4 @settitle T-gnus 6.17 Manual
9 @documentencoding ISO-8859-1
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335 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
340 @setchapternewpage odd
345 @title T-gnus 6.17 Manual
347 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
349 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
355 @top The gnus Newsreader
359 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using T-gnus. The news
360 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
361 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
364 T-gnus provides @acronym{MIME} features based on @acronym{SEMI} API. So
365 T-gnus supports your right to read strange messages including big images
366 or other various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
367 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
368 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities. Oh,
369 if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
371 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.17.
382 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
383 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
385 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
386 being accused of plagiarism:
388 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
389 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
390 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
391 can even read news with it!
393 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
394 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
395 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
396 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
397 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
403 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
404 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
405 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
406 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
407 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
408 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
409 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
410 * Various:: General purpose settings.
411 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
412 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
413 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
414 * Key Index:: Key Index.
416 Other related manuals
418 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
419 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
420 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
421 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
422 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
425 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
429 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
430 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
431 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
432 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
433 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
434 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
435 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
436 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
437 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
438 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
439 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
443 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
444 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
445 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
449 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
450 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
451 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
452 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
453 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
454 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
455 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
456 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
457 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
458 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
459 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
460 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
461 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
462 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
463 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
464 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
465 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
469 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
470 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
471 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
475 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
476 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
477 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
478 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
479 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
483 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
484 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
485 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
486 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
487 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
491 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
492 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
493 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
494 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
495 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
496 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
497 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
498 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
499 * Threading:: How threads are made.
500 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
501 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
502 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
503 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
504 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
505 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
506 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
507 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
508 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
509 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
510 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
511 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
512 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
513 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
514 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
515 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
516 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
517 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
518 or reselecting the current group.
519 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
520 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
521 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
522 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
524 Summary Buffer Format
526 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
527 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
528 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
529 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
533 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
534 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
536 Reply, Followup and Post
538 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
539 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
540 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
541 * Canceling and Superseding::
545 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
546 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
547 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
548 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
549 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
550 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
554 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
555 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
557 Customizing Threading
559 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
560 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
561 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
562 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
566 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
567 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
568 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
569 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
570 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
571 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
575 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
576 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
577 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
581 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
582 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
583 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
584 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
585 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
586 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
587 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
588 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
589 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
590 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
591 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
593 Alternative Approaches
595 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
596 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
598 Various Summary Stuff
600 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
601 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
602 * Summary Generation Commands::
603 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
607 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
608 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
609 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
610 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
611 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
615 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
616 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
617 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
618 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
619 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
620 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
621 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
622 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
623 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
627 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
628 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
629 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
630 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
631 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
632 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
633 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
634 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
638 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
639 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
640 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
641 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
642 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
643 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
644 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
648 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
649 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
653 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
654 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
655 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
656 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
660 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
661 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
662 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
663 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
664 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
665 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
666 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
667 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
668 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
669 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
670 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
671 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
672 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
676 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
677 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
678 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
680 Choosing a Mail Back End
682 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
683 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
684 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
685 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
686 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
687 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
688 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
693 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
694 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
695 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
696 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
697 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
698 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
702 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
703 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
704 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
705 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
706 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
707 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
711 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
712 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
713 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
714 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
715 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
719 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
723 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
724 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
725 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
729 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
730 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
734 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
735 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
736 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
737 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
738 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
739 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
740 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
741 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
742 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
743 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
744 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
745 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
746 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
750 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
751 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
752 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
756 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
757 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
758 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
762 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
763 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
764 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
765 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
766 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
767 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
768 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
769 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
770 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
771 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
772 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
773 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
774 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
775 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
776 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
777 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
781 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
782 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
783 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
787 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
788 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
789 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
790 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
791 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
792 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
793 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
794 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
795 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
796 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
797 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
798 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
799 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
800 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
801 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
802 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
803 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
804 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
805 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
806 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
810 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
811 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
812 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
813 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
814 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
815 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
816 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
817 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
821 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
822 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
823 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
824 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
825 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
829 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
830 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
831 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
832 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
833 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
834 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
836 Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
838 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
839 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
840 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
841 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
842 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
844 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
845 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
847 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
849 * SpamAssassin back end::
850 * ifile spam filtering::
851 * spam-stat spam filtering::
853 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
855 Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
857 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
858 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
859 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
863 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
864 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
865 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
866 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
867 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
868 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
869 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
870 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
871 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
875 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
876 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
877 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
878 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
879 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
880 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
881 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
882 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
883 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
887 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
888 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
889 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
890 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
891 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
892 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
893 * No Gnus:: Lars, FIXME!
897 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
898 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
899 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
900 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
904 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
905 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
906 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
907 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
908 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
909 * Group Info:: The group info format.
910 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
911 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
912 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
916 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
917 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
918 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
919 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
920 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
921 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
925 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
926 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
930 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
931 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
937 @chapter Starting gnus
942 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
943 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
946 @findex gnus-other-frame
947 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
948 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
949 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
951 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
952 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
953 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
955 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
956 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
959 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
960 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
961 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
962 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
963 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
964 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
965 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
966 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
967 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
968 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
969 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
973 @node Finding the News
974 @section Finding the News
977 @vindex gnus-select-method
979 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
980 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
981 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
982 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
985 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
986 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
989 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
992 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
995 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
998 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
999 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1000 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1002 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1004 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1005 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
1006 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1007 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1008 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1009 If that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1010 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1012 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1013 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1014 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1015 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1017 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1018 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1019 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1020 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1021 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
1022 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1023 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1024 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1025 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1028 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1030 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1031 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1032 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1033 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1034 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1035 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1037 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1039 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1040 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1041 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1042 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1043 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1044 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1047 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1048 you would typically set this variable to
1051 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1054 Note: the @acronym{NNTP} back end stores marks in marks files
1055 (@pxref{NNTP marks}). This feature makes it easy to share marks between
1056 several Gnus installations, but may slow down things a bit when fetching
1057 new articles. @xref{NNTP marks}, for more information.
1060 @node The First Time
1061 @section The First Time
1062 @cindex first time usage
1064 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1065 be subscribed by default.
1067 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1068 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1069 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1070 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1073 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1074 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1075 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1077 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1078 help you with most common problems.
1080 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1081 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1085 @node The Server is Down
1086 @section The Server is Down
1087 @cindex server errors
1089 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1090 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1091 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1093 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1094 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1095 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1096 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1097 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1098 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1099 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1101 @findex gnus-no-server
1102 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1104 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1105 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1106 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1107 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1108 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1109 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1110 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1114 @section Slave Gnusae
1117 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1118 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1119 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1120 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1122 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1123 @file{.newsrc} file.
1125 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1126 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1127 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1128 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1129 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1130 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1131 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1134 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1135 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1136 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1137 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1138 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1139 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1140 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1141 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1143 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1144 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1146 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1147 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1148 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1149 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1150 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1152 @node Fetching a Group
1153 @section Fetching a Group
1154 @cindex fetching a group
1156 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1157 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1158 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1159 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1160 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1161 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1167 @cindex subscription
1169 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1170 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1171 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1172 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1173 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1174 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1175 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1176 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1177 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1180 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1181 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1182 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1186 @node Checking New Groups
1187 @subsection Checking New Groups
1189 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1190 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1191 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1192 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1193 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1194 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1195 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1196 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1197 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1198 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1200 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1201 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1202 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1203 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1204 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1205 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1206 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1207 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1208 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1209 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1210 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1212 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1213 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1214 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1215 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1216 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1217 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1220 @node Subscription Methods
1221 @subsection Subscription Methods
1223 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1224 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1225 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1227 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1228 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1230 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1234 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1235 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1236 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1237 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1238 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1240 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1241 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1242 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1243 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1245 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1246 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1247 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1249 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1250 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1251 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1252 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1253 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1254 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1255 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1256 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1257 up. Or something like that.
1259 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1260 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1261 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1262 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1263 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1265 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1266 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1267 Kill all new groups.
1269 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1270 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1271 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1272 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1273 topic parameter that looks like
1279 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1282 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1287 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1288 A closely related variable is
1289 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1290 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1291 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1292 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1295 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1296 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1297 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1298 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1301 @node Filtering New Groups
1302 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1304 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1305 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1306 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1309 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1312 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1313 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1314 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1315 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1316 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1317 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1318 subscribing these groups.
1319 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1320 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1322 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1323 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1324 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1325 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1326 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1327 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1328 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1329 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1331 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1332 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1333 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1334 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1335 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1336 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1337 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1338 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1339 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1340 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1343 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1344 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1347 @node Changing Servers
1348 @section Changing Servers
1349 @cindex changing servers
1351 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1352 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1353 very flaky and you want to use another.
1355 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1356 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1360 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1361 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1362 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1363 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1366 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1367 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1368 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1369 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1371 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1372 @findex gnus-change-server
1373 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1374 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1375 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1376 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1377 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1379 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1380 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1381 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1382 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1383 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1385 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1386 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1387 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1388 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1389 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1390 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1392 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1393 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1394 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1395 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1397 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1398 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1399 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1400 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1401 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1402 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1403 cache for all groups).
1407 @section Startup Files
1408 @cindex startup files
1413 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1414 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1416 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1417 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1418 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1419 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1420 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1421 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1422 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1424 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1425 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1426 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1427 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1428 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1429 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1431 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1432 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1433 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1434 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1435 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1436 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1437 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1438 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1439 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1440 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1442 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1443 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1444 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1445 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1446 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1447 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1448 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1449 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1450 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1451 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1452 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1453 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1455 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1456 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1457 @vindex version-control
1458 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1459 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1460 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1461 If you want version control for this file, set
1462 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1463 @code{version-control} variable.
1465 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1466 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1467 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1468 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1469 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1470 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1471 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1472 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1473 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1474 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1477 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1478 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1480 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1481 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1484 @vindex gnus-init-file
1485 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1486 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1487 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1488 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1489 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1490 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1491 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1492 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1493 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1494 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1500 @cindex dribble file
1503 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1504 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1505 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1506 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1507 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1510 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1511 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1514 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1515 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1516 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1518 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1519 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1520 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1521 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1522 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1523 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1525 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1526 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1527 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1530 @node The Active File
1531 @section The Active File
1533 @cindex ignored groups
1535 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1536 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1537 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1539 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1540 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1541 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1542 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1543 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1544 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1545 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1548 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1549 @c if you set it to anything else.
1551 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1553 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1554 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1555 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1557 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1558 you actually subscribe to.
1560 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1561 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1562 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1563 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1565 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1566 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1567 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1568 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1569 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1570 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1572 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1573 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1574 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1577 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1578 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1579 @acronym{NNTP} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1580 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1581 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1582 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1584 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1585 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1587 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1588 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1590 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1591 secondary select methods.
1594 @node Startup Variables
1595 @section Startup Variables
1599 @item gnus-load-hook
1600 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1601 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1602 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1603 times you start gnus.
1605 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1606 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1607 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1609 @item gnus-startup-hook
1610 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1611 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1613 @item gnus-started-hook
1614 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1615 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1618 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1619 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1620 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1621 generating the group buffer.
1623 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1624 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1625 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1626 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1627 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1628 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1629 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1630 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1632 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1633 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1634 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1635 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1636 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1637 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1639 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1640 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1641 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1643 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1644 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1645 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1647 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1648 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1649 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1650 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1656 @chapter Group Buffer
1657 @cindex group buffer
1659 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1661 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1662 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1663 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1664 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1665 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1666 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1667 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1668 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1669 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1670 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1671 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1672 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1673 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1674 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1675 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1676 @c human rights at 9...
1679 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1680 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1681 long as gnus is active.
1685 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1686 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1687 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1688 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1689 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1690 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1691 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1692 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1698 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1699 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1700 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1701 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1702 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1703 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1704 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1705 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1706 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1707 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1708 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1709 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1710 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1711 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1712 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1713 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1714 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1718 @node Group Buffer Format
1719 @section Group Buffer Format
1722 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1723 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1724 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1728 @node Group Line Specification
1729 @subsection Group Line Specification
1730 @cindex group buffer format
1732 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1733 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1735 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1738 25: news.announce.newusers
1739 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1744 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1745 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1746 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1747 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1749 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1750 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1751 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1752 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1753 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1754 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1756 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1758 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1759 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1760 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1761 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1762 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1764 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1765 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1766 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1768 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1773 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1776 Whether the group is subscribed.
1779 Level of subscribedness.
1782 Number of unread articles.
1785 Number of dormant articles.
1788 Number of ticked articles.
1791 Number of read articles.
1794 Number of unseen articles.
1797 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1798 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1800 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1801 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1802 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1803 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1804 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1805 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1806 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1807 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1810 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1813 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1822 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1823 comment element in the group parameters.
1826 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1827 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1828 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1832 @samp{m} if moderated.
1835 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1841 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1847 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1851 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1854 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1855 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1856 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1857 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1858 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1861 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1863 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1867 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1870 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1874 The disk space used by the articles fetched by both the cache and
1875 agent. The value is automatically scaled to bytes(B), kilobytes(K),
1876 megabytes(M), or gigabytes(G) to minimize the column width. A format
1877 of %7F is sufficient for a fixed-width column.
1880 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1881 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1882 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1883 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1884 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1885 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1890 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1891 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1892 group, or a bogus native group.
1895 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1896 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1897 @cindex group mode line
1899 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1900 The mode line can be changed by setting
1901 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1902 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1906 The native news server.
1908 The native select method.
1912 @node Group Highlighting
1913 @subsection Group Highlighting
1914 @cindex highlighting
1915 @cindex group highlighting
1917 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1918 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1919 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1920 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1921 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1923 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1927 (cond (window-system
1928 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1929 (defface my-group-face-1
1930 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1931 (defface my-group-face-2
1932 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1933 "Second group face")
1934 (defface my-group-face-3
1935 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1936 (defface my-group-face-4
1937 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1938 (defface my-group-face-5
1939 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1941 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1942 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1943 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1944 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1945 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1946 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1949 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1951 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1958 The number of unread articles in the group.
1962 Whether the group is a mail group.
1964 The level of the group.
1966 The score of the group.
1968 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1970 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1971 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1973 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1974 topic being inserted.
1977 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1978 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1979 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1981 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1982 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1983 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1984 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1985 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1988 @node Group Maneuvering
1989 @section Group Maneuvering
1990 @cindex group movement
1992 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1993 expected, hopefully.
1999 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
2000 Go to the next group that has unread articles
2001 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2007 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2008 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2009 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2013 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2014 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2018 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2019 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2023 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2024 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2025 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2029 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2030 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2031 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2034 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2040 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2041 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2042 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2047 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2048 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2049 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2053 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2054 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2055 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2058 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2059 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2060 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2061 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2065 @node Selecting a Group
2066 @section Selecting a Group
2067 @cindex group selection
2072 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2073 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2074 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2075 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2076 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2077 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2078 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2079 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2080 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2081 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2083 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2084 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2085 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2087 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2088 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2093 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2094 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2095 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2096 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2097 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2101 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2102 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2103 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2104 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2105 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2106 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2107 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2108 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2109 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2110 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2113 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2114 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2115 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2116 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2117 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2120 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2121 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2122 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2123 doing any processing of its contents
2124 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2125 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2126 manner will have no permanent effects.
