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the whitelist will
21534 be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an implicit filter,
21535 meaning it believes everyone to be a spammer unless told otherwise.
21539 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
21540 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21541 customizing the group parameters or the
21542 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21543 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21544 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
21547 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
21548 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21549 customizing the group parameters or the
21550 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21551 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21552 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
21553 whitelist. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
21554 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
21557 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
21558 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
21559 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
21560 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
21561 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
21563 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
21564 legitimate. All non-whitelisted addresses are considered spammers.
21565 This option is probably not useful for most Gnus users unless the
21566 whitelists is very comprehensive or permissive. Also see @ref{BBDB
21567 Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the Emacs regular expression
21570 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
21571 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
21572 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
21573 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
21574 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
21575 @file{blacklist} respectively.
21577 @node BBDB Whitelists
21578 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
21579 @cindex spam filtering
21580 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
21581 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
21584 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
21586 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
21587 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted addresses,
21588 without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded for
21589 @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Only addresses in the BBDB
21590 will be allowed through; all others will be classified as spam.
21594 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
21595 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21596 customizing the group parameters or the
21597 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21598 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21599 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
21600 BBDB. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
21601 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
21605 @subsubsection Blackholes
21606 @cindex spam filtering
21607 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
21610 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
21612 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
21613 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
21614 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
21615 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
21616 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
21617 contains outdated servers.
21619 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
21620 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
21621 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to nil. It is not recommended at this
21622 time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to nil despite the possible
21623 performance improvements, because some users may be unable to use it,
21624 but you can try it and see if it works for you.
21628 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
21630 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
21634 @defvar spam-use-dig
21636 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
21637 The default setting of t is recommended.
21641 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
21642 ham processor for blackholes.
21645 @subsubsection Bogofilter
21646 @cindex spam filtering
21647 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
21650 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
21652 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
21653 speedy Bogofilter. This has been tested with a locally patched copy
21654 of version 0.4. Make sure to read the installation comments in
21657 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{H} mark for spam
21658 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
21659 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
21660 category, spam or not. The shell command @command{head -1
21661 ~/.bogofilter/*} shows both article counts. The command @kbd{S t} in
21662 summary mode, either for debugging or for curiosity, triggers
21663 Bogofilter into displaying in another buffer the @emph{spamicity}
21664 score of the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0), together with the
21665 article words which most significantly contribute to the score.
21667 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
21668 processing will be turned off.
21673 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
21674 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21675 customizing the group parameters or the
21676 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21677 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
21678 will be added to the bogofilter spam database, and ham-marked articles
21679 will be added to the bogofilter ham database. @strong{Note that the
21680 Bogofilter spam processor is the only spam processor to also do ham
21684 @node Ifile spam filtering
21685 @subsubsection Ifile spam filtering
21686 @cindex spam filtering
21687 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
21690 @defvar spam-use-ifile
21692 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Ifile, a
21693 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter. Currently you must have
21694 @code{ifile-gnus.el} loaded. The integration of Ifile with
21695 @code{spam.el} is not finished yet, but you can use
21696 @code{ifile-gnus.el} on its own if you like.
21700 Ifile can only be used to filter incoming mail into spam and ham
21701 through the @code{spam-split} function. It will be better integrated
21702 with @code{spam.el} with the next release of @code{ifile-gnus.el}.
21704 @node Extending spam.el
21705 @subsubsection Extending spam.el
21706 @cindex spam filtering
21707 @cindex spam.el, extending
21708 @cindex extending spam.el
21710 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
21711 incoming mail, provide the following:
21719 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
21720 "True if blackbox should be used.")
21725 (spam-use-blackbox . spam-check-blackbox)
21727 to @code{spam-list-of-checks}.
21732 Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
21733 @samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}. See the existing
21734 @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can do.
21737 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
21744 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
21745 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
21748 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
21749 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
21750 Only applicable to spam groups.")
21752 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
21753 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
21754 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
21762 (defun spam-blackbox-register-spam-routine ()
21763 (spam-generic-register-routine
21764 ;; the spam function
21766 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
21767 (when (stringp from)
21768 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer from))))
21769 ;; the ham function
21772 (defun spam-blackbox-register-ham-routine ()
21773 (spam-generic-register-routine
21774 ;; the spam function
21776 ;; the ham function
21778 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
21779 (when (stringp from)
21780 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender from))))))
21783 Write the @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender} and
21784 @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer} functions. You can add
21785 more complex code than fetching the message sender, but keep in mind
21786 that retrieving the whole message takes significantly longer than the
21787 sender through @code{spam-fetch-field-from-fast}, because the message
21788 senders are kept in memory by Gnus.
21793 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)
21794 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)
21795 @cindex Paul Graham
21796 @cindex Graham, Paul
21797 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
21798 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
21799 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
21801 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
21802 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
21803 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
21804 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
21805 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
21806 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
21807 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
21808 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
21809 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
21812 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
21813 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
21814 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
21815 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
21816 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
21817 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
21818 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
21819 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
21821 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
21822 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
21823 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
21824 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
21825 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
21828 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
21829 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
21830 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
21833 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
21834 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
21836 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
21837 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
21838 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
21839 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
21840 need several hundred emails in both collections.
21842 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
21843 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
21844 per mail. Use the following:
21846 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
21847 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
21848 is treated as one spam mail.