2130 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2131 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2132 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2133 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2134 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2135 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2136 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2137 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2138 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2139 most recently will be fetched.
2141 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2142 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2143 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2146 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2147 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2148 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2149 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2150 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2151 Which article this is is controlled by the
2152 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2158 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2161 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2164 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2166 @item unseen-or-unread
2167 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2168 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2172 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2176 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2177 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2179 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2180 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2181 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2182 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2186 @node Subscription Commands
2187 @section Subscription Commands
2188 @cindex subscription
2196 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2197 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2198 Toggle subscription to the current group
2199 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2205 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2206 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2207 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2208 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2214 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2215 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2216 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2222 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2223 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2226 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2227 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2228 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2229 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2230 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2236 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2237 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2241 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2242 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2245 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2246 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2247 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2248 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2249 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2250 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2251 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2252 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2253 @file{.newsrc} file.
2257 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2267 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2268 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2269 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2270 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2271 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2272 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2277 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2278 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2279 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2283 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2284 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2285 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2287 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2288 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2289 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2290 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2291 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2292 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2299 @section Group Levels
2303 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2304 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2305 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2306 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2307 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2309 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2315 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2316 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2317 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2318 prompted for a level.
2321 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2322 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2323 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2324 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2325 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2326 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2327 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2328 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2329 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2330 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2331 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2332 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2333 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2334 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2335 reasons of efficiency.
2337 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2338 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2340 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2341 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2342 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2343 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2344 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2345 groups are hidden, in a way.
2347 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2348 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2349 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2350 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2351 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2352 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2354 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2355 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2356 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2357 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2358 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2359 list of killed groups.)
2361 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2362 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2363 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2365 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2366 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2367 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2368 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2369 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2370 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2371 relevant valid ranges.
2373 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2374 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2375 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2376 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2377 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2378 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2381 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2382 one with the best level.
2384 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2385 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2386 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2389 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2390 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2391 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2392 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2395 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2396 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2397 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2398 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2400 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2401 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2402 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2403 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2404 to 5. The default is 6.
2408 @section Group Score
2413 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2414 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2415 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2418 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2419 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2420 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2421 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2422 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2423 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2424 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2425 least significant part.))
2427 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2428 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2429 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2430 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2431 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2432 action after each summary exit, you can add
2433 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2434 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2435 slow things down somewhat.
2438 @node Marking Groups
2439 @section Marking Groups
2440 @cindex marking groups
2442 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2443 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2444 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2445 bidding on those groups.
2447 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2448 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2449 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2457 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2458 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2464 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2465 Remove the mark from the current group
2466 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2470 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2471 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2475 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2476 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2480 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2481 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2485 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2486 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2487 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2490 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2492 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2493 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2494 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2495 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2496 the command to be executed.
2499 @node Foreign Groups
2500 @section Foreign Groups
2501 @cindex foreign groups
2503 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2504 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2505 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2506 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2513 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2514 @cindex making groups
2515 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2516 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2517 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2521 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2522 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2523 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2527 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2528 @cindex renaming groups
2529 Rename the current group to something else
2530 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2531 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2537 @findex gnus-group-customize
2538 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2542 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2543 @cindex renaming groups
2544 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2545 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2549 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2550 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2551 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2555 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2556 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2557 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2561 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2563 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2564 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2569 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2570 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2574 @cindex (ding) archive
2575 @cindex archive group
2576 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2577 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2578 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2579 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2580 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2581 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2582 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2586 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2588 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2589 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2590 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2591 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2595 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2597 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2598 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2599 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2603 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2604 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2606 Make a group based on some file or other
2607 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2608 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2609 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2610 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2611 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2612 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2613 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2614 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2615 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2619 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2620 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2621 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2622 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2626 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2630 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2631 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2632 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2633 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2634 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2635 @xref{Web Searches}.
2637 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2638 to a particular group by using a match string like
2639 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2643 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2644 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2645 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2649 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2650 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2651 This function will delete the current group
2652 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2653 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2654 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2655 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2656 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2660 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2661 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2662 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2666 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2667 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2668 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2671 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2674 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2675 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2676 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2677 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2678 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2679 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2683 @node Group Parameters
2684 @section Group Parameters
2685 @cindex group parameters
2687 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2688 Here's an example group parameter list:
2691 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2695 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2696 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2697 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2698 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2700 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2701 is an alist of regexps and values.
2703 The following group parameters can be used:
2708 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2711 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2714 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2715 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2716 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2717 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2718 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2720 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2721 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2722 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2723 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2724 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2725 list address instead.
2727 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2731 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2734 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2737 It is totally ignored
2738 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2739 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2741 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2742 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2743 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2744 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2745 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2747 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2748 @cindex mail list groups
2749 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2750 entering summary buffer.
2752 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2757 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2758 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2759 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2760 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2761 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2762 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2763 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2764 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2767 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2768 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2771 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2772 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2776 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2777 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2778 of whether it has any unread articles.
2780 @item broken-reply-to
2781 @cindex broken-reply-to
2782 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2783 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2784 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2785 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2786 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2787 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2791 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2792 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2796 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2797 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2798 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2803 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2804 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2805 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2806 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2807 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2808 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2809 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2811 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2812 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2813 doesn't accept articles.
2817 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2818 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2819 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2821 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2824 @cindex total-expire
2825 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2826 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2827 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2828 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2831 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2835 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2836 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2837 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2838 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2839 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2840 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2841 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2844 @cindex expiry-target
2845 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2846 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2849 @cindex score file group parameter
2850 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2851 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2852 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2855 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2856 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2857 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2858 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2861 @cindex admin-address
2862 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2863 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2864 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2865 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2869 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2870 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2874 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2877 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2878 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2881 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2885 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2887 Here are some examples:
2891 Display only unread articles.
2894 Display everything except expirable articles.
2896 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2897 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2901 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2902 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2903 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2904 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2905 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2909 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2910 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2911 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2915 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2916 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2917 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2921 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2922 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2923 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2925 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2927 @item ignored-charsets
2928 @cindex ignored-charset
2929 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2930 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2931 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2933 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2936 @cindex posting-style
2937 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2938 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2939 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2940 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2941 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2943 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2944 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2945 like this in the group parameters:
2950 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2951 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2956 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2957 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2961 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
2962 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
2963 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2964 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2965 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2969 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2970 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2971 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2972 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2974 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
2975 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2976 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2977 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2980 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2981 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2985 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
2986 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
2988 @item (agent parameters)
2989 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of the its parameters
2990 to control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
2991 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
2992 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
2993 minimize the configuration effort.
2995 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2996 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2997 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2998 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2999 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3000 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3001 @code{eval}ed there.
3003 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer.
3004 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3005 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3006 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3007 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3008 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3009 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3010 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3013 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3016 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3017 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3018 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3021 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3024 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3025 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3026 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3027 into the group parameters for the group.
3029 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function. If you want to
3030 hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put something like
3031 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group.
3032 @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the (meaningless) result of the
3035 Alternatively, since the VARIABLE becomes local to the group, this
3036 pattern can be used to temporarily change a hook. For example, if the
3037 following is added to a group parameter
3040 (gnus-summary-prepared-hook
3041 '(lambda nil (local-set-key "d" (local-key-binding "n"))))
3044 when the group is entered, the 'd' key will not mark the article as
3049 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
3050 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
3051 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
3052 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
3053 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
3055 @vindex gnus-parameters
3056 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3057 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
3061 (setq gnus-parameters
3063 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3064 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3065 (gnus-summary-line-format
3066 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3070 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3074 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3078 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3081 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3082 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3085 @node Listing Groups
3086 @section Listing Groups
3087 @cindex group listing
3089 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3097 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3098 List all groups that have unread articles
3099 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3100 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3101 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3102 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3109 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3110 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3111 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3112 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3113 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3114 unsubscribed groups).
3118 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3119 List all unread groups on a specific level
3120 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3121 with no unread articles.
3125 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3126 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3127 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3128 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3133 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3134 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3138 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3139 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3140 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3144 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3145 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3149 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3150 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3151 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3152 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3153 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3154 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3155 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3156 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3160 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3161 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3162 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3166 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3167 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3168 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3172 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3173 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3177 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3178 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3182 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3183 List groups limited within the current selection
3184 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3188 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3189 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3193 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3194 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3198 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3199 @cindex visible group parameter
3200 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3201 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3202 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3203 get the same effect.
3205 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3206 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3207 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3208 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3209 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3212 @node Sorting Groups
3213 @section Sorting Groups
3214 @cindex sorting groups
3216 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3217 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3218 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3219 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3220 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3221 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3226 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3227 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3228 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3230 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3231 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3232 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3234 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3235 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3236 Sort by group level.
3238 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3239 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3240 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3242 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3243 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3244 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3245 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3247 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3248 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3249 Sort by number of unread articles.
3251 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3252 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3253 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3255 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3256 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3257 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3262 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3263 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3267 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3268 some sorting criteria:
3272 @kindex G S a (Group)
3273 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3274 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3275 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3278 @kindex G S u (Group)
3279 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3280 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3281 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3284 @kindex G S l (Group)
3285 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3286 Sort the group buffer by group level
3287 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3290 @kindex G S v (Group)
3291 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3292 Sort the group buffer by group score
3293 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3296 @kindex G S r (Group)
3297 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3298 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3299 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3302 @kindex G S m (Group)
3303 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3304 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3305 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3308 @kindex G S n (Group)
3309 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3310 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3311 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3315 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3316 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3318 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3319 commands will sort in reverse order.
3321 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3325 @kindex G P a (Group)
3326 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3327 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3328 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3331 @kindex G P u (Group)
3332 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3333 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3334 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3337 @kindex G P l (Group)
3338 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3339 Sort the groups by group level
3340 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3343 @kindex G P v (Group)
3344 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3345 Sort the groups by group score
3346 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3349 @kindex G P r (Group)
3350 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3351 Sort the groups by group rank
3352 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3355 @kindex G P m (Group)
3356 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3357 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3358 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3361 @kindex G P n (Group)
3362 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3363 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3364 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3367 @kindex G P s (Group)
3368 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3369 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3373 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3377 @node Group Maintenance
3378 @section Group Maintenance
3379 @cindex bogus groups
3384 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3385 Find bogus groups and delete them
3386 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3390 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3391 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3392 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3393 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3394 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3398 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3399 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3400 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3401 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3402 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3403 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3406 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3407 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3408 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3409 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3414 @node Browse Foreign Server
3415 @section Browse Foreign Server
3416 @cindex foreign servers
3417 @cindex browsing servers
3422 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3423 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3424 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3425 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3428 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3429 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3430 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3431 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3433 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3438 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3439 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3443 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3444 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3447 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3448 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3449 Enter the current group and display the first article
3450 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3453 @kindex RET (Browse)
3454 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3455 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3459 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3460 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3461 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3467 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3468 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3472 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3473 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3477 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3478 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3479 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3484 @section Exiting gnus
3485 @cindex exiting gnus
3487 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3492 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3493 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3494 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3495 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3499 @findex gnus-group-exit
3500 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3501 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3505 @findex gnus-group-quit
3506 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3507 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3510 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3511 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3512 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3513 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3514 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3515 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3521 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3522 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3523 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3529 @section Group Topics
3532 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3533 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3534 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3535 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3536 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3537 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3541 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3542 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3553 2: alt.religion.emacs
3556 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3558 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3559 13: comp.sources.unix
3562 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3564 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3565 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3566 is a toggling command.)
3568 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3569 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3570 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3571 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3574 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3575 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3576 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3579 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3583 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3584 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3585 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3586 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3587 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3591 @node Topic Commands
3592 @subsection Topic Commands
3593 @cindex topic commands
3595 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3596 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3597 definitions slightly.
3599 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3600 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3601 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3602 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3603 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3604 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3606 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3613 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3614 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3615 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3619 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3621 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3622 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3623 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3624 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3627 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3628 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3629 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3630 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3634 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3635 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3636 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3637 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3643 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3644 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3645 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3649 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3650 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3651 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3654 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3655 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3656 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3657 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3658 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3660 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3661 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3665 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3666 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3673 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3675 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3676 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3677 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3678 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3679 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3680 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3684 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3690 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3691 Move the current group to some other topic
3692 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3693 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3697 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3698 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3702 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3703 Copy the current group to some other topic
3704 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3705 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3709 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3710 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3711 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3715 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3716 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3717 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3721 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3722 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3723 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3724 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3725 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3726 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3727 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3730 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3731 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3735 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3736 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3737 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3741 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3742 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3743 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3747 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3748 Toggle hiding empty topics
3749 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3753 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3754 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3755 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3756 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3759 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3760 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3761 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3762 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3763 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3766 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3767 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3768 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3769 expiry process (if any)
3770 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3774 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3775 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3778 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3779 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3780 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3784 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3785 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3786 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3789 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3790 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3791 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3794 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3795 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3796 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3800 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3801 @cindex group parameters
3802 @cindex topic parameters
3804 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3805 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3810 @node Topic Variables
3811 @subsection Topic Variables
3812 @cindex topic variables
3814 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3815 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3817 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3818 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3819 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3832 Number of groups in the topic.
3834 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3836 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3839 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3840 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3841 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3844 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3845 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3847 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3848 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3849 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3853 @subsection Topic Sorting
3854 @cindex topic sorting
3856 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3862 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3863 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3864 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3865 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3868 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3869 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3870 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3871 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3874 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3875 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3876 Sort the current topic by group level
3877 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3880 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3881 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3882 Sort the current topic by group score
3883 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3886 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3887 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3888 Sort the current topic by group rank
3889 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3892 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3893 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3894 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3895 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3898 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3899 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3900 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3901 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3904 @kindex T S s (Topic)
3905 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3906 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3907 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3908 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3912 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3913 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3917 @node Topic Topology
3918 @subsection Topic Topology
3919 @cindex topic topology
3922 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3929 2: alt.religion.emacs
3932 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3934 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3935 13: comp.sources.unix
3939 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3940 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3941 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3946 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3947 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3951 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3952 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3953 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3954 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3955 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3956 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3958 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3959 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3960 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3963 @node Topic Parameters
3964 @subsection Topic Parameters
3965 @cindex topic parameters
3967 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
3968 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
3969 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
3970 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
3971 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
3973 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3978 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3979 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3980 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3983 @item subscribe-level
3984 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3985 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3986 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3990 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3991 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3992 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3993 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
4000 2: alt.religion.emacs
4004 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4006 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4007 13: comp.sources.unix
4012 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4013 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4014 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4015 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4016 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4017 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4019 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4020 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4021 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4022 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4023 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4025 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4026 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4027 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4028 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4029 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4030 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4031 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4032 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4035 @node Misc Group Stuff
4036 @section Misc Group Stuff
4039 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
4040 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
4041 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
4042 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
4043 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
4050 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
4051 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
4052 @xref{Server Buffer}.
4056 @findex gnus-group-post-news
4057 Start composing a message (a news by default)
4058 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
4059 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4060 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4061 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4062 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4066 @findex gnus-group-mail
4067 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4068 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4069 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4070 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4074 @findex gnus-group-news
4075 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4076 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4077 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4079 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4080 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4081 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4082 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4083 for this to work though.
4087 Variables for the group buffer:
4091 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4092 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4093 is called after the group buffer has been
4096 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4097 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4098 is called after the group buffer is
4099 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4102 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4103 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4104 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4105 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4107 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4108 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4109 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4110 whether they are empty or not.
4112 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4113 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4114 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4115 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4119 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4120 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4123 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4124 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4125 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4126 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4127 is used to show non-@acronym{ASCII} group names. @code{((".*"
4128 utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the
4129 default is @code{nil}.
4133 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4134 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4139 @node Scanning New Messages
4140 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4141 @cindex new messages
4142 @cindex scanning new news
4148 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4149 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4150 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4151 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4152 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4153 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4158 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4159 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4160 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4161 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4162 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4163 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4164 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4166 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4167 @cindex activating groups
4169 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4170 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4175 @findex gnus-group-restart
4176 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4177 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4178 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
4182 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4183 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4185 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4186 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4190 @node Group Information
4191 @subsection Group Information
4192 @cindex group information
4193 @cindex information on groups
4200 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4201 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4204 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
4205 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
4206 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
4207 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
4208 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4209 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
4210 used for fetching the file.
4212 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
4213 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4217 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4218 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4220 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4221 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4224 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4225 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4226 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4230 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4231 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4232 @cindex control message
4233 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4234 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4235 group if given a prefix argument.
4237 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4238 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4239 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4240 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4242 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4243 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
4244 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
4248 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4250 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4251 @cindex describing groups
4252 @cindex group description
4253 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4254 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4255 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4259 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4260 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4261 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4268 @findex gnus-version
4269 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4273 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4274 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4277 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4280 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4281 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4285 @node Group Timestamp
4286 @subsection Group Timestamp
4288 @cindex group timestamps
4290 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
4291 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4292 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4295 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4298 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4300 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4301 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4304 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4305 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4308 This will result in lines looking like:
4311 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4312 0: custom 19961002T012713
4315 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4316 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4320 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4321 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4324 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4325 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4329 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4330 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4331 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4332 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4334 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4340 @subsection File Commands
4341 @cindex file commands
4347 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4348 @vindex gnus-init-file
4349 @cindex reading init file
4350 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4351 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4355 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4356 @cindex saving .newsrc
4357 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4358 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4359 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4362 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4363 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4364 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4369 @node Sieve Commands
4370 @subsection Sieve Commands
4371 @cindex group sieve commands
4373 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4374 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4375 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4376 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4377 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4379 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4380 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4381 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4382 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4383 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4384 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4385 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4386 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4387 regenerate the Sieve script.
4389 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4390 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4391 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4392 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4393 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4394 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4395 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4396 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4397 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4398 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4401 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4402 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4407 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4413 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4414 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4415 @cindex generating sieve script
4416 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4417 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4421 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4422 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4423 @cindex updating sieve script
4424 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4425 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4426 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4431 @node Summary Buffer
4432 @chapter Summary Buffer
4433 @cindex summary buffer
4435 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4436 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4438 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4439 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4441 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4444 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4445 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4446 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4447 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4448 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4449 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4450 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4451 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4452 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4453 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4454 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4455 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4456 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4457 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4458 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4459 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4460 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4461 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4462 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4463 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4464 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4465 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4466 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4467 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4468 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4469 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4470 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4471 or reselecting the current group.
4472 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4473 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4474 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4475 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4479 @node Summary Buffer Format
4480 @section Summary Buffer Format
4481 @cindex summary buffer format
4485 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4486 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4487 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4493 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4494 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4495 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4496 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4499 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4500 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4501 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4502 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4503 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4504 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4505 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4506 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4507 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4508 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4509 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4510 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4511 other function instead:
4514 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4515 'mail-extract-address-components)
4518 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4519 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4520 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4521 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4524 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4525 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4527 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4528 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4529 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4530 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4531 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4533 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4534 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4535 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4536 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4537 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4538 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4540 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4542 The following format specification characters and extended format
4543 specification(s) are understood:
4549 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4550 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4552 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4553 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4554 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4556 Full @code{From} header.
4558 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4560 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4563 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4564 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4565 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4566 may be more thorough.
4568 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4571 Number of lines in the article.
4573 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4574 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4576 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4577 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4579 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4581 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4582 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4595 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4596 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4597 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4598 line-drawing glyphs.
4600 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4601 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4602 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4603 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4605 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4606 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4607 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4608 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4610 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4611 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4612 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4613 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4615 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4616 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4617 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4619 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4620 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4621 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4623 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4624 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4625 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4627 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4628 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4629 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4634 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4635 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4637 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4638 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4640 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4641 for adopted articles.
4643 One space for each thread level.
4645 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4647 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4650 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4651 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4652 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4655 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4657 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4658 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4659 default level. If the difference between
4660 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4661 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4669 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4671 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4677 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4678 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4680 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4681 article has any children.
4687 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4688 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4690 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4691 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4692 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
4693 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4694 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4695 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4698 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4699 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4700 There can only be one such area.
4702 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4703 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4704 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4705 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4706 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4707 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4709 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4710 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4712 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4715 @node To From Newsgroups
4716 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4720 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4721 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4722 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4723 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4724 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4728 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4729 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4730 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4734 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4735 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4738 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4739 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4742 @findex gnus-extra-header
4743 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4744 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4745 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4748 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4752 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4753 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4754 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4755 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4756 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4757 headers are used instead.
4761 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4762 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4763 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
4764 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4765 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4766 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4769 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4770 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4771 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4772 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4774 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4778 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4780 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4781 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4782 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4783 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4787 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4790 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4791 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4794 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4795 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4796 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4802 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4803 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4806 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4807 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4809 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4810 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4811 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4812 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4814 Here are the elements you can play with:
4820 Unprefixed group name.
4822 Current article number.
4824 Current article score.
4828 Number of unread articles in this group.
4830 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4833 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4834 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4835 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4836 and no unselected ones.
4838 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4839 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4841 Subject of the current article.
4843 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4845 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4847 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4849 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4851 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4853 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4857 @node Summary Highlighting
4858 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4862 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4863 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4864 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4865 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4866 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4868 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4869 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4870 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4871 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4873 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4874 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4875 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4876 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4878 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4879 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4880 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4881 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4882 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4883 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4886 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4887 ((> score default) . bold))
4889 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4890 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4894 @node Summary Maneuvering
4895 @section Summary Maneuvering
4896 @cindex summary movement
4898 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4899 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4901 None of these commands select articles.
4906 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4907 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4908 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4909 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4910 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4914 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4915 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4916 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4917 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4918 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4921 @kindex G g (Summary)
4922 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4923 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4924 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4927 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4928 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4929 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4930 to the group buffer.
4932 Variables related to summary movement:
4936 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4937 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4938 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4939 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4940 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4941 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4942 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4943 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4944 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4945 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4946 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4947 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4948 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4949 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4951 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4952 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4953 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4954 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4955 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4956 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4957 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4959 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4961 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4962 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4963 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4964 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4965 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4967 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4968 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4969 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4970 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4971 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4972 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4973 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4974 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4977 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4978 the given number of lines from the top.
4983 @node Choosing Articles
4984 @section Choosing Articles
4985 @cindex selecting articles
4988 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4989 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4993 @node Choosing Commands
4994 @subsection Choosing Commands
4996 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4997 and they all select and display an article.
4999 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
5000 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
5004 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5005 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5006 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
5007 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5009 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
5010 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
5011 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
5016 @kindex G n (Summary)
5017 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
5018 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
5019 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
5024 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
5025 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
5026 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
5031 @kindex G N (Summary)
5032 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
5033 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
5038 @kindex G P (Summary)
5039 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
5040 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
5043 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
5044 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
5045 Go to the next article with the same subject
5046 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
5049 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
5050 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
5051 Go to the previous article with the same subject
5052 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
5056 @kindex G f (Summary)
5058 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5059 Go to the first unread article
5060 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5064 @kindex G b (Summary)
5066 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5067 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5068 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5069 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5074 @kindex G l (Summary)
5075 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5076 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5079 @kindex G o (Summary)
5080 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5082 @cindex article history
5083 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5084 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5085 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5086 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5087 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5088 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5093 @kindex G j (Summary)
5094 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5095 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5096 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5101 @node Choosing Variables
5102 @subsection Choosing Variables
5104 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5107 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5108 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5109 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5110 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5111 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5112 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5114 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5115 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5116 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
5117 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article. If you would
5118 like each article to be saved in the Agent as you read it, putting
5119 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this hook will do so.
5121 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5122 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5123 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5124 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5125 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5126 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5127 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5128 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5129 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
5130 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5131 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5132 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5133 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5134 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5139 @node Paging the Article
5140 @section Scrolling the Article
5141 @cindex article scrolling
5146 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5147 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5148 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5149 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5150 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5152 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5153 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5154 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5155 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5156 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5157 what is considered uninteresting with
5158 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5159 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5162 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5163 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5164 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5167 @kindex RET (Summary)
5168 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5169 Scroll the current article one line forward
5170 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5173 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5174 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5175 Scroll the current article one line backward
5176 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5180 @kindex A g (Summary)
5182 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5183 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5184 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5185 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5186 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5187 the way it came from the server.
5189 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5190 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5191 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5194 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5199 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5204 @kindex A < (Summary)
5205 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5206 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5207 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5212 @kindex A > (Summary)
5213 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5214 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5218 @kindex A s (Summary)
5220 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5221 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5222 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5226 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5227 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5232 @node Reply Followup and Post
5233 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5236 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5237 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5238 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5239 * Canceling and Superseding::
5243 @node Summary Mail Commands
5244 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5246 @cindex composing mail
5248 Commands for composing a mail message:
5254 @kindex S r (Summary)
5256 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5257 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5258 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5259 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5260 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5265 @kindex S R (Summary)
5266 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5267 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5268 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5269 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5270 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5273 @kindex S w (Summary)
5274 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5275 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5276 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5277 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5278 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
5279 present, that's used instead.
5282 @kindex S W (Summary)
5283 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5284 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5285 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5286 the process/prefix convention.
5289 @kindex S v (Summary)
5290 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5291 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5292 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5293 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5294 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5295 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5298 @kindex S V (Summary)
5299 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5300 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5301 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5302 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5305 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5306 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5307 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5308 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5309 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5310 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5311 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5312 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5315 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5316 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5317 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5318 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5319 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5323 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5324 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5325 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5326 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5327 Forward the current article to some other person
5328 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5329 headers of the forwarded article.
5334 @kindex S m (Summary)
5335 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5336 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5337 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5338 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5339 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5344 @kindex S i (Summary)
5345 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5346 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5347 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5348 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5350 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5351 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5352 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5353 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5354 for this to work though.
5357 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5358 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5359 @cindex bouncing mail
5360 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5361 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5362 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5363 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5364 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5365 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
5366 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5367 very well fail, though.
5370 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5371 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5372 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5373 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5374 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5375 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5376 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5377 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5378 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5379 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5381 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5382 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5383 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5384 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5385 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5387 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5388 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5391 @kindex S D e (Summary)
5392 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
5394 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
5395 if it were a new message before resending.
5398 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5399 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
5400 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5401 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
5402 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5405 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5406 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5407 @cindex crossposting
5408 @cindex excessive crossposting
5409 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5410 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5412 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5413 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5414 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5415 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5416 command understands the process/prefix convention
5417 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5421 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5422 Manual}, for more information.
5425 @node Summary Post Commands
5426 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5428 @cindex composing news
5430 Commands for posting a news article:
5436 @kindex S p (Summary)
5437 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5438 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5439 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5440 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5441 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5446 @kindex S f (Summary)
5447 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5448 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5449 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5453 @kindex S F (Summary)
5455 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5456 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5457 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5458 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5459 process/prefix convention.
5462 @kindex S n (Summary)
5463 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5464 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5465 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5468 @kindex S N (Summary)
5469 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5470 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5471 message through mail and include the original message
5472 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5473 the process/prefix convention.
5476 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5477 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5478 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5479 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5480 headers of the forwarded article.
5483 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5484 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
5486 @cindex making digests
5487 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5488 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5489 process/prefix convention.
5492 @kindex S u (Summary)
5493 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5494 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5495 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5496 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5499 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5500 Manual}, for more information.
5503 @node Summary Message Commands
5504 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5508 @kindex S y (Summary)
5509 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5510 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5511 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5512 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5513 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5518 @node Canceling and Superseding
5519 @subsection Canceling Articles
5520 @cindex canceling articles
5521 @cindex superseding articles
5523 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5524 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5526 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5528 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5530 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5531 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5532 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5533 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5534 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5535 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5537 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5538 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5541 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5542 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5543 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5545 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
5546 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
5547 message, Message Manual}).
5549 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5550 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5551 your original article.
5553 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5555 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5556 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5557 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5560 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5561 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5562 have posted almost the same article twice.
5564 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5565 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5566 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5567 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5568 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5569 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5570 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5571 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5572 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5573 canceled/superseded.
5575 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5577 @node Delayed Articles
5578 @section Delayed Articles
5579 @cindex delayed sending
5580 @cindex send delayed
5582 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5583 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5584 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5585 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5588 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5591 @findex gnus-delay-article
5592 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5593 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5594 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5595 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5599 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5600 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5601 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5602 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5605 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5606 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5607 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5610 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5611 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5612 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5613 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5614 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5615 that means a time tomorrow.
5618 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5619 couple of variables:
5622 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5623 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5624 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5625 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5627 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5628 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5629 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5630 formats described above.
5632 @item gnus-delay-group
5633 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5634 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5635 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5636 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5638 @item gnus-delay-header
5639 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5640 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5641 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5642 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5645 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5646 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5647 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5648 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5649 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5651 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5652 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5653 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5654 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5655 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5656 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5657 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5660 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5661 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5663 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5664 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5665 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5666 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5667 argument is ignored.
5669 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5670 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5671 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5675 @node Marking Articles
5676 @section Marking Articles
5677 @cindex article marking
5678 @cindex article ticking
5681 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5683 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5684 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5685 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5687 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5690 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks.