21851 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
21852 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
21853 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
21856 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
21857 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
21858 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
21859 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
21860 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
21861 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
21864 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics -- the
21865 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
21866 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
21867 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
21869 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
21870 reset the dictionary.
21874 @defun spam-stat-reset
21875 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
21877 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
21878 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
21879 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
21880 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
21881 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
21882 only non-spam mails.
21885 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
21886 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
21887 to update the dictionary incrementally.
21890 @defun spam-stat-save
21891 Save the dictionary.
21894 @defvar spam-stat-file
21895 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
21896 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
21899 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
21900 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
21902 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
21903 following to your @file{~/.gnus} file:
21906 (require 'spam-stat)
21910 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
21913 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
21914 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. In the simplest case, you only have
21915 two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says
21916 that mail is either spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is
21917 spam, then @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
21920 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21921 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21925 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
21926 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
21929 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
21930 the following expression. It only the mails not matching the regular
21931 expression are considered potential spam.
21934 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21935 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
21936 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21940 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
21941 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
21942 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
21943 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
21944 mails, when creating the dictionary!
21947 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21948 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21949 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
21953 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
21954 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
21955 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
21956 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
21957 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
21961 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21962 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
21963 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21964 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
21969 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
21970 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
21972 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
21974 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
21975 called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail;
21976 use this for new mail that has not been processed before
21980 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
21981 called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
21982 mail; use this for new mail that has not been processed before
21986 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
21987 called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
21988 mail but spam; use this to change the status of a mail that has
21989 already been processed as non-spam
21993 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
21994 called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
21995 normal mail; use this to change the status of a mail that has already
21996 been processed as spam
22000 @defun spam-stat-save
22001 save the hash table to the file; the filename used is stored in the
22002 variable @code{spam-stat-file}
22006 @defun spam-stat-load
22007 load the hash table from a file; the filename used is stored in the
22008 variable @code{spam-stat-file}
22012 @defun spam-stat-score-word
22013 return the spam score for a word
22017 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
22018 return the spam score for a buffer
22022 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
22023 for fancy mail splitting; add the rule @samp{(: spam-stat-split-fancy)} to
22024 @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
22026 This requires the following in your @file{~/.gnus} file:
22029 (require 'spam-stat)
22035 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
22038 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
22039 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22040 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22041 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22042 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
22043 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
22044 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22045 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22046 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
22047 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22048 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
22049 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
22050 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22051 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22054 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
22057 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
22058 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22059 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22060 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
22061 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
22062 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22065 @node Various Various
22066 @section Various Various
22072 @item gnus-home-directory
22073 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
22074 defaults to @file{~/}.
22076 @item gnus-directory
22077 @vindex gnus-directory
22078 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
22079 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
22080 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
22082 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
22083 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
22084 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
22085 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
22087 @item gnus-default-directory
22088 @vindex gnus-default-directory
22089 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
22090 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
22091 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
22092 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
22093 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
22094 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
22097 @vindex gnus-verbose
22098 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
22099 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
22100 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
22101 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
22102 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
22104 @item gnus-verbose-backends
22105 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
22106 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
22107 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
22109 @item nnheader-max-head-length
22110 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
22111 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
22112 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
22113 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
22114 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
22115 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
22116 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
22117 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
22118 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
22120 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
22121 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
22122 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
22123 read when doing the operation described above.
22125 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22126 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22128 @cindex invalid characters in file names
22129 @cindex characters in file names
22130 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
22131 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
22132 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
22135 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22139 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
22140 Windows (phooey) systems.
22142 @item gnus-hidden-properties
22143 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
22144 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
22145 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
22146 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
22148 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
22149 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
22150 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
22151 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
22152 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
22154 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
22155 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
22156 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
22158 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
22159 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
22161 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
22162 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
22163 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
22164 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
22167 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
22175 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
22176 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
22178 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
22180 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
22186 Not because of victories @*
22189 but for the common sunshine,@*
22191 the largess of the spring.
22195 but for the day's work done@*
22196 as well as I was able;@*
22197 not for a seat upon the dais@*
22198 but at the common table.@*
22203 @chapter Appendices
22206 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
22207 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
22208 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
22209 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
22210 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
22211 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
22212 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
22213 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
22214 * Frequently Asked Questions::
22221 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
22223 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
22224 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
22225 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
22226 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
22227 @samp{xemacs-base}, @samp{sh-script} and @samp{fsf-compat}. The
22228 @samp{misc-games} package is required for Morse decoding.
22235 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
22236 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
22238 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
22239 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
22240 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
22241 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
22242 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
22244 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
22245 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
22246 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
22247 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
22248 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
22249 appropriate name, don't you think?)
22251 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
22252 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
22253 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
22254 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
22257 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
22258 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
22259 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
22260 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
22261 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
22262 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
22263 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
22264 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
22265 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
22269 @node Gnus Versions
22270 @subsection Gnus Versions
22272 @cindex September Gnus
22274 @cindex Quassia Gnus
22275 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
22279 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
22280 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
22281 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
22283 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
22284 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
22286 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
22287 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
22289 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
22290 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
22292 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
22293 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
22296 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
22298 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
22299 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
22300 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
22301 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
22302 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
22303 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
22306 @node Other Gnus Versions
22307 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
22310 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
22311 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
22312 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
22313 @sc{mime} capabilities.