5694 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5695 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5696 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5697 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5698 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5699 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5703 @node Unread Articles
5704 @subsection Unread Articles
5706 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5711 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5712 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5714 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5715 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5716 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5717 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5718 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5719 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5720 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5723 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5724 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5726 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5727 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5728 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5729 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5733 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5734 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5736 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5741 @subsection Read Articles
5742 @cindex expirable mark
5744 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5749 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5750 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5751 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5754 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5755 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5758 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5759 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5760 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5763 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5764 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5767 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5768 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5771 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5772 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5775 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5776 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5779 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5780 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5783 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5784 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5787 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5788 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5792 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5793 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5794 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5798 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5799 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5801 One more special mark, though:
5805 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5806 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5808 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5809 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5810 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5811 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5817 @subsection Other Marks
5818 @cindex process mark
5821 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5827 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5828 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5829 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5830 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5831 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5834 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5835 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5836 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5837 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5840 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5841 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5842 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5845 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5846 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5847 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5850 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5851 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5852 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5853 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5856 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5857 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5858 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5859 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5860 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5861 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5864 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5865 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5866 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5867 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5870 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5871 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
5872 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5873 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5874 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5878 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5879 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
5880 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5881 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5882 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5883 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5886 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5887 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
5888 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5889 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5890 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5891 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5895 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5896 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5897 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5898 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5899 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5902 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5903 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5904 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5905 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5906 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5907 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5911 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5912 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5913 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5915 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5916 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5917 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5921 @subsection Setting Marks
5922 @cindex setting marks
5924 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5929 @kindex M c (Summary)
5930 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5931 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5932 @cindex mark as unread
5933 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5934 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5940 @kindex M t (Summary)
5941 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5942 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5943 @xref{Article Caching}.
5948 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5949 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5950 Mark the current article as dormant
5951 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5955 @kindex M d (Summary)
5957 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5958 Mark the current article as read
5959 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5963 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5964 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5965 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5970 @kindex M k (Summary)
5971 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5972 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5973 and then select the next unread article
5974 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5978 @kindex M K (Summary)
5979 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5980 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5981 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5982 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5985 @kindex M C (Summary)
5986 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5987 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5988 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5991 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5992 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5993 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5994 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5997 @kindex M H (Summary)
5998 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5999 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
6000 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
6003 @kindex M h (Summary)
6004 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
6005 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
6006 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
6009 @kindex C-w (Summary)
6010 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
6011 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
6012 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
6015 @kindex M V k (Summary)
6016 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
6017 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
6018 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
6022 @kindex M e (Summary)
6024 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
6025 Mark the current article as expirable
6026 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
6029 @kindex M b (Summary)
6030 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
6031 Set a bookmark in the current article
6032 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
6035 @kindex M B (Summary)
6036 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
6037 Remove the bookmark from the current article
6038 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
6041 @kindex M V c (Summary)
6042 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
6043 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
6044 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6047 @kindex M V u (Summary)
6048 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
6049 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
6050 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
6053 @kindex M V m (Summary)
6054 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
6055 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
6056 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
6057 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6060 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6061 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6062 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6063 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6064 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6065 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6066 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6067 The default is @code{t}.
6070 @node Generic Marking Commands
6071 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6073 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6074 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6075 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6076 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6077 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6080 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6081 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6084 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6085 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6086 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6087 to list in this manual.
6089 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6090 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6091 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6092 article, you could say something like:
6096 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6097 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6098 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6106 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6107 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6111 @node Setting Process Marks
6112 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6113 @cindex setting process marks
6115 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6116 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6117 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6118 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6119 commands into the cache. For more information,
6120 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6127 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6128 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6129 Mark the current article with the process mark
6130 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6131 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6135 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6136 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6137 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6138 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6141 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6142 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6143 Remove the process mark from all articles
6144 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6147 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6148 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6149 Invert the list of process marked articles
6150 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6153 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6154 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6155 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6156 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6159 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6160 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6161 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6162 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6165 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6166 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6167 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6170 @kindex M P g (Summary)
6171 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6172 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6175 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6176 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6177 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6178 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6181 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6182 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6183 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6184 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6187 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6188 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6189 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6190 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6193 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6194 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6195 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6198 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6199 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6200 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6201 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6204 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6205 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6206 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}).
6209 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6210 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6211 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6212 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6215 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6216 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6217 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6218 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6221 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6222 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6223 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6224 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6227 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6228 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6229 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6230 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6234 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
6235 set process marks based on article body contents.
6242 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6243 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6244 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6247 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6248 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6249 additional articles.
6255 @kindex / / (Summary)
6256 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6257 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6258 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6262 @kindex / a (Summary)
6263 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6264 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6265 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6269 @kindex / R (Summary)
6270 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient
6271 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some recipient
6272 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient}). If given a prefix, exclude
6276 @kindex / x (Summary)
6277 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6278 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6279 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6280 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6285 @kindex / u (Summary)
6287 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6288 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6289 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6290 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6291 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6294 @kindex / m (Summary)
6295 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6296 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6297 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6300 @kindex / t (Summary)
6301 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6302 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6303 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6304 articles younger than that number of days.
6307 @kindex / n (Summary)
6308 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6309 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6310 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6311 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6314 @kindex / w (Summary)
6315 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6316 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6317 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6321 @kindex / . (Summary)
6322 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6323 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6324 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6327 @kindex / v (Summary)
6328 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6329 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6330 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6333 @kindex / p (Summary)
6334 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6335 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6336 group parameter predicate
6337 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
6338 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
6341 @kindex / r (Summary)
6342 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
6343 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
6344 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
6349 @kindex M S (Summary)
6350 @kindex / E (Summary)
6351 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6352 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6353 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6356 @kindex / D (Summary)
6357 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6358 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6359 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6362 @kindex / * (Summary)
6363 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6364 Include all cached articles in the limit
6365 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6368 @kindex / d (Summary)
6369 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6370 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6371 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6374 @kindex / M (Summary)
6375 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6376 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6379 @kindex / T (Summary)
6380 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6381 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6384 @kindex / c (Summary)
6385 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6386 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6387 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6390 @kindex / C (Summary)
6391 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6392 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6393 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6394 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6397 @kindex / N (Summary)
6398 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6399 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6400 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6403 @kindex / o (Summary)
6404 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6405 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6406 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6414 @cindex article threading
6416 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6417 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6418 hierarchical fashion.
6420 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6421 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6422 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6423 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6424 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6425 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6426 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
6428 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6432 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6435 A tree-like article structure.
6438 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6441 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6442 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6443 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6444 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6445 called loose threads.
6447 @item thread gathering
6448 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6450 @item sparse threads
6451 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6452 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6458 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6459 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6463 @node Customizing Threading
6464 @subsection Customizing Threading
6465 @cindex customizing threading
6468 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6469 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6470 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6471 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6476 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6479 @cindex loose threads
6482 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6483 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6484 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6485 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6486 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6487 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6489 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
6490 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
6491 There are four possible values:
6495 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6496 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6497 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6498 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6499 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6504 @cindex adopting articles
6509 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6510 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6511 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6512 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6515 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6516 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6517 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6518 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6519 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6520 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6521 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6522 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6523 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6524 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6527 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6528 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6529 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6533 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6534 display them after one another.
6537 Don't gather loose threads.
6540 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6541 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6542 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6543 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
6544 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6545 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6546 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6547 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6548 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6549 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
6550 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6552 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6553 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
6554 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6557 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6558 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6559 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6560 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6561 simplification is used.
6563 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6564 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6565 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6566 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6568 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6570 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6576 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6577 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6578 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6579 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6584 (mapconcat 'identity
6585 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6587 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6590 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6593 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6594 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6595 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6596 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6597 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6598 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6600 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6603 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6604 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6605 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6607 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6608 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6611 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6612 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6613 Remove excessive whitespace.
6615 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6616 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6617 Remove all whitespace.
6620 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6623 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6624 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6625 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6626 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6627 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6628 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6629 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6630 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6632 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6633 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6634 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6635 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6636 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6637 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6638 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6639 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6640 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6644 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6645 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6646 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6647 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6649 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6650 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6651 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6654 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6658 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6659 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6665 @node Filling In Threads
6666 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6669 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6670 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6671 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6672 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
6673 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
6674 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
6675 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
6676 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
6677 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
6678 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6679 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6680 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
6683 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6684 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6685 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6687 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6688 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6689 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
6692 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6693 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6694 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6695 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6696 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6697 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6698 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6699 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6700 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6701 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6702 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6703 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6704 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6705 @code{nil} by default.
6707 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6708 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6709 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6710 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6711 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6712 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6713 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6715 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6716 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6717 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6722 @node More Threading
6723 @subsubsection More Threading
6726 @item gnus-show-threads
6727 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6728 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6729 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6730 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6731 slower and more awkward.
6733 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6734 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6735 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6738 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6739 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6740 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
6745 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6746 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6747 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6750 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6751 unread, but you get my drift.)
6754 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6755 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6756 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6757 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6758 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6759 threads are expunged.
6761 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6762 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6763 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6766 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6767 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6768 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6769 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6770 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6771 result in a new thread.
6773 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6774 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6775 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6778 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6779 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6780 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6781 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6782 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6783 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6784 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6785 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6786 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6787 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6788 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6793 @node Low-Level Threading
6794 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6798 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6799 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6800 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6801 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6802 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6803 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6805 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6806 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6807 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6808 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6809 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6810 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6811 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6812 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6813 meaningful. Here's one example:
6816 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6818 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6819 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6821 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6823 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6830 @node Thread Commands
6831 @subsection Thread Commands
6832 @cindex thread commands
6838 @kindex T k (Summary)
6839 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6840 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6841 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6842 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6843 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6848 @kindex T l (Summary)
6849 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6850 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6851 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6852 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6855 @kindex T i (Summary)
6856 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6857 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6858 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6861 @kindex T # (Summary)
6862 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6863 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6864 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6867 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6868 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6869 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6870 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6873 @kindex T T (Summary)
6874 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6875 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6878 @kindex T s (Summary)
6879 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6880 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
6881 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6884 @kindex T h (Summary)
6885 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6886 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6889 @kindex T S (Summary)
6890 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6891 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6894 @kindex T H (Summary)
6895 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6896 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6899 @kindex T t (Summary)
6900 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6901 Re-thread the current article's thread
6902 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6903 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6906 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6907 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6908 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6909 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6913 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6914 understand the numeric prefix.
6919 @kindex T n (Summary)
6921 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6923 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6924 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6925 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6928 @kindex T p (Summary)
6930 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6932 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6933 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6934 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6937 @kindex T d (Summary)
6938 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6939 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6942 @kindex T u (Summary)
6943 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6944 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6947 @kindex T o (Summary)
6948 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6949 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6952 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6953 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6954 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6955 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6956 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6957 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6958 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6959 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6960 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6961 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6962 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6963 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6967 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6968 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6970 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6971 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6972 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6973 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6974 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6975 @c @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient
6976 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6977 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6978 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6979 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
6980 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
6981 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6982 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6983 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6984 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6986 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6987 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6988 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6989 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6990 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6991 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6992 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6993 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6995 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6996 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6997 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6999 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
7000 last function in the list. You should probably always include
7001 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
7002 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
7003 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
7004 ascending article order.
7006 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
7007 by number, you could do something like:
7010 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7011 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7012 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7013 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
7016 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
7017 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
7018 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
7019 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
7020 which the articles arrived.
7022 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
7026 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7028 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
7029 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
7032 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
7033 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
7034 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
7035 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
7038 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
7039 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
7040 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
7041 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
7042 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
7043 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
7044 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
7045 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
7046 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
7047 variable. It is very similar to the
7048 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
7049 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
7050 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
7051 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
7052 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
7053 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
7054 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
7056 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
7060 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
7061 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
7062 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
7067 @node Asynchronous Fetching
7068 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
7069 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
7070 @cindex article pre-fetch
7073 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
7074 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
7075 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
7076 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7077 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7079 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7080 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
7082 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7083 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7084 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7085 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7086 connection is blocked.
7088 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7089 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7090 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7091 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
7093 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7094 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7095 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7096 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7099 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7102 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7103 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7104 happen automatically.
7106 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7107 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7108 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7109 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7110 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7111 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7112 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7114 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7115 @findex gnus-async-read-p
7116 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7117 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7118 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7119 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7120 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
7121 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7122 article data structure as the only parameter.
7124 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7125 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7128 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7129 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7130 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7131 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7134 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7137 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7138 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
7139 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7141 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7142 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7143 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7144 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7148 Remove articles when they are read.
7151 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7154 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7156 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7157 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7158 @c from the next group.
7161 @node Article Caching
7162 @section Article Caching
7163 @cindex article caching
7166 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7167 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7168 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7169 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7170 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7172 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7174 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7175 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7176 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7177 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7178 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7179 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7180 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7181 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7183 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7184 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7185 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7186 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7187 as dormant, and don't worry.
7189 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7191 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7192 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7193 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7194 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7195 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7196 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7197 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7198 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7199 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7200 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7202 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7203 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7204 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7205 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7206 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7207 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7208 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7209 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7210 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7211 not then be downloaded by this command.
7213 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7214 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7215 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7216 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7217 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7218 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7220 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7221 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7222 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7223 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7224 variables, the group is not cached.
7226 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7227 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7228 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7229 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7230 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7231 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
7232 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7233 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7234 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7237 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7238 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7239 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7240 where, isn't that cool?
7242 @node Persistent Articles
7243 @section Persistent Articles
7244 @cindex persistent articles
7246 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7247 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7248 useful in my opinion.
7250 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7251 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7252 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7253 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7254 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7255 the expiry going on at the news server.
7257 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7258 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7259 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7265 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7266 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7269 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7270 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7271 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7272 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7276 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7278 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7279 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7280 interested in persistent articles:
7283 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7287 @node Article Backlog
7288 @section Article Backlog
7290 @cindex article backlog
7292 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7293 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7294 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
7295 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7296 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7297 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7298 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
7299 increase memory usage some.
7301 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7302 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
7303 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7304 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
7305 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7306 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7307 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7309 The default value is 20.
7312 @node Saving Articles
7313 @section Saving Articles
7314 @cindex saving articles
7316 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7317 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7318 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7319 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7320 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7322 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7323 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7324 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7326 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7327 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
7328 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7330 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7331 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7332 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7333 deleted before saving.
7339 @kindex O o (Summary)
7341 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7342 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7343 Save the current article using the default article saver
7344 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7347 @kindex O m (Summary)
7348 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7349 Save the current article in mail format
7350 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7353 @kindex O r (Summary)
7354 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7355 Save the current article in Rmail format
7356 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7359 @kindex O f (Summary)
7360 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7361 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7362 Save the current article in plain file format
7363 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7366 @kindex O F (Summary)
7367 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7368 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7369 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7372 @kindex O b (Summary)
7373 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7374 Save the current article body in plain file format
7375 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7378 @kindex O h (Summary)
7379 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7380 Save the current article in mh folder format
7381 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7384 @kindex O v (Summary)
7385 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7386 Save the current article in a VM folder
7387 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7391 @kindex O p (Summary)
7393 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7394 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7395 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7396 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7397 complete headers in the piped output.
7400 @kindex O P (Summary)
7401 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7402 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7403 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7404 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7405 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7406 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7407 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7411 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7412 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7413 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7414 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7415 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7416 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7417 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7418 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7419 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7420 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7421 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7422 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7426 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7427 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7428 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7429 functions below, or you can create your own.
7433 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7434 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7435 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7436 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7437 This is the default format, @dfn{Babyl}. Uses the function in the
7438 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7439 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7441 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7442 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7443 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7444 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7445 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7446 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7448 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7449 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7450 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7451 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7452 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7453 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7454 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7456 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7457 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7458 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7459 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7460 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7461 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7463 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7464 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7465 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7466 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7467 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7469 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7470 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7471 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7472 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7473 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7476 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7477 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7478 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7479 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7480 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7482 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7483 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7484 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7485 reader to use this setting.
7488 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7489 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7490 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7491 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7494 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7495 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7496 available functions that generate names:
7500 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7501 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7502 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7504 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7505 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7506 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7508 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7509 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7510 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7512 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7513 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7514 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7516 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7517 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7518 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7521 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7522 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7523 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7524 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7525 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7529 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7530 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7531 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7532 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7535 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7536 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7537 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7538 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7539 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7540 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7541 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7542 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7543 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7545 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7546 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7547 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7548 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7550 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7551 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7552 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7555 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7556 lots of mail groups called things like
7557 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7558 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7559 following will do just that:
7562 (defun my-save-name (group)
7563 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7564 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7566 (setq gnus-split-methods
7567 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7572 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7573 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7574 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7575 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7576 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7577 all the files in the top level directory
7578 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7579 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7580 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7581 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7583 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7584 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7585 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7586 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7587 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7590 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7594 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
7595 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7596 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
7599 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7600 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7601 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7602 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7605 @node Decoding Articles
7606 @section Decoding Articles
7607 @cindex decoding articles
7609 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7610 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7613 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7614 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7615 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7616 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7617 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7618 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7622 @cindex article series
7623 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7624 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7625 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7626 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7627 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7629 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7630 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7631 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7633 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
7634 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7635 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7637 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7638 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7639 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7642 @node Uuencoded Articles
7643 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7645 @cindex uuencoded articles
7650 @kindex X u (Summary)
7651 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7652 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7653 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7656 @kindex X U (Summary)
7657 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7658 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7659 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7662 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7663 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7664 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7667 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7668 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7669 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7670 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7674 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7675 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7676 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7677 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7678 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7680 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7681 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7682 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7683 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7686 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7687 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7688 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7689 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7690 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7691 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7695 @node Shell Archives
7696 @subsection Shell Archives
7698 @cindex shell archives
7699 @cindex shared articles
7701 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7702 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7703 some commands to deal with these:
7708 @kindex X s (Summary)
7709 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7710 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7713 @kindex X S (Summary)
7714 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7715 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7718 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7719 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7720 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7723 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7724 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7725 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7726 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7730 @node PostScript Files
7731 @subsection PostScript Files
7737 @kindex X p (Summary)
7738 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7739 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7742 @kindex X P (Summary)
7743 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7744 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7745 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7748 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7749 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7750 View the current PostScript series
7751 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7754 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7755 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7756 View and save the current PostScript series
7757 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7762 @subsection Other Files
7766 @kindex X o (Summary)
7767 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7768 Save the current series
7769 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7772 @kindex X b (Summary)
7773 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7774 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7775 doesn't really work yet.
7779 @node Decoding Variables
7780 @subsection Decoding Variables
7782 Adjective, not verb.
7785 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7786 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7787 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7791 @node Rule Variables
7792 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7793 @cindex rule variables
7795 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7796 variables are of the form
7799 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7806 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7807 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7809 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7810 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7813 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7814 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7817 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7818 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7819 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7820 user and default view rules.
7822 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7823 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7824 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7829 @node Other Decode Variables
7830 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7833 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7835 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7836 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7837 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7838 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7839 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7843 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7844 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7847 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7848 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7849 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7852 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7853 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7854 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7855 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7856 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7859 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7860 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7861 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7863 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7864 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7865 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7866 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7867 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
7870 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7871 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7872 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7874 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7875 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7876 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7877 looking for files to display.
7879 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7880 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7881 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7884 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7885 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7886 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7889 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7890 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7891 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7894 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7895 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7896 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7899 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7900 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7901 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7902 decoded articles as unread.
7904 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7905 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7906 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7907 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7909 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7910 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7911 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7913 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7914 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7916 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7917 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
7918 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7919 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7921 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7922 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7923 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7924 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7925 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7926 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7927 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7928 simply dropped them.
7933 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7934 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7938 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7939 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7940 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7941 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7942 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7943 for you when you post the article.
7945 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7946 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7947 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7948 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7950 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7951 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7952 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7953 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7954 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7955 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7956 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
7958 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7959 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7960 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7961 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7962 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7963 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7964 Default is @code{t}.
7970 @subsection Viewing Files
7971 @cindex viewing files
7972 @cindex pseudo-articles
7974 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7975 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7976 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7977 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7978 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7979 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7980 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7982 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7983 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7984 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7985 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7987 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7988 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7989 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7991 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7992 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7993 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7994 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7995 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7997 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7998 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7999 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
8000 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
8001 a list of parameters to that command.
8003 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
8004 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
8005 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
8007 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
8008 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
8009 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
8012 @node Article Treatment
8013 @section Article Treatment
8015 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
8016 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
8017 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
8018 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
8019 these articles easier.
8022 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
8023 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
8024 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
8025 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
8026 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
8027 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
8028 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
8029 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
8030 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
8031 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
8032 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
8036 @node Article Highlighting
8037 @subsection Article Highlighting
8038 @cindex highlighting
8040 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
8041 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
8046 @kindex W H a (Summary)
8047 @findex gnus-article-highlight
8048 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8049 Do much highlighting of the current article
8050 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
8051 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
8054 @kindex W H h (Summary)
8055 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
8056 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
8057 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
8058 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
8059 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
8060 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
8061 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
8062 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
8063 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
8064 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
8065 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
8068 @kindex W H c (Summary)
8069 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
8070 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
8072 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
8075 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8077 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8078 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
8079 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8081 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8082 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8083 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8085 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8086 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8087 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8088 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8089 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8090 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8092 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8093 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8094 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8096 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8097 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8098 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8100 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8101 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8102 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8103 that it's a citation.
8105 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8106 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8107 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8109 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8110 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8111 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8113 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8114 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8115 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8116 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8118 @item gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8119 @vindex gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8120 If non-@code{nil}, no citation highlighting will be performed on lines
8121 beginning with @samp{>From }. Those lines may have been quoted by MTAs
8122 in order not to mix up with the envelope From line. The default value
8129 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8130 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8131 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8132 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8133 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8134 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8135 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8136 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8141 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8144 @node Article Fontisizing
8145 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8147 @cindex article emphasis
8149 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8150 @kindex W e (Summary)
8151 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8152 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8153 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8154 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8156 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8157 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8158 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8159 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8160 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8161 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8162 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8163 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8167 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8168 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8169 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8178 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8179 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8180 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8181 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8182 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8183 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8184 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8185 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8186 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8187 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8188 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8189 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8190 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8192 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8193 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8194 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8198 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8201 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8203 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8204 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8205 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8206 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8208 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8211 @node Article Hiding
8212 @subsection Article Hiding
8213 @cindex article hiding
8215 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8216 too much cruft in most articles.
8221 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8222 @findex gnus-article-hide
8223 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8224 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8225 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8228 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8229 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8230 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8234 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8235 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8236 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8237 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8240 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8241 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8242 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8246 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8247 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8248 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8249 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8250 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8251 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8252 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8253 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8257 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8258 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8259 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8260 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8265 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8266 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8267 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8268 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8271 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8272 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8273 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8274 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8277 @cindex stripping advertisements
8278 @cindex advertisements
8279 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8280 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8281 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8282 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8283 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8284 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8285 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8286 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8287 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8288 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8291 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8292 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8293 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8297 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8298 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8299 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8300 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8301 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8302 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8303 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8304 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8305 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8306 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8307 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8310 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8311 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8317 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8318 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8319 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8320 customizing the hiding:
8324 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8325 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8326 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8327 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8328 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8329 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8330 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8335 Starting point of the hidden text.
8337 Ending point of the hidden text.
8339 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8341 Number of lines of hidden text.
8344 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8345 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8346 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8347 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8348 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8353 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8354 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8356 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8357 following two variables:
8360 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8361 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8362 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8363 50), hide the cited text.
8365 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8366 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8367 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8372 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8373 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8374 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8375 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8376 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8377 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8381 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8382 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8383 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8385 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8386 citation customization.
8388 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8392 @node Article Washing
8393 @subsection Article Washing
8395 @cindex article washing
8397 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8398 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8400 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8401 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8404 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8405 articles by default.
8410 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8411 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8415 Force redisplaying of the current article
8416 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8417 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8418 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8419 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8422 @kindex W l (Summary)
8423 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8424 Remove page breaks from the current article
8425 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8429 @kindex W r (Summary)
8430 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8431 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8432 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8433 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8434 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8435 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8437 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8438 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8439 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8440 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8443 @kindex W m (Summary)
8444 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8445 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8449 @kindex W t (Summary)
8451 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8452 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8453 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8456 @kindex W v (Summary)
8457 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8458 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8459 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8462 @kindex W m (Summary)
8463 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
8464 Toggle whether to run the article through @acronym{MIME} before
8465 displaying (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
8468 @kindex W o (Summary)
8469 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8470 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8473 @kindex W d (Summary)
8474 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8475 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8477 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8479 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8480 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8481 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8482 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8485 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8486 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8487 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8488 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8491 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8492 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8493 @cindex Outlook Express
8494 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8495 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8496 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8499 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8500 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8501 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8502 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8503 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8504 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8505 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8506 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
8507 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8508 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8511 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8512 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8513 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
8514 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8517 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8518 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8519 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8520 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8523 @kindex W w (Summary)
8524 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8525 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8527 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8531 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8532 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8533 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8536 @kindex W C (Summary)
8537 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8538 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8539 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8542 @kindex W c (Summary)
8543 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8544 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8545 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8546 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8547 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8549 @kindex W q (Summary)
8550 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8551 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8552 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
8553 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
8554 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
8555 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
8556 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8557 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8558 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8561 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8562 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8563 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
8564 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
8565 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
8566 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8567 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8568 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8571 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8572 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8573 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8574 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8575 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8578 @kindex W A (Summary)
8579 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
8580 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
8581 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
8582 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
8583 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
8586 @kindex W u (Summary)
8587 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8588 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8589 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8590 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8591 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8594 @kindex W h (Summary)
8595 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8596 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8597 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8598 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
8600 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8602 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8603 The default is to use the function specified by
8604 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
8605 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
8606 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
8607 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8615 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
8618 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
8621 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
8624 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
8629 @kindex W b (Summary)
8630 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8631 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8632 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8635 @kindex W B (Summary)
8636 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8637 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8638 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8641 @kindex W p (Summary)
8642 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8643 Verify a signed control message
8644 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
8645 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
8646 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
8647 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8648 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
8649 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8652 @kindex W s (Summary)
8653 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8654 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
8655 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
8656 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8659 @kindex W a (Summary)
8660 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8661 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8662 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8665 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8666 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8667 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8668 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8671 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8672 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8673 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8674 lines with a single empty line.
8675 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8678 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8679 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8680 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8681 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8684 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8685 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8686 Do all the three commands above
8687 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8690 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8691 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8692 Remove all blank lines
8693 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8696 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8697 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8698 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8699 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8702 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8703 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8704 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8705 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8709 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8712 @node Article Header
8713 @subsection Article Header
8715 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8720 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8721 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8722 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8725 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8726 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8727 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8728 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8731 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8732 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8733 Fold all the message headers
8734 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8737 @kindex W E w (Summary)
8738 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8739 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8740 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8745 @node Article Buttons
8746 @subsection Article Buttons
8749 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8750 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8751 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8752 button on these references.
8754 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8755 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8756 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
8757 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
8758 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
8762 @item gnus-button-alist
8763 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8764 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8767 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8773 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8774 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8775 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8776 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8777 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
8780 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8781 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8782 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8785 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8786 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8787 avoid false matches. Often variables named
8788 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
8789 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
8791 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
8794 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8797 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8798 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8802 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8805 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8808 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8809 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8810 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8811 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8812 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8815 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8818 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8821 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
8824 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
8825 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
8827 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
8829 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8830 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8831 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8832 default values of the variables above.
8834 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
8836 @item gnus-button-man-handler
8837 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8838 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
8839 argument with a string naming the man page.
8841 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
8843 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8844 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8845 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
8847 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8848 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8849 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
8850 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
8851 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
8852 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
8853 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
8854 @code{ask}, always query the user what do do. If it is a function, this
8855 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
8856 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
8857 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
8858 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8860 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8861 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8862 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
8863 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
8864 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
8867 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8868 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8869 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
8870 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8872 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
8874 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
8875 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
8876 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
8877 argument, the string naming the URL.
8880 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
8881 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
8882 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
8886 @item gnus-article-button-face
8887 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8888 Face used on buttons.
8890 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8891 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8892 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8896 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8899 @node Article Button Levels
8900 @subsection Article button levels
8901 @cindex button levels
8902 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
8903 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
8904 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
8905 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
8906 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
8907 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
8908 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
8909 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
8912 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
8913 (setq gnus-parameters
8914 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
8915 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
8916 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
8921 @item gnus-button-browse-level
8922 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
8923 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
8924 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
8925 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
8926 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
8928 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
8929 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
8930 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
8931 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
8932 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
8933 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
8934 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
8935 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
8936 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
8937 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
8938 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
8939 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
8940 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
8942 @item gnus-button-man-level
8943 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
8944 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
8945 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
8947 @item gnus-button-message-level
8948 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
8949 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
8950 Related variables and functions include
8951 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
8952 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
8953 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
8954 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
8956 @item gnus-button-tex-level
8957 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
8958 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
8959 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
8960 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
8961 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
8962 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
8968 @subsection Article Date
8970 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8971 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8972 when the article was sent.
8977 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8978 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8979 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8980 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8983 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8984 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8986 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8987 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8990 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8991 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8992 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8995 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8996 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8997 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8998 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
9001 @kindex W T s (Summary)
9002 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
9003 @findex gnus-article-date-user
9004 @findex format-time-string
9005 Display the date using a user-defined format
9006 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
9007 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
9008 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
9009 for a list of possible format specs.
9012 @kindex W T e (Summary)
9013 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
9014 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
9015 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
9016 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
9017 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
9020 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
9023 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
9024 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
9025 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
9028 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
9029 into wonderful absurdities.
9031 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
9034 (gnus-start-date-timer)
9037 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
9038 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
9042 @kindex W T o (Summary)
9043 @findex gnus-article-date-original
9044 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
9045 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
9046 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
9047 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
9048 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
9052 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
9053 preferred format automatically.
9056 @node Article Display
9057 @subsection Article Display
9062 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
9063 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
9065 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
9066 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
9068 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
9069 headers (@pxref{Face}).