22315 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
22316 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
22317 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
22318 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
22325 What's the point of Gnus?
22327 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
22328 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
22329 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
22330 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
22331 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
22332 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
22333 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
22334 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
22335 keep track of millions of people who post?
22337 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
22338 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
22339 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
22340 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
22341 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
22342 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
22343 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
22344 every one of you to explore and invent.
22346 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
22347 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
22350 @node Compatibility
22351 @subsection Compatibility
22353 @cindex compatibility
22354 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
22355 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
22356 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
22361 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
22365 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
22368 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
22371 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
22372 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
22373 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
22374 important variables have their values copied into their global
22375 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
22376 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
22378 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
22379 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
22380 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
22381 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
22382 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
22386 @cindex highlighting
22387 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
22388 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
22389 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
22390 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
22391 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
22392 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
22395 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
22396 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
22397 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
22398 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
22400 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
22401 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
22402 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
22403 to stop doing it the old way.
22405 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
22407 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22409 @cindex reporting bugs
22411 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
22412 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
22413 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
22415 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
22416 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
22417 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
22418 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
22423 @subsection Conformity
22425 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
22426 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
22434 There are no known breaches of this standard.
22438 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
22440 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
22441 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
22442 We do have some breaches to this one.
22448 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
22449 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
22450 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
22451 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
22452 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
22457 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
22458 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
22459 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
22460 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
22462 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
22464 All the various @sc{mime} RFCs are supported.
22466 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
22467 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
22469 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
22472 RFC 1991 is the original PGP message specification, published as a
22473 Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now called Open PGP, and
22474 put on the Standards Track. Both document a non-@sc{mime} aware PGP
22475 format. Gnus supports both encoding (signing and encryption) and
22476 decoding (verification and decryption).
22478 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
22479 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
22480 1991) describes the @sc{mime}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
22481 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
22483 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
22484 RFC 2633 describes the @sc{s/mime} format.
22486 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
22487 RFC 1730 is @sc{imap} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060 (@sc{imap} 4
22488 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5 authentication for @sc{imap}. RFC
22489 2086 describes access control lists (ACLs) for @sc{imap}. RFC 2359
22490 describes a @sc{imap} protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper
22491 TLS integration (STARTTLS) with @sc{imap}. RFC 1731 describes the
22492 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @sc{imap}.
22496 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
22497 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
22502 @subsection Emacsen
22508 Gnus should work on :
22516 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
22520 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
22521 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
22522 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
22523 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
22524 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
22526 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
22527 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
22528 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
22532 @node Gnus Development
22533 @subsection Gnus Development
22535 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
22536 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
22537 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
22538 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
22539 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
22540 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
22541 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
22542 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
22544 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
22545 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
22546 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
22547 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
22548 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
22551 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
22552 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
22553 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
22554 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
22555 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
22557 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
22558 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
22559 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
22560 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
22561 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
22562 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
22563 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
22564 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
22565 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
22566 can't be assumed to do so.
22571 @subsection Contributors
22572 @cindex contributors
22574 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
22575 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
22576 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
22577 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
22578 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
22579 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
22580 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
22581 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
22582 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
22583 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
22585 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
22591 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
22594 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
22595 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
22596 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
22597 functionality and stuff.
22600 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
22601 well as numerous other things).
22604 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
22607 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
22610 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
22613 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
22616 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
22617 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
22620 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
22623 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
22624 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
22627 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
22630 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
22633 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
22636 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
22639 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
22640 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
22643 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
22646 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
22649 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
22652 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
22656 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
22659 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
22662 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
22665 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
22666 well as autoconf support.
22670 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
22671 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
22673 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
22682 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
22686 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
22696 Alexei V. Barantsev,
22711 Massimo Campostrini,
22716 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
22717 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
22721 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
22724 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
22730 Michael Welsh Duggan,
22735 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
22739 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
22747 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
22749 Michelangelo Grigni,
22753 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
22755 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
22757 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
22764 François Felix Ingrand,
22765 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
22766 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
22768 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
22779 Peter Skov Knudsen,
22780 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
22782 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
22783 Thor Kristoffersen,
22786 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
22804 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
22805 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
22812 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
22817 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
22821 John McClary Prevost,
22827 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
22832 Christian von Roques,
22835 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
22842 Philippe Schnoebelen,
22844 Randal L. Schwartz,
22858 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
22863 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
22879 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
22884 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
22885 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
22886 (550kB and counting).
22888 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
22891 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
22892 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
22896 @subsection New Features
22897 @cindex new features
22900 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
22901 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
22902 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
22903 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
22904 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
22907 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
22908 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
22909 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
22912 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
22914 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
22919 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
22920 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
22923 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
22924 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
22927 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
22930 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
22931 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
22932 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
22935 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
22936 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
22937 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
22938 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
22941 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
22942 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
22945 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
22946 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
22947 (@pxref{The Active File}).
22950 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
22951 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
22954 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
22955 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
22956 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
22959 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
22960 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
22961 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
22964 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
22965 the @file{.emacs} file.