9071 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
9072 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
9074 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
9075 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
9077 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
9082 @kindex W D x (Summary)
9083 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
9084 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
9085 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
9088 @kindex W D d (Summary)
9089 @findex gnus-article-display-face
9090 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
9091 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
9094 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9095 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9096 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9099 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9100 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9101 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9104 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9105 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9106 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9107 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9110 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9111 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9112 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9113 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9116 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9117 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9118 Remove all images from the article buffer
9119 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9125 @node Article Signature
9126 @subsection Article Signature
9128 @cindex article signature
9130 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9131 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9132 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9133 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9134 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9135 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9136 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9137 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9138 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9141 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9142 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9143 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9144 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9145 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9146 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9147 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9148 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9151 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9154 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9155 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9156 signature when displaying articles.
9160 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9163 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9166 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9167 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9169 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9170 in question is not a signature.
9173 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9174 listed above. Here's an example:
9177 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9178 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9181 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9182 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9183 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9184 signature after all.
9187 @node Article Miscellanea
9188 @subsection Article Miscellanea
9192 @kindex A t (Summary)
9193 @findex gnus-article-babel
9194 Translate the article from one language to another
9195 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9201 @section MIME Commands
9202 @cindex MIME decoding
9204 @cindex viewing attachments
9206 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9207 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9213 @kindex K v (Summary)
9214 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9217 @kindex K o (Summary)
9218 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9221 @kindex K c (Summary)
9222 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9225 @kindex K e (Summary)
9226 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9229 @kindex K i (Summary)
9230 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9233 @kindex K | (Summary)
9234 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9237 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9242 @kindex K b (Summary)
9243 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9244 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9248 @kindex K m (Summary)
9249 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9250 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9251 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9252 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9253 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9256 @kindex X m (Summary)
9257 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9258 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9259 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9260 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9263 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9264 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9265 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9266 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9269 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9270 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9271 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9272 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9275 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9276 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9277 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9278 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9280 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9281 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9282 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9283 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9284 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9285 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9288 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9289 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9290 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9291 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9298 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9299 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9300 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9301 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9304 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9307 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9311 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9312 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9313 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9314 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9315 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9316 default is @code{nil}.
9318 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9319 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9320 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9321 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9322 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9323 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9324 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9326 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9327 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9328 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9329 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9330 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9331 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9332 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9333 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9335 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9336 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9337 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9338 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9339 displayed. This variable overrides
9340 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9341 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9344 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9345 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9346 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9348 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9349 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9350 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9351 default value is @code{nil}.
9353 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9354 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9355 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9356 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9357 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9358 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9359 save all jpegs into some directory).
9361 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9364 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9365 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9367 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9368 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9369 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9370 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9371 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9374 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9375 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9376 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9378 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9379 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9380 Display "multipart/alternative" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9382 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9383 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9384 Display "multipart/related" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9386 If displaying "text/html" is discouraged, see
9387 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} in @ref{Display Customization,
9388 Display Customization, , emacs-mime, Emacs-Mime Manual}. Images or
9389 other material inside a "multipart/related" part might be overlooked
9390 when this variable is @code{nil}.
9392 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9393 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9394 Display "multipart" parts as "multipart/mixed". If @code{t}, it
9395 overrides @code{nil} values of
9396 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed} and
9397 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed}.
9399 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9400 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9401 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9402 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9404 Ready-made functions include@*
9405 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9406 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9407 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9408 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9409 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9410 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9411 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9412 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9413 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9414 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9415 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9416 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9418 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9419 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9421 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9422 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9423 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9426 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9427 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9428 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9429 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9433 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9442 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
9443 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9444 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
9445 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9446 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9447 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9448 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9450 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9451 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9452 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9453 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9455 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9456 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
9457 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9458 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9459 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9460 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9461 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9462 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9463 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9465 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9466 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9467 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
9468 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9469 quoted-printable header encoding.
9471 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9472 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9473 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9477 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9480 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9481 means encode all charsets),
9483 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9484 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9485 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9492 @cindex coding system aliases
9493 @cindex preferred charset
9495 @xref{Encoding Customization, , Encoding Customization, emacs-mime,
9496 The Emacs MIME Manual}, for additional variables that control which
9497 MIME charsets are used when sending messages.
9499 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9501 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9502 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9505 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9506 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9509 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9510 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
9512 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9515 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9518 This will almost do the right thing.
9520 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9524 (codepage-setup 1251)
9525 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9529 @node Article Commands
9530 @section Article Commands
9537 @kindex A P (Summary)
9538 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9539 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9540 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9541 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9542 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9543 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9548 @node Summary Sorting
9549 @section Summary Sorting
9550 @cindex summary sorting
9552 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9553 can't really see why you'd want that.
9558 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9559 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9560 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9563 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9564 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9565 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9568 @kindex C-c C-s C-t (Summary)
9569 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient
9570 Sort by recipient (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient}).
9573 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9574 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9575 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9578 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9579 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9580 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9583 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9584 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9585 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9588 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9589 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9590 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9593 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9594 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9595 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9598 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9599 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9600 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9603 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9604 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9605 Sort using the default sorting method
9606 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9609 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9610 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9611 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9612 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9613 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9617 @node Finding the Parent
9618 @section Finding the Parent
9619 @cindex parent articles
9620 @cindex referring articles
9625 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9626 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9627 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9628 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
9629 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9630 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9631 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9632 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9633 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9635 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9636 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9637 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
9638 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9639 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9643 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9644 @kindex A R (Summary)
9645 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9646 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9649 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9650 @kindex A T (Summary)
9651 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9652 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9653 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9654 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9655 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9656 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9657 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9659 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9660 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9661 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9662 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9663 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9664 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9667 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9668 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9670 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9671 You can also ask the @acronym{NNTP} server for an arbitrary article, no
9672 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9673 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9674 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9675 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9676 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9679 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9680 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9681 by giving this command a prefix.
9683 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9684 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9685 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9686 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
9687 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
9688 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9691 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9692 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9693 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9696 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9697 then ask Google if that fails:
9700 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9702 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9705 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9706 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9707 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
9708 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9709 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
9710 group. (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does
9711 not support this at all.
9714 @node Alternative Approaches
9715 @section Alternative Approaches
9717 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9718 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9721 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9722 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9727 @subsection Pick and Read
9728 @cindex pick and read
9730 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9731 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9732 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9733 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9735 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9736 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9737 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9738 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9739 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9740 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9742 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9747 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9748 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9749 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9750 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9751 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9752 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9753 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9754 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9757 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9758 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9759 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9760 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9764 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9765 Unpick the thread or article
9766 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9767 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9768 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9769 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9770 the thread or article at that line.
9774 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9775 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9776 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9777 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9778 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9779 will still be visible when you are reading.
9783 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9784 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9785 which is mapped to the same function
9786 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9788 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9791 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9794 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9795 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9797 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9798 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9799 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9801 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9802 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9803 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9804 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9805 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9806 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9807 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9811 @subsection Binary Groups
9812 @cindex binary groups
9814 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9815 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9816 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9817 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9818 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9819 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9820 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9823 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9824 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9825 command, when you have turned on this mode
9826 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9828 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9829 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9833 @section Tree Display
9836 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9837 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
9838 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9839 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9842 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9845 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9846 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9847 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9849 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9850 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9851 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9852 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9853 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9855 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9856 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9857 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9858 default is @code{modeline}.
9860 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9861 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9862 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9863 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9864 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9865 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9866 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9872 The name of the poster.
9874 The @code{From} header.
9876 The number of the article.
9878 The opening bracket.
9880 The closing bracket.
9885 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9887 Variables related to the display are:
9890 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9891 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9892 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9893 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
9895 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9896 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
9897 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
9899 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9901 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9902 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9903 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9904 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9908 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9909 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9910 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
9911 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
9912 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9913 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9914 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9915 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9916 other windows displayed next to it.
9918 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9922 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9923 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9926 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9927 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9928 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9929 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9930 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9931 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9932 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9936 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9939 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9949 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9954 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9955 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9957 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9959 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9965 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9966 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9967 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
9970 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9971 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9972 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9973 (gnus-add-configuration
9977 (summary 0.75 point)
9982 @xref{Window Layout}.
9985 @node Mail Group Commands
9986 @section Mail Group Commands
9987 @cindex mail group commands
9989 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9990 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9992 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9993 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9998 @kindex B e (Summary)
9999 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
10000 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
10001 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
10002 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
10003 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
10006 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
10007 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
10008 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
10009 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
10010 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
10011 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
10014 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
10015 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
10016 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
10017 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
10018 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
10019 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
10022 @kindex B m (Summary)
10024 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
10025 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
10026 Move the article from one mail group to another
10027 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10028 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10031 @kindex B c (Summary)
10033 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
10034 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
10035 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
10036 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10037 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10040 @kindex B B (Summary)
10041 @cindex crosspost mail
10042 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
10043 Crosspost the current article to some other group
10044 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
10045 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
10046 be properly updated.
10049 @kindex B i (Summary)
10050 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
10051 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
10052 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
10053 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10056 @kindex B I (Summary)
10057 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
10058 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
10059 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
10060 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10063 @kindex B r (Summary)
10064 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
10065 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
10066 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
10067 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
10068 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
10069 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
10070 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
10071 (which is the default).
10075 @kindex B w (Summary)
10076 @kindex e (Summary)
10077 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
10078 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
10079 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
10080 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
10081 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
10082 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
10083 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
10086 @kindex B q (Summary)
10087 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
10088 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
10089 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
10090 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
10093 @kindex B t (Summary)
10094 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
10095 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
10096 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
10099 @kindex B p (Summary)
10100 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
10101 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
10102 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
10103 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
10104 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
10105 article from your news server (or rather, from
10106 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
10107 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
10108 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
10109 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
10110 just not have arrived yet.
10113 @kindex K E (Summary)
10114 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
10115 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
10116 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
10117 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
10118 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
10122 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
10123 @cindex moving articles
10124 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
10125 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10126 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10127 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10128 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10129 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10130 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10133 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10134 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10135 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10136 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10140 @node Various Summary Stuff
10141 @section Various Summary Stuff
10144 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10145 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10146 * Summary Generation Commands::
10147 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10151 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10152 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10153 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10154 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10155 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10156 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10158 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
10159 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
10160 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
10163 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10164 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10165 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10167 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10168 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10169 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10170 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10171 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10172 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10175 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10176 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10177 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10178 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10179 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10181 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10182 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10183 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10186 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10187 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10188 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10189 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10190 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10191 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10192 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
10193 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10194 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10195 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10197 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10198 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10199 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10200 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10201 list of articles to be selected.
10203 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10204 the list in one particular group:
10207 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10208 (if (string= group "some.group")
10209 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10213 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10214 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10215 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10216 variables and their default expressions to be evalled (when the default
10217 values are not @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary
10220 Note: The default expressions will be evaluated (using function
10221 @code{eval}) before assignment to the local variable rather than just
10222 assigned to it. If the default expression is the symbol @code{global},
10223 that symbol will not be evaluated but the global value of the local
10224 variable will be used instead.
10226 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
10227 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
10228 buffers. For example:
10231 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10232 '(message-use-followup-to
10233 (gnus-visible-headers .
10234 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10237 Also @pxref{Group Parameters}.
10241 @node Summary Group Information
10242 @subsection Summary Group Information
10247 @kindex H f (Summary)
10248 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
10249 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
10250 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} (list of frequently asked questions)
10251 for the current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try
10252 to get the @acronym{FAQ} from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which
10253 is usually a directory on a remote machine. This variable can also be
10254 a list of directories. In that case, giving a prefix to this command
10255 will allow you to choose between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp}
10256 or @code{efs} will probably be used for fetching the file.
10259 @kindex H d (Summary)
10260 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10261 Give a brief description of the current group
10262 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10263 rereading the description from the server.
10266 @kindex H h (Summary)
10267 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10268 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10269 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10272 @kindex H i (Summary)
10273 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10274 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10278 @node Searching for Articles
10279 @subsection Searching for Articles
10284 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10285 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10286 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10287 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10290 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10291 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10292 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10293 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10296 @kindex & (Summary)
10297 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10298 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10299 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10300 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10301 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10302 search backward instead.
10304 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
10305 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10308 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10309 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10310 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10311 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10314 @node Summary Generation Commands
10315 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10320 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10321 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10322 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10325 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10326 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10327 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10328 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10331 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10332 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10333 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10334 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10339 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10340 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10346 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10347 @kindex A D (Summary)
10348 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10349 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10350 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10351 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10352 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10353 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10354 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10355 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10359 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10360 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10361 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10362 several documents into one biiig group
10363 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10364 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10365 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10366 command understands the process/prefix convention
10367 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10370 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10371 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10372 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10373 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10374 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10375 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10378 @kindex = (Summary)
10379 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10380 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10381 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10384 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10385 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10386 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10387 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10390 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10391 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10392 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10393 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10398 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10399 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10400 @cindex summary exit
10401 @cindex exiting groups
10403 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10404 group and return you to the group buffer.
10411 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10412 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
10413 @kindex q (Summary)
10414 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10415 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10416 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10417 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10418 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10419 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10420 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10421 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10422 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10423 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10424 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10425 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10429 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10430 @kindex Q (Summary)
10431 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10432 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10433 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10437 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10438 @kindex c (Summary)
10439 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10440 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10441 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10442 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10445 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10446 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10447 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10448 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10451 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10452 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10453 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10454 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10458 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10459 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
10460 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10461 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10462 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10463 all articles, both read and unread.
10467 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10468 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10469 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10470 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10471 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10472 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10473 articles, both read and unread.
10476 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10477 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10478 Exit the group and go to the next group
10479 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10482 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10483 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10484 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10485 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10488 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10489 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10490 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10491 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10492 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10493 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10496 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10497 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10498 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10499 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10501 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10502 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10503 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10504 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10505 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10506 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10507 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10508 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10509 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10510 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10511 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10512 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10514 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10516 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10517 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10518 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10519 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10520 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10521 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10522 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10523 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10524 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10527 @node Crosspost Handling
10528 @section Crosspost Handling
10532 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10533 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10534 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10535 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10536 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10537 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10540 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10541 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10542 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10543 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10544 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10546 @cindex cross-posting
10548 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
10549 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10550 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
10551 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10552 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
10553 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10554 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10555 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10556 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10557 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10558 the cross reference mechanism.
10560 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10561 @cindex overview.fmt
10562 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10563 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10564 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10565 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10566 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10567 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10570 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10571 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10572 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10577 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10580 @node Duplicate Suppression
10581 @section Duplicate Suppression
10583 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10584 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10585 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10586 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10591 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10592 is evil and not very common.
10595 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10596 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10599 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10600 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
10603 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10606 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10607 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10609 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10610 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10611 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10612 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10613 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10614 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10615 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10618 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10619 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10620 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10621 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10622 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10623 saw the article in.
10626 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10627 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10628 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10630 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10631 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10632 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10633 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10634 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
10635 session are suppressed.
10637 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10638 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10639 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10640 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10642 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10643 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10644 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10645 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10648 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
10649 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10650 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10651 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10652 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
10653 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10654 to you to figure out, I think.
10659 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10660 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
10661 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
10666 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
10667 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
10668 to GnuPG included with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG
10669 Manual}), but Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10672 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10673 or newer is recommended.
10677 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10678 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10681 @item mm-verify-option
10682 @vindex mm-verify-option
10683 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10684 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10685 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10687 @item mm-decrypt-option
10688 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10689 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10690 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10691 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10694 @vindex mml1991-use
10695 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10696 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10697 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10701 @vindex mml2015-use
10702 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10703 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10704 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10709 @cindex snarfing keys
10710 @cindex importing PGP keys
10711 @cindex PGP key ring import
10712 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
10713 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
10714 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
10715 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
10716 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
10717 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
10718 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
10719 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
10720 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
10723 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
10726 This happens to also be the default action defined in
10727 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
10730 @section Mailing List
10731 @cindex mailing list
10734 @kindex A M (summary)
10735 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10736 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10737 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10738 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10741 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10746 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10747 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10748 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10751 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10752 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10753 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10756 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10757 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10758 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10762 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10763 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10764 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10767 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10768 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10769 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10772 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10773 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
10774 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10779 @node Article Buffer
10780 @chapter Article Buffer
10781 @cindex article buffer
10783 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10784 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10785 tell gnus otherwise.
10788 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10789 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
10790 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10791 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10792 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10796 @node Hiding Headers
10797 @section Hiding Headers
10798 @cindex hiding headers
10799 @cindex deleting headers
10801 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10802 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10804 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10805 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10806 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10807 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10808 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10809 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10810 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
10811 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10812 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10814 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10818 @item gnus-visible-headers
10819 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10820 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10821 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10822 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10824 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10825 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10828 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10831 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10834 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10835 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10836 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10837 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10838 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10839 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10841 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
10842 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
10845 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10848 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10851 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10852 variable will have no effect.
10856 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10857 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10858 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10859 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10860 the headers are to be displayed.
10862 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10863 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10866 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10869 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10870 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10872 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10873 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10874 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10875 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10876 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10877 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
10878 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10881 These conditions are:
10884 Remove all empty headers.
10886 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10887 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10889 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
10890 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
10893 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10896 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10897 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
10899 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10900 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10902 Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
10903 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10905 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10908 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10910 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10913 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10916 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10917 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10920 This is also the default value for this variable.
10924 @section Using MIME
10925 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
10927 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10928 while people stand around yawning.
10930 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10931 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10933 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10934 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10935 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10937 @vindex gnus-show-mime
10938 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
10939 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
10940 gnus handles @acronym{MIME} by pushing the articles through
10941 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
10942 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
10943 calls the @acronym{SEMI} MIME-View program to actually do the work. For
10944 more information on @acronym{SEMI} MIME-View, see its manual page
10945 (however it is not existed yet, sorry).
10947 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
10948 @acronym{MIME} all the time. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime} set,
10949 then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article buffer.
10950 These can't be avoided.
10952 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
10953 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
10954 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
10955 @acronym{MIME} has decoded the sound file in the article and some
10956 horrible sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you
10957 can't find the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are
10958 starting to look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't,
10959 and you can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else
10960 in the room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll
10961 feel rather stupid.)
10963 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10965 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
10966 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
10967 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
10968 buffer when there are nobody else.
10970 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10973 @node Customizing Articles
10974 @section Customizing Articles
10975 @cindex article customization
10977 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10978 exist. You can call these functions interactively
10979 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
10980 called automatically when you select the articles.
10982 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10983 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10984 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10985 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10987 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10988 for sensible values.
10992 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10995 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10998 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
11001 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
11004 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
11008 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
11009 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
11010 regexps in the list.
11013 A list where the first element is not a string:
11015 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
11016 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
11017 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
11021 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
11025 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
11030 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
11031 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
11032 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
11033 considered to contain just a single part.
11035 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
11036 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
11037 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
11038 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
11039 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
11040 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
11041 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
11043 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
11044 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
11045 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
11046 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
11049 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
11050 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
11052 @xref{Article Buttons}.
11054 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
11055 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
11056 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
11057 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
11058 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
11059 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
11060 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
11061 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
11062 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
11063 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
11064 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset (t, integer)
11066 @xref{Article Washing}.
11068 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
11069 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
11070 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
11071 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
11072 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
11073 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
11074 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
11076 @xref{Article Date}.
11078 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
11079 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
11080 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
11084 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
11086 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
11088 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
11089 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
11090 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
11094 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
11098 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
11102 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
11103 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
11104 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
11105 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
11106 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
11107 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
11108 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
11109 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
11110 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
11111 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
11113 @xref{Article Hiding}.
11115 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
11116 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
11117 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
11119 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
11121 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
11122 @item gnus-treat-translate
11123 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
11124 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
11126 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
11127 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
11128 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
11129 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
11131 @xref{Article Header}.
11136 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
11137 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
11138 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
11139 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
11140 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
11144 @node Article Keymap
11145 @section Article Keymap
11147 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
11148 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
11149 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
11150 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
11153 A few additional keystrokes are available:
11158 @kindex SPACE (Article)
11159 @findex gnus-article-next-page
11160 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
11161 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
11164 @kindex DEL (Article)
11165 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
11166 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
11167 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
11170 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
11171 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
11172 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
11173 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
11174 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
11177 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
11178 @findex gnus-article-mail
11179 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
11180 given a prefix, include the mail.
11183 @kindex s (Article)
11184 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
11185 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
11186 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
11189 @kindex ? (Article)
11190 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
11191 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
11192 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
11195 @kindex TAB (Article)
11196 @findex gnus-article-next-button
11197 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
11198 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
11201 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
11202 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
11203 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
11206 @kindex R (Article)
11207 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
11208 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
11209 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
11210 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11214 @kindex F (Article)
11215 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
11216 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
11217 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
11218 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11226 @section Misc Article
11230 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
11231 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
11232 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
11233 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
11236 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
11237 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
11238 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11239 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
11240 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
11242 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
11243 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
11244 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
11245 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
11246 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
11247 the contents of the article buffer.
11249 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
11250 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
11251 Hook called in article mode buffers.
11253 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11254 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11255 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
11256 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
11258 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
11259 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
11260 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
11261 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
11263 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
11264 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
11265 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
11266 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Summary Buffer Mode
11267 Line}). It accepts the same format specifications as that variable,
11268 with two extensions:
11273 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
11274 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
11275 performed. The characters and their meaning:
11280 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
11283 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
11286 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
11287 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
11288 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
11291 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
11294 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
11297 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
11302 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
11306 @vindex gnus-break-pages
11308 @item gnus-break-pages
11309 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
11310 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
11311 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
11312 paging will not be done.
11314 @item gnus-page-delimiter
11315 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
11316 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
11320 @cindex internationalized domain names
11321 @vindex gnus-use-idna
11322 @item gnus-use-idna
11323 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
11324 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
11325 @samp{Cc} headers. @xref{IDNA, ,IDNA,message, The Message Manual},
11326 for how to compose such messages. This requires
11327 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
11328 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
11333 @node Composing Messages
11334 @chapter Composing Messages
11335 @cindex composing messages
11338 @cindex sending mail
11343 @cindex using s/mime
11344 @cindex using smime
11346 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
11347 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
11348 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
11349 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
11350 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
11351 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
11354 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
11355 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
11356 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
11357 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
11358 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
11359 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
11360 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
11361 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
11362 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
11365 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
11366 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
11372 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
11375 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
11376 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
11377 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
11378 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
11379 @code{nil} include all headers.
11381 @item gnus-add-to-list
11382 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11383 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11384 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11386 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11387 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11388 This can also be a function receiving the group name as the only
11389 parameter which should return non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is
11390 needed, or a regular expression matching group names, where
11391 confirmation is should be asked for.
11393 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11394 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
11396 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11397 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11398 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11399 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11400 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11405 @node Posting Server
11406 @section Posting Server
11408 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11409 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11411 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11413 It can be quite complicated.
11415 @vindex gnus-post-method
11416 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11417 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11418 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11419 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11420 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11421 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11422 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11423 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11424 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11427 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11430 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11431 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11432 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11433 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11435 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11436 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11438 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11439 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11442 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11443 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11445 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11446 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11447 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11448 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11449 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @acronym{SMTP}
11450 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11451 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11452 package correctly. An example:
11455 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11456 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11457 ;; @r{The following variable needs to be set if you are using smtpmail.el}
11458 ;; @r{distributed with FLIM, lesser than the version 1.14.6.}
11459 (setq smtp-default-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11462 To the thing similar to this, there is
11463 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}. It is useful if your @acronym{ISP}
11464 requires the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication.
11465 @xref{POP before SMTP}.
11467 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11468 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11469 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11471 @node POP before SMTP
11472 @section POP before SMTP
11473 @cindex pop before smtp
11474 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
11475 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
11477 Does your @acronym{ISP} require the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
11478 authentication? It is whether you need to connect to the @acronym{POP}
11479 mail server within a certain time before sending mails. If so, there is
11480 a convenient way. To do that, put the following lines in your
11481 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
11484 (setq message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
11485 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
11489 It means to let Gnus connect to the @acronym{POP} mail server in advance
11490 whenever you send a mail. The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function
11491 does only a @acronym{POP} authentication according to the value of
11492 @code{mail-sources} without fetching mails, just before sending a mail.
11493 Note that you have to use @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} which runs
11494 @code{message-send-mail-hook} rather than @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
11495 set the value of @code{mail-sources} for a @acronym{POP} connection
11496 correctly. @xref{Mail Sources}.
11498 If you have two or more @acronym{POP} mail servers set in
11499 @code{mail-sources}, you may want to specify one of them to
11500 @code{mail-source-primary-source} as the @acronym{POP} mail server to be
11501 used for the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. If it
11502 is your primary @acronym{POP} mail server (i.e., you are fetching mails
11503 mainly from that server), you can set it permanently as follows:
11506 (setq mail-source-primary-source
11507 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11508 :password "secret"))
11512 Otherwise, bind it dynamically only when performing the
11513 @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication as follows:
11516 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook
11518 (let ((mail-source-primary-source
11519 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11520 :password "secret")))
11521 (mail-source-touch-pop))))
11524 @node Mail and Post
11525 @section Mail and Post
11527 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11531 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11532 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11533 @cindex mailing lists
11535 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11536 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
11537 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11538 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11539 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11540 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11541 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11542 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11543 still a pain, though.
11545 @item gnus-user-agent
11546 @vindex gnus-user-agent
11549 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
11550 User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
11551 Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
11552 @code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
11553 configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
11554 system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
11555 use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
11559 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11560 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11561 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11564 @findex ispell-message
11566 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11569 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11570 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11573 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11577 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11578 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11580 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11583 Modify to suit your needs.
11586 @node Archived Messages
11587 @section Archived Messages
11588 @cindex archived messages
11589 @cindex sent messages
11591 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11592 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11593 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11594 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11597 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11598 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11601 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11602 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
11603 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11606 (nnfolder "archive"
11607 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11608 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11609 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11610 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11613 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11614 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11615 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11616 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11619 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11620 '(nnfolder "archive"
11621 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11622 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11623 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11626 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11628 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11629 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11630 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11632 This variable can be used to do the following:
11636 Messages will be saved in that group.
11638 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11639 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11640 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11641 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11642 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11643 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11644 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11645 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11648 @item a list of strings
11649 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11651 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11652 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11655 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11660 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11662 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11665 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11667 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11670 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11672 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11673 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11674 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11675 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11678 More complex stuff:
11680 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11681 '((if (message-news-p)
11686 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11687 messages in one file per month:
11690 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11691 '((if (message-news-p)
11693 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11696 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11697 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11699 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11700 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11701 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11702 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11703 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11704 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11705 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11706 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11707 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11708 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11710 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11711 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11712 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11713 this will disable archiving.
11716 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11717 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11718 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11719 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11720 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11723 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11724 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11725 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11728 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11729 but the latter is the preferred method.
11731 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11732 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11733 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11735 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11736 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11737 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11738 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11739 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11740 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11741 changed in the future.
11746 @node Posting Styles
11747 @section Posting Styles
11748 @cindex posting styles
11751 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11753 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11754 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11755 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11758 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11759 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11760 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11761 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11762 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11767 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11768 (organization "What me?"))
11770 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11771 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11772 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11775 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11776 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11777 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11778 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11779 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11780 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11781 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11782 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11784 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11785 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11786 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
11787 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
11788 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
11789 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
11790 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
11791 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11792 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
11793 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11794 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11795 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
11796 said to @dfn{match}.
11798 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11799 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. In
11800 addition, you can also use the @code{(@var{name} :file @var{value})}
11801 form or the @code{(@var{name} :value @var{value})} form. Where
11802 @code{:file} signifies @var{value} represents a file name and its
11803 contents should be used as the attribute value, @code{:value} signifies
11804 @var{value} does not represent a file name explicitly. The attribute
11805 name can be one of:
11808 @item @code{signature}
11809 @item @code{signature-file}
11810 @item @code{x-face-file}
11811 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
11812 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
11816 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
11817 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
11818 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
11819 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
11820 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
11822 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11823 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11824 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11825 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11826 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11827 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11828 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11829 references chars lines xref extra.
11831 @vindex message-reply-headers
11833 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11834 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11835 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11837 @findex message-mail-p
11838 @findex message-news-p
11840 So here's a new example:
11843 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11845 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11847 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11848 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11850 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11851 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
11852 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11853 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
11854 (signature my-news-signature))
11855 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
11856 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11857 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
11858 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11859 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11860 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
11861 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11862 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11863 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11864 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11866 (From (save-excursion
11867 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11868 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11870 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11873 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11874 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11875 if you fill many roles.
11877 Setting the @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} variable will make
11878 posting-styles allow to have distinctive names. You can specify an
11879 arbitrary posting-style when article posting with @kbd{S P} in the
11880 summary buffer. @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} is an alist which maps
11881 the names to styles. Once a posting-style is added to the alist, we can
11882 import it from @code{gnus-posting-styles}. If an attribute whose name
11883 is @code{import} is found, Gnus will look for the attribute value in
11884 @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} and expand it in place.
11889 (setq gnus-named-posting-styles
11891 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11893 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11894 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11897 (organization "The Church of Emacs"))))
11900 The posting-style named "Emacs" will inherit all the attributes from
11901 "Default" except @code{organization}.