22968 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
22969 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
22972 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
22973 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
22976 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
22977 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
22980 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
22981 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
22984 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
22985 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
22988 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
22991 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
22992 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
22995 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
22996 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
22999 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
23000 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
23003 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
23006 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
23007 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
23010 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
23014 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
23018 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
23019 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
23022 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
23028 @node September Gnus
23029 @subsubsection September Gnus
23033 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
23037 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
23042 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
23043 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
23047 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
23048 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
23052 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
23056 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
23057 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
23060 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
23064 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
23067 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
23070 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
23073 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
23077 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
23078 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
23081 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
23085 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
23089 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
23093 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
23097 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
23100 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
23101 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
23104 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
23108 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
23109 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
23112 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
23115 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
23116 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
23117 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
23120 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
23124 The Gnus cache is much faster.
23127 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
23131 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
23132 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
23135 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
23136 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
23139 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
23140 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
23143 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
23144 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
23145 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
23148 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
23149 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
23152 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
23155 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
23158 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
23161 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
23164 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
23165 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
23168 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
23172 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
23175 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
23180 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
23183 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
23187 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23190 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
23194 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
23197 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
23200 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
23201 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
23204 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
23205 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
23209 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
23210 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
23213 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
23217 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
23218 buffer to allow easier treatment.
23221 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
23224 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
23228 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
23232 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
23233 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
23236 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
23240 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
23241 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
23244 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
23245 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23248 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
23252 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23255 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
23258 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
23264 @subsubsection Red Gnus
23266 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
23270 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
23277 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
23280 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
23281 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
23284 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
23285 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
23289 Article washing status can be displayed in the
23290 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
23293 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
23296 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
23297 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
23300 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
23304 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
23305 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
23309 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
23310 Server Internals}).
23313 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
23317 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
23320 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
23321 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
23324 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
23325 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
23326 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
23329 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
23330 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23333 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
23334 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
23337 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
23341 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
23342 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23345 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
23346 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
23349 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
23353 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
23356 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
23360 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
23361 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23364 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
23365 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23368 A new command for reading collections of documents
23369 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
23370 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
23373 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
23377 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
23378 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
23381 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
23382 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
23383 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
23386 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
23387 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
23391 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
23395 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
23399 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
23404 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
23408 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
23412 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
23413 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
23416 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
23422 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
23424 New features in Gnus 5.6:
23429 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
23430 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
23431 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
23434 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
23435 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
23436 group, which is created automatically.
23439 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
23443 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
23446 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
23447 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
23450 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
23454 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
23457 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
23458 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
23461 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
23464 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
23465 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
23468 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
23469 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
23472 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
23473 control over simplification.
23476 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
23479 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
23483 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
23486 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
23489 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
23490 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
23491 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
23494 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
23495 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
23498 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
23502 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
23503 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
23506 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
23507 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
23510 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
23514 A history of where mails have been split is available.
23517 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
23520 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
23521 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
23524 A new function for citing in Message has been
23525 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
23528 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
23531 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
23535 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
23536 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
23539 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
23540 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
23543 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
23546 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
23550 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
23551 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
23553 New features in Gnus 5.8:
23558 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
23559 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
23561 If you used procmail like in
23564 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
23565 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
23566 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
23567 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
23570 this now has changed to
23574 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
23578 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
23579 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
23582 Gnus is now a @sc{mime}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
23583 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
23586 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
23587 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
23590 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
23591 called to position point.
23594 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
23595 summary buffers and @sc{nov} files.
23598 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
23599 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
23602 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
23603 subtly different manner.
23606 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
23607 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
23608 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
23611 Gnus can now read @sc{imap} mail via @code{nnimap}.
23619 @section The Manual
23623 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
23624 either @code{texi2dvi}
23626 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
23627 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
23629 to get what you hold in your hands now.
23631 The following conventions have been used:
23636 This is a @samp{string}
23639 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
23642 This is a @file{file}
23645 This is a @code{symbol}
23649 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
23653 (setq flargnoze "yes")
23656 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
23659 (setq flumphel 'yes)
23662 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
23663 ever get them confused.
23667 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
23668 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
23669 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
23670 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
23671 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
23672 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
23673 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
23679 @node On Writing Manuals
23680 @section On Writing Manuals
23682 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
23683 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
23684 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
23685 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
23686 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
23687 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
23690 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
23691 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
23692 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
23695 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
23696 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
23701 @section Terminology
23703 @cindex terminology
23708 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
23709 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
23710 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
23711 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
23712 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
23716 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
23717 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
23718 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
23719 not posting, and replying is not following up.
23723 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
23727 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
23732 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
23733 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
23734 commonly fetched via the protocol NNTP, whereas mail messages could be
23735 read from a file on the local disk. The internal architecture of Gnus
23736 thus comprises a `front end' and a number of `back ends'. Internally,
23737 when you enter a group (by hitting @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke
23738 a function in the front end in Gnus. The front end then `talks' to a
23739 back end and says things like ``Give me the list of articles in the foo
23740 group'' or ``Show me article number 4711''.
23742 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back end
23743 accesses news via NNTP, the @code{nnimap} back end accesses mail via
23744 IMAP) or a file format and directory layout (the @code{nnspool} back end
23745 accesses news via the common `spool directory' format, the @code{nnml}
23746 back end access mail via a file format and directory layout that's
23749 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
23750 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
23751 access the articles.
23753 However, sometimes the term `back end' is also used where `server'
23754 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term `select
23755 method' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
23760 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
23761 default, way of getting news.
23765 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
23766 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
23771 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
23772 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
23776 A message that has been posted as news.
23779 @cindex mail message
23780 A message that has been mailed.
23784 A mail message or news article
23788 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
23793 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
23798 A line from the head of an article.
23802 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
23803 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
23807 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
23808 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
23809 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
23810 normal @sc{head} format.
23814 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
23815 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
23816 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
23817 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
23818 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
23819 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
23821 @item killed groups
23822 @cindex killed groups
23823 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
23824 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
23826 @item zombie groups
23827 @cindex zombie groups
23828 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
23831 @cindex active file
23832 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
23833 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
23834 is rather large, as you might surmise.
23837 @cindex bogus groups
23838 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
23839 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
23840 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
23843 @cindex activating groups
23844 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
23845 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
23846 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
23850 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
23852 @item select method
23853 @cindex select method
23854 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
23857 @item virtual server
23858 @cindex virtual server
23859 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
23860 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
23861 whole is a virtual server.
23865 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
23866 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
23869 @item ephemeral groups
23870 @cindex ephemeral groups
23871 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
23872 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
23873 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
23876 @cindex solid groups
23877 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
23878 group buffer are solid groups.
23880 @item sparse articles
23881 @cindex sparse articles
23882 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
23883 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
23887 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
23888 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
23892 @cindex thread root
23893 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
23894 articles in the thread.
23898 An article that has responses.
23902 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
23906 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
23907 specified by RFC 1153.
23913 @node Customization
23914 @section Customization
23915 @cindex general customization
23917 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
23918 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
23919 for some quite common situations.
23922 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
23923 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
23924 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
23925 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
23929 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
23930 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
23932 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
23933 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
23934 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
23938 @item gnus-read-active-file
23939 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
23940 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
23941 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
23942 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
23943 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
23945 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
23946 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
23947 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
23948 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
23952 @node Slow Terminal Connection
23953 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
23955 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
23956 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
23957 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
23961 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
23962 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
23963 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
23964 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
23965 horizontal and vertical recentering.
23967 @item gnus-visible-headers
23968 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
23969 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
23970 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
23971 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
23973 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
23975 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
23976 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
23977 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
23980 @item gnus-use-full-window
23981 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
23982 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
23983 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
23984 want to read them anyway.
23986 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
23987 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
23991 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
23992 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
23993 lines, which might save some time.
23997 @node Little Disk Space
23998 @subsection Little Disk Space
24001 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
24002 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
24006 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
24007 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
24008 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
24009 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
24012 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
24013 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
24014 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
24015 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
24018 @item gnus-save-killed-list
24019 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
24020 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
24021 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
24022 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
24028 @subsection Slow Machine
24029 @cindex slow machine
24031 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
24032 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
24034 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
24035 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
24037 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
24038 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
24039 summary buffer faster.
24043 @node Troubleshooting
24044 @section Troubleshooting
24045 @cindex troubleshooting
24047 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
24055 Make sure your computer is switched on.
24058 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
24059 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
24063 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
24064 like @samp{T-gnus 6.15.* (based on Oort Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
24065 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you get
24066 something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some old
24067 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
24070 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
24074 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
24075 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
24076 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
24077 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
24078 something like that.
24081 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
24084 @cindex reporting bugs
24086 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
24088 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
24089 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
24090 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
24091 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
24093 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
24094 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
24095 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
24096 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
24099 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
24100 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
24101 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
24102 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
24103 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
24104 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
24106 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
24107 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
24108 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
24112 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
24113 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
24116 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
24117 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
24118 edebug. Debugging lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
24119 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
24120 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
24121 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
24122 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
24123 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
24124 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
24125 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
24126 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
24127 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
24128 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
24129 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
24134 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate a elisp error but
24135 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
24136 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press C-j when things are
24137 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
24138 helps isolating the real problem areas). A fancier approach is to use
24139 the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is (or should be) fully
24140 documented elsewhere, but to get you started there are a few steps
24141 that need to be followed. First, instrument the part of Gnus you are
24142 interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package RET
24143 gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-packagre RET message}. Then perform
24144 the operation that is slow and press @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will
24145 then see which operations that takes time, and can debug them further.
24146 If the entire operation takes much longer than the time spent in the
24147 slowest function in the profiler output, you probably profiled the
24148 wrong part of Gnus. To reset profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x
24149 elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove
24150 profiling, but given the complexities and dynamic code generation in
24151 Gnus, it might not always work perfectly.
24153 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
24154 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
24156 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
24157 @cindex ding mailing list
24158 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
24159 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
24163 @node Gnus Reference Guide
24164 @section Gnus Reference Guide
24166 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
24167 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
24168 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
24169 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
24172 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
24173 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
24174 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
24175 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
24176 and general methods of operation.
24179 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
24180 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
24181 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
24182 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
24183 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
24184 * Group Info:: The group info format.