11908 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11909 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11910 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11911 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11912 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11914 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11915 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11916 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11917 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11918 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11922 @vindex nndraft-directory
11923 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11924 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11925 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11926 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11927 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11928 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11930 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11931 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11932 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
11933 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
11934 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
11935 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
11936 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
11937 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
11938 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
11940 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11941 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11942 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11943 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11944 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11945 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11946 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11947 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11948 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11949 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11950 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11951 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11952 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11953 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11955 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11956 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11957 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11959 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11960 @kindex D e (Draft)
11961 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11962 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11963 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11965 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11968 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11969 @kindex D s (Draft)
11970 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11971 @kindex D S (Draft)
11972 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11973 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11974 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11975 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11976 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11979 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
11980 @kindex D t (Draft)
11981 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11982 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11983 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11986 @node Rejected Articles
11987 @section Rejected Articles
11988 @cindex rejected articles
11990 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11991 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11992 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11993 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11995 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
11996 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11997 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11998 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
11999 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
12001 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
12002 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
12003 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
12005 @node Signing and encrypting
12006 @section Signing and encrypting
12008 @cindex using s/mime
12009 @cindex using smime
12011 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
12012 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
12013 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
12014 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
12016 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
12017 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
12018 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
12019 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
12020 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
12021 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
12022 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
12023 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
12024 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
12025 automatically encrypted messages.
12027 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
12028 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
12029 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
12034 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
12035 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
12037 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12040 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
12041 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12043 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12046 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
12047 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12049 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12052 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
12053 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
12055 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12058 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
12059 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
12061 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12064 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
12065 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
12067 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12070 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
12071 @findex mml-unsecure-message
12072 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
12076 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
12078 @node Select Methods
12079 @chapter Select Methods
12080 @cindex foreign groups
12081 @cindex select methods
12083 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
12084 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
12085 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
12086 personal mail group.
12088 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
12089 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
12090 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
12091 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
12092 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
12093 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
12095 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
12096 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
12098 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
12101 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
12102 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
12103 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
12104 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
12105 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
12107 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
12110 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
12111 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
12112 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
12113 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
12114 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
12115 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
12116 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
12117 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
12121 @node Server Buffer
12122 @section Server Buffer
12124 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
12125 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
12126 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
12127 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
12128 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
12129 back end represents a virtual server.
12131 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
12132 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
12133 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
12134 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
12136 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
12137 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
12138 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
12139 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
12140 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
12141 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
12142 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
12144 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
12145 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
12148 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
12149 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
12150 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
12151 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
12152 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
12153 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
12154 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
12157 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
12158 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
12161 @node Server Buffer Format
12162 @subsection Server Buffer Format
12163 @cindex server buffer format
12165 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
12166 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
12167 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
12168 variable, with some simple extensions:
12173 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
12176 The name of this server.
12179 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
12182 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
12185 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
12186 The mode line can also be customized by using the
12187 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
12188 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
12198 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
12201 @node Server Commands
12202 @subsection Server Commands
12203 @cindex server commands
12209 @findex gnus-server-add-server
12210 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
12214 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
12215 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
12218 @kindex SPACE (Server)
12219 @findex gnus-server-read-server
12220 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
12224 @findex gnus-server-exit
12225 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
12229 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
12230 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
12234 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
12235 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
12239 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
12240 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
12244 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
12245 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
12249 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
12250 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
12251 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
12256 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
12257 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
12258 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
12259 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
12264 @node Example Methods
12265 @subsection Example Methods
12267 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
12270 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
12273 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
12279 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
12280 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
12283 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
12284 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
12286 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
12287 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
12291 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
12294 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
12295 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
12297 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
12298 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
12299 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
12303 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
12306 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
12309 Here's the method for a public spool:
12313 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
12314 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
12320 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
12321 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
12322 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12323 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
12324 should probably look something like this:
12328 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
12329 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
12330 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
12331 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12334 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
12335 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
12336 configuration to the example above:
12339 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12342 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
12344 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
12345 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
12346 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
12350 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12351 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
12352 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
12353 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12356 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
12357 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
12358 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
12359 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
12362 @node Creating a Virtual Server
12363 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
12365 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
12366 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
12368 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
12369 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
12370 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
12372 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
12374 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
12375 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
12376 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
12377 will contain the following:
12387 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
12388 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
12391 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
12392 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
12393 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
12396 @node Server Variables
12397 @subsection Server Variables
12398 @cindex server variables
12399 @cindex server parameters
12401 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
12402 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
12403 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
12404 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
12405 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
12407 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
12408 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
12409 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
12410 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
12411 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
12412 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
12413 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
12414 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
12415 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
12419 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
12420 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
12421 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
12424 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
12426 @node Servers and Methods
12427 @subsection Servers and Methods
12429 Wherever you would normally use a select method
12430 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
12431 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
12432 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
12436 @node Unavailable Servers
12437 @subsection Unavailable Servers
12439 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
12440 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
12441 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
12442 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
12443 actually the case or not.
12445 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
12446 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
12447 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
12448 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
12449 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
12450 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
12451 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
12452 it will regard that server as ``down''.
12454 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
12455 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
12457 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
12458 with the following commands:
12464 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12465 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12466 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12470 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12471 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12472 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12476 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12477 Mark the current server as unreachable
12478 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12481 @kindex M-o (Server)
12482 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12483 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12484 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12487 @kindex M-c (Server)
12488 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12489 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12490 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12494 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12495 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12496 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12500 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12501 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12507 @section Getting News
12508 @cindex reading news
12509 @cindex news back ends
12511 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12512 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
12513 or it can read from a local spool.
12516 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12517 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12525 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
12526 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
12527 server as the, uhm, address.
12529 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12530 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12531 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12532 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12534 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12535 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12536 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12538 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12543 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12544 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12545 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12547 @cindex authentification
12548 @cindex nntp authentification
12549 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12550 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12551 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12552 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
12553 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12554 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12555 present in this hook.
12557 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12558 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12559 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12560 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12561 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
12562 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12563 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12564 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12565 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12566 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12567 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12568 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12572 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12575 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12577 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12578 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12579 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12580 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12581 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12582 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12583 @samp{force} is explained below.
12587 Here's an example file:
12590 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12591 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12594 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12595 have to be first, for instance.
12597 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12598 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12599 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12600 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12601 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12602 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12603 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12605 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12606 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12612 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12613 previously mentioned.
12615 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12617 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12618 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12619 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12620 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12621 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12624 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12625 '(("innd" (ding))))
12628 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12630 The default value is
12633 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12634 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12635 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12638 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12639 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12641 @item nntp-maximum-request
12642 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12643 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
12644 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12645 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12646 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12647 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12648 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12650 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12651 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12652 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12653 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
12654 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12655 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12656 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12657 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12658 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12659 no timeouts are done.
12661 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12662 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12663 @c @cindex PPP connections
12664 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12665 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12666 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12667 @c changes after connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will simply sit
12668 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12669 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12670 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12671 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12672 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12673 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12675 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12676 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12677 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12678 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12679 @c described above.
12681 @item nntp-server-hook
12682 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12683 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @acronym{NNTP}
12686 @item nntp-buggy-select
12687 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12688 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12690 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12691 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12692 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
12693 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
12696 @item nntp-xover-commands
12697 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12698 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
12700 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
12701 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12705 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12706 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
12707 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12708 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12709 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
12710 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12711 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12712 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12713 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12714 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12715 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12717 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12718 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12719 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12721 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12722 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12723 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12724 server closes connection.
12726 @item nntp-record-commands
12727 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12728 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12729 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12730 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
12731 that doesn't seem to work.
12733 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12734 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12735 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12736 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12737 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12738 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12739 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12740 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12742 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12743 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12744 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12745 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12746 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12747 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12748 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12751 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12754 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12755 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12757 @item nntp-read-timeout
12758 @vindex nntp-read-timeout
12759 How long nntp should wait between checking for the end of output.
12760 Shorter values mean quicker response, but is more CPU intensive. The
12761 default is 0.1 seconds. If you have a slow line to the server (and
12762 don't like to see Emacs eat your available CPU power), you might set
12765 @item nntp-list-options
12766 @vindex nntp-list-options
12767 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
12768 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
12769 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
12770 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
12771 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
12775 (setq gnus-select-method
12776 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12777 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
12780 @item nntp-options-subscribe
12781 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
12782 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
12783 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12784 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12785 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12786 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12789 (setq gnus-select-method
12790 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12791 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
12794 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
12795 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
12796 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
12797 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12798 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12799 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12800 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12803 (setq gnus-select-method
12804 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12805 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
12810 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12811 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12812 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12813 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
12817 @node Direct Functions
12818 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12819 @cindex direct connection functions
12821 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12822 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
12823 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12824 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12827 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12828 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12829 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12832 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
12833 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
12834 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12835 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
12836 installed. You then define a server as follows:
12839 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12840 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
12842 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12843 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
12844 (nntp-port-number )
12845 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12848 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12849 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12850 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12851 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
12852 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
12853 then define a server as follows:
12856 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12857 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
12859 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12860 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12861 (nntp-port-number 563)
12862 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12865 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12866 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12867 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12868 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12869 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12870 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12871 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12872 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12876 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12877 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12878 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12881 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12882 session, which is not a good idea.
12886 @node Indirect Functions
12887 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12888 @cindex indirect connection functions
12890 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12891 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12892 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12893 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
12894 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12895 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12898 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12899 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12900 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12901 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12902 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12904 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12907 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12908 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12909 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12910 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12912 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12913 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12914 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12915 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12916 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
12917 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12918 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
12919 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
12923 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
12924 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12926 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
12927 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
12928 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{netcat}
12929 (@uref{http://netcat.sourceforge.net/}) instead of @samp{telnet} to
12930 connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the intermediate host.
12932 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat}-specific variables:
12935 @item nntp-via-netcat-command
12936 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-command
12937 Command used to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the
12938 intermediate host. The default is @samp{nc}. You can also use other
12939 programs like @samp{connect}
12940 (@uref{http://www.imasy.or.jp/~gotoh/ssh/connect.html}) instead.
12942 @item nntp-via-netcat-switches
12943 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-switches
12944 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12945 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @code{nil}.
12947 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12948 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12949 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12951 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12952 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12953 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}.
12956 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12957 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12958 Does essentially also the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12959 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12961 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12964 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12965 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12966 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12969 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12970 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12971 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12972 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12974 @item nntp-via-user-password
12975 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12976 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12978 @item nntp-via-envuser
12979 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12980 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12981 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12982 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12984 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12985 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12986 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12987 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12991 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
12992 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12996 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
13001 @item nntp-via-user-name
13002 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
13003 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
13005 @item nntp-via-address
13006 @vindex nntp-via-address
13007 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
13012 @node Common Variables
13013 @subsubsection Common Variables
13015 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
13016 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
13021 @item nntp-pre-command
13022 @vindex nntp-pre-command
13023 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
13024 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
13025 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is
13026 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
13029 @vindex nntp-address
13030 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
13032 @item nntp-port-number
13033 @vindex nntp-port-number
13034 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13035 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
13036 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you may want to use integer ports rather
13037 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
13038 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
13039 not work with named ports.
13041 @item nntp-end-of-line
13042 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
13043 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
13044 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
13045 using a non native telnet connection function.
13047 @item nntp-telnet-command
13048 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
13049 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
13050 @samp{telnet}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
13051 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13054 @item nntp-telnet-switches
13055 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
13056 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
13062 @subsubsection NNTP marks
13063 @cindex storing NNTP marks
13065 Gnus stores marks (@pxref{Marking Articles}) for @acronym{NNTP}
13066 servers in marks files. A marks file records what marks you have set
13067 in a group and each file is specific to the corresponding server.
13068 Marks files are stored in @file{~/News/marks}
13069 (@code{nntp-marks-directory}) under a classic hierarchy resembling
13070 that of a news server, for example marks for the group
13071 @samp{gmane.discuss} on the news.gmane.org server will be stored in
13072 the file @file{~/News/marks/news.gmane.org/gmane/discuss/.marks}.
13074 Marks files are useful because you can copy the @file{~/News/marks}
13075 directory (using rsync, scp or whatever) to another Gnus installation,
13076 and it will realize what articles you have read and marked. The data
13077 in @file{~/News/marks} has priority over the same data in
13078 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
13080 Note that marks files are very much server-specific: Gnus remembers
13081 the article numbers so if you don't use the same servers on both
13082 installations things are most likely to break (most @acronym{NNTP}
13083 servers do not use the same article numbers as any other server).
13084 However, if you use servers A, B, C on one installation and servers A,
13085 D, E on the other, you can sync the marks files for A and then you'll
13086 get synchronization for that server between the two installations.
13088 Using @acronym{NNTP} marks can possibly incur a performance penalty so
13089 if Gnus feels sluggish, try setting the @code{nntp-marks-is-evil}
13090 variable to @code{t}. Marks will then be stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
13096 @item nntp-marks-is-evil
13097 @vindex nntp-marks-is-evil
13098 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any marks files. The
13099 default is @code{nil}.
13101 @item nntp-marks-directory
13102 @vindex nntp-marks-directory
13103 The directory where marks for nntp groups will be stored.
13109 @subsection News Spool
13113 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
13114 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
13115 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
13118 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
13119 anything else) as the address.
13121 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
13122 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
13123 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
13124 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
13128 @item nnspool-inews-program
13129 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
13130 Program used to post an article.
13132 @item nnspool-inews-switches
13133 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
13134 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
13136 @item nnspool-spool-directory
13137 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
13138 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
13139 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
13141 @item nnspool-nov-directory
13142 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
13143 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
13144 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
13146 @item nnspool-lib-dir
13147 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
13148 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
13150 @item nnspool-active-file
13151 @vindex nnspool-active-file
13152 The name of the active file.
13154 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
13155 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
13156 The name of the group descriptions file.
13158 @item nnspool-history-file
13159 @vindex nnspool-history-file
13160 The name of the news history file.
13162 @item nnspool-active-times-file
13163 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
13164 The name of the active date file.
13166 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
13167 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
13168 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
13171 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13172 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13174 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
13175 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
13176 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
13183 @section Getting Mail
13184 @cindex reading mail
13187 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
13191 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
13192 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
13193 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
13194 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
13195 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
13196 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
13197 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
13198 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
13199 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
13200 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
13201 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
13202 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
13203 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
13207 @node Mail in a Newsreader
13208 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
13210 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
13211 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
13212 of a culture shock.
13214 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
13215 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
13217 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
13218 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
13219 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
13220 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
13222 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
13224 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
13225 deleted? How awful!
13227 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
13228 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
13229 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
13230 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
13233 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
13234 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
13235 they want to treat a message.
13237 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
13238 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
13239 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
13240 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
13241 archived somewhere else.
13243 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
13244 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
13245 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
13246 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
13247 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
13249 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
13250 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
13251 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
13253 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
13254 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
13257 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
13258 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
13259 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
13260 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
13261 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
13263 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
13264 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
13265 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
13266 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
13267 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
13268 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
13272 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
13273 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
13275 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
13276 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
13277 and things will happen automatically.
13279 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
13280 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13283 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
13286 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
13287 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
13288 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
13289 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
13290 like any other group.
13292 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
13295 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13296 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13297 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13301 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
13302 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
13303 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
13306 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