24185 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
24186 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
24187 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
24191 @node Gnus Utility Functions
24192 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
24193 @cindex Gnus utility functions
24194 @cindex utility functions
24196 @cindex internal variables
24198 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
24199 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
24200 Below is a list of the most common ones.
24204 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
24205 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
24206 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
24208 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
24209 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
24210 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
24212 @item gnus-group-real-name
24213 @findex gnus-group-real-name
24214 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
24217 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
24218 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
24219 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
24220 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
24222 @item gnus-get-info
24223 @findex gnus-get-info
24224 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
24226 @item gnus-group-unread
24227 @findex gnus-group-unread
24228 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
24232 @findex gnus-active
24233 The active entry for @var{group}.
24235 @item gnus-set-active
24236 @findex gnus-set-active
24237 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
24239 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
24240 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
24241 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
24244 @item gnus-continuum-version
24245 @findex gnus-continuum-version
24246 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
24247 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
24250 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
24251 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
24252 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
24254 @item gnus-news-group-p
24255 @findex gnus-news-group-p
24256 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
24258 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24259 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24260 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
24262 @item gnus-server-to-method
24263 @findex gnus-server-to-method
24264 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
24266 @item gnus-server-equal
24267 @findex gnus-server-equal
24268 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
24270 @item gnus-group-native-p
24271 @findex gnus-group-native-p
24272 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
24274 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
24275 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
24276 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
24278 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
24279 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
24280 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
24282 @item group-group-find-parameter
24283 @findex group-group-find-parameter
24284 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
24285 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
24287 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
24288 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
24289 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
24291 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
24292 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
24293 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
24295 @item gnus-check-backend-function
24296 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
24297 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
24298 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
24301 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
24305 @item gnus-read-method
24306 @findex gnus-read-method
24307 Prompts the user for a select method.
24312 @node Back End Interface
24313 @subsection Back End Interface
24315 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
24316 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
24317 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
24318 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
24319 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
24320 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
24322 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
24323 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
24324 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
24325 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
24326 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
24327 been opened, the function should fail.
24329 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
24330 name. Take this example:
24334 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
24335 (nntp-port-number 4324))
24338 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
24339 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
24341 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
24342 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
24343 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
24345 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
24346 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
24347 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
24349 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
24350 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
24351 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
24352 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
24353 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
24354 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
24357 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
24358 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
24359 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
24360 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
24363 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
24364 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
24365 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
24366 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
24367 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
24368 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
24369 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
24370 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
24371 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
24372 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
24374 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
24375 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
24376 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
24377 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
24378 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
24379 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
24380 of numbers as long as possible.
24382 Note that by convention, backends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
24383 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
24384 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
24386 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
24389 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
24392 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
24393 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
24394 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
24395 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
24396 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
24397 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
24401 @node Required Back End Functions
24402 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
24406 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
24408 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
24409 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
24410 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
24411 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
24413 The result data should either be HEADs or @sc{nov} lines, and the result
24414 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
24415 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
24416 of HEADs and @sc{nov} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
24418 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
24419 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
24420 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
24421 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
24422 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
24423 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
24424 number, do maximum fetches.
24426 Here's an example HEAD:
24429 221 1056 Article retrieved.
24430 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
24431 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
24432 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
24433 Subject: Re: Something very droll
24434 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
24435 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
24437 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
24438 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
24439 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
24443 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
24444 these in the data buffer.
24446 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
24450 head = error / valid-head
24451 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
24452 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
24453 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
24454 header = <text> eol
24457 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
24458 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
24462 nov-buffer = *nov-line
24463 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
24464 field = <text except TAB>
24467 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
24471 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
24473 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
24474 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
24476 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
24477 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
24478 server. In fact, it should do so.
24480 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
24481 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
24484 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
24486 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
24487 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
24490 There should be no data returned.
24493 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
24495 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
24496 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
24497 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
24498 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
24500 There should be no data returned.
24503 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
24505 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
24506 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
24507 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
24508 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
24510 There should be no data returned.
24513 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
24515 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
24517 There should be no data returned.
24520 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
24522 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
24523 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
24524 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
24525 it would be nice if that were possible.
24527 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
24528 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
24529 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
24530 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
24531 into its article buffer.
24533 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
24534 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
24535 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
24536 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
24537 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
24538 on successful article retrieval.
24541 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
24543 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
24544 making @var{group} the current group.
24546 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
24549 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
24552 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
24555 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
24556 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
24557 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
24558 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
24559 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
24560 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
24561 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
24562 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
24563 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
24567 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
24568 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
24569 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
24573 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
24575 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
24576 a no-op on most back ends.
24578 There should be no data returned.
24581 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
24583 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
24586 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
24589 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
24590 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
24593 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
24594 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
24595 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
24596 and the highest as 0.
24599 active-file = *active-line
24600 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
24602 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
24605 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
24606 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
24607 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
24610 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
24612 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
24613 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
24614 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
24615 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
24616 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
24617 clear if the posting could not be completed.
24619 There should be no result data from this function.
24624 @node Optional Back End Functions
24625 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
24629 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
24631 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
24632 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
24633 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
24635 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
24636 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
24637 former is in the same format as the data from
24638 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
24639 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
24642 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
24646 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
24648 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
24649 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
24650 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
24651 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
24652 should return a non-nil value.
24654 There should be no result data from this function.
24657 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
24659 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
24660 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
24661 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
24662 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
24663 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
24664 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
24665 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
24666 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
24668 There should be no result data from this function.
24671 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
24673 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
24674 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
24675 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
24676 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
24677 propagate the mark information to the server.
24679 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
24682 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
24685 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
24686 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
24687 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
24688 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
24689 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
24690 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
24691 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
24692 possible, not limit itself to these.
24694 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
24695 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
24696 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
24697 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
24699 An example action list:
24702 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
24703 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
24704 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
24707 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
24708 mark on (currently not used for anything).
24710 There should be no result data from this function.
24712 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
24714 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
24715 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
24716 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
24717 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
24718 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
24720 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
24721 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
24722 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
24725 There should be no result data from this function.
24728 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
24730 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
24731 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
24732 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
24733 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
24734 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
24735 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
24736 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
24738 There should be no result data from this function.
24741 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
24743 The result data from this function should be a description of
24747 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
24749 description = <text>
24752 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
24754 The result data from this function should be the description of all
24755 groups available on the server.
24758 description-buffer = *description-line
24762 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
24764 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
24765 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
24766 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
24767 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
24768 in the active buffer format.
24770 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
24771 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
24772 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
24773 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
24774 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
24775 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
24776 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
24779 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
24781 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
24783 There should be no return data.
24786 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
24788 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
24789 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
24790 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
24791 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
24792 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
24795 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
24798 There should be no result data returned.
24801 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
24804 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
24805 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
24807 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
24808 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
24809 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
24810 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
24811 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
24812 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
24814 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
24815 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
24818 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
24819 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
24821 The group should exist before the backend is asked to accept the
24822 article for that group.
24824 There should be no data returned.
24827 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
24829 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
24830 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
24831 this function in short order.
24833 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
24834 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
24836 There should be no data returned.
24839 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
24841 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
24842 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
24844 There should be no data returned.
24847 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
24849 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
24850 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
24851 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
24853 There should be no data returned.
24856 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
24858 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
24859 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
24861 There should be no data returned.
24866 @node Error Messaging
24867 @subsubsection Error Messaging
24869 @findex nnheader-report
24870 @findex nnheader-get-report
24871 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
24872 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
24873 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
24874 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
24875 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
24876 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
24879 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
24881 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
24884 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
24885 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
24886 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
24887 takes one argument---the server symbol.
24889 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
24890 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
24891 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
24894 @node Writing New Back Ends
24895 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
24897 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
24898 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
24899 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
24900 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
24901 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
24904 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
24905 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
24906 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
24908 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
24909 package called @code{nnoo}.
24911 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
24912 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
24918 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
24919 parameters. For instance:
24922 (nnoo-declare nndir
24926 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
24927 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
24930 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
24931 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
24932 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
24934 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
24935 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
24936 a function in those back ends.
24939 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
24940 "Where nndir will look for groups."
24941 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
24944 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
24945 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
24946 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
24948 @item nnoo-define-basics
24949 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
24953 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
24957 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
24958 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
24959 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
24961 @item nnoo-map-functions
24962 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
24963 functions from the parent back ends.
24966 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
24967 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
24968 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
24971 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
24972 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
24973 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
24974 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
24977 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
24978 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
24979 haven't already been defined.
24985 nnmh-request-newgroups)
24989 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
24990 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
24991 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
24996 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
24999 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
25000 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
25004 (require 'nnheader)
25008 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
25010 (nnoo-declare nndir
25013 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
25014 "Where nndir will look for groups."
25015 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
25017 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
25018 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
25021 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
25023 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
25024 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
25025 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
25027 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
25028 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
25030 ;;; Interface functions.
25032 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
25034 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
25035 (setq nndir-directory
25036 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
25038 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
25039 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
25040 (push `(nndir-current-group
25041 ,(file-name-nondirectory
25042 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
25044 (push `(nndir-top-directory
25045 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
25047 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
25049 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
25050 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25051 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25052 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
25053 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
25057 nnmh-status-message
25059 nnmh-request-newgroups))
25065 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
25066 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
25068 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
25069 @findex gnus-declare-backend
25070 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
25071 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
25072 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
25074 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
25075 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
25080 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
25083 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
25085 The abilities can be:
25089 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
25091 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
25093 This back end supports both mail and news.
25095 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
25098 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
25099 articles and groups.
25101 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
25102 true for almost all back ends.
25103 @item prompt-address
25104 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
25105 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
25106 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
25110 @node Mail-like Back Ends
25111 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
25113 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
25114 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
25115 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
25116 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
25119 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
25120 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
25121 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
25124 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
25125 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
25128 This function takes four parameters.
25132 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
25135 @item exit-function
25136 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
25138 @item temp-directory
25139 Where the temporary files should be stored.
25142 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
25143 performed for one group only.
25146 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
25147 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
25148 find the article number assigned to this article.
25150 The function also uses the following variables:
25151 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
25152 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
25153 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
25154 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
25158 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
25159 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
25163 @node Score File Syntax
25164 @subsection Score File Syntax
25166 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
25167 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
25168 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
25170 Here's a typical score file:
25174 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
25181 BNF definition of a score file:
25184 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
25185 element = rule / atom
25186 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
25187 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
25188 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
25189 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
25191 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
25192 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
25193 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
25194 date-header = "date"
25195 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25196 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25197 score = "nil" / <integer>
25198 date = "nil" / <natural number>
25199 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
25200 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
25201 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
25202 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
25203 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25204 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25205 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
25206 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25207 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
25208 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
25209 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
25210 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
25211 exclude-files / read-only / touched
25212 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
25213 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
25214 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
25215 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
25216 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
25217 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
25218 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
25219 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
25220 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
25221 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
25222 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
25223 eval = "eval" space <form>
25224 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
25227 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
25230 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
25231 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
25232 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
25233 one looong line, then that's ok.
25235 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
25236 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
25240 @subsection Headers
25242 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
25243 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
25244 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
25245 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
25247 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
25248 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
25249 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
25250 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
25251 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
25252 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
25253 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
25255 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
25256 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
25257 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
25258 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
25259 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
25261 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
25262 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
25268 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
25269 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
25271 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
25272 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
25273 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
25274 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
25276 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
25280 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
25283 is transformed into
25286 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
25289 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
25290 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
25293 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
25296 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
25297 is slightly tricky:
25300 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
25306 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
25309 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
25315 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
25322 and is equal to the previous range.
25324 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
25325 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
25326 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
25330 range = simple-range / normal-range
25331 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
25332 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
25333 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
25334 number *[ " " contents ]
25337 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
25338 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
25339 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
25340 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
25341 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
25346 @subsection Group Info
25348 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
25349 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
25350 describes the group.
25352 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
25353 second is a more complex one:
25356 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
25358 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
25359 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
25361 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
25364 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
25365 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
25366 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
25367 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
25368 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
25369 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
25370 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
25371 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
25372 this section is about.
25374 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
25375 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
25376 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
25378 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
25381 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
25382 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
25383 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25384 group = quote <string> quote
25385 ralevel = rank / level
25386 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25387 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
25388 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25390 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
25391 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
25392 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
25393 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
25396 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
25397 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
25400 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
25401 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
25404 @item gnus-info-group
25405 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
25406 @findex gnus-info-group
25407 @findex gnus-info-set-group
25408 Get/set the group name.
25410 @item gnus-info-rank
25411 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
25412 @findex gnus-info-rank
25413 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
25414 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
25416 @item gnus-info-level
25417 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
25418 @findex gnus-info-level
25419 @findex gnus-info-set-level
25420 Get/set the group level.
25422 @item gnus-info-score
25423 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
25424 @findex gnus-info-score
25425 @findex gnus-info-set-score
25426 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
25428 @item gnus-info-read
25429 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
25430 @findex gnus-info-read
25431 @findex gnus-info-set-read
25432 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
25434 @item gnus-info-marks
25435 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
25436 @findex gnus-info-marks
25437 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
25438 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
25440 @item gnus-info-method
25441 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
25442 @findex gnus-info-method
25443 @findex gnus-info-set-method
25444 Get/set the group select method.
25446 @item gnus-info-params
25447 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
25448 @findex gnus-info-params
25449 @findex gnus-info-set-params
25450 Get/set the group parameters.
25453 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
25454 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
25456 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
25457 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
25458 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
25459 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
25462 @node Extended Interactive
25463 @subsection Extended Interactive
25464 @cindex interactive
25465 @findex gnus-interactive
25467 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
25468 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
25469 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
25472 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
25473 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
25478 The best thing to do would have been to implement
25479 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
25480 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
25481 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
25482 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
25483 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
25484 @code{interactive}.
25486 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
25491 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
25492 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
25496 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
25497 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
25498 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
25501 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
25505 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
25509 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
25515 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
25516 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
25520 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
25521 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
25522 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
25524 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
25525 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
25526 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
25527 Gnus, that's very useful.
25529 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
25530 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
25531 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
25532 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
25533 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
25534 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
25535 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
25536 following function:
25539 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
25543 (,function ,@@args))
25547 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
25548 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
25549 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
25552 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
25553 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
25554 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
25556 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
25557 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
25558 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
25561 @node Various File Formats
25562 @subsection Various File Formats
25565 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
25566 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
25570 @node Active File Format
25571 @subsubsection Active File Format
25573 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
25574 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
25577 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
25580 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
25581 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
25582 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
25583 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
25584 no.general 1000 900 y
25587 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
25590 active = *group-line
25591 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
25592 group = <non-white-space string>
25594 high-number = <non-negative integer>
25595 low-number = <positive integer>
25596 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
25599 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
25600 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
25603 @node Newsgroups File Format
25604 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
25606 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
25607 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
25608 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
25611 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
25612 Here's the definition:
25616 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
25617 group = <non-white-space string>
25619 description = <string>
25624 @node Emacs for Heathens
25625 @section Emacs for Heathens
25627 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
25628 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
25629 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
25630 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
25631 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
25632 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
25633 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
25637 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
25638 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
25643 @subsection Keystrokes
25647 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
25650 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
25653 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
25654 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
25655 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
25656 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
25657 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
25658 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
25660 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
25661 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
25662 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
25663 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
25664 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
25665 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
25666 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
25668 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
25669 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
25670 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
25671 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
25672 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
25673 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
25674 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
25676 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
25677 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
25678 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
25679 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
25680 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
25686 @subsection Emacs Lisp
25688 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
25689 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
25690 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
25691 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
25693 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
25694 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
25695 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
25696 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
25697 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
25698 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
25699 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
25702 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
25703 write the following:
25706 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
25709 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
25710 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
25711 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
25714 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
25715 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
25716 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
25717 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
25718 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
25720 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
25721 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
25722 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
25726 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
25730 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
25733 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
25734 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
25737 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
25740 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
25741 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
25744 @include gnus-faq.texi
25764 @c Local Variables:
25766 @c coding: iso-8859-1
25768 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
25769 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
25770 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
25771 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
25772 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref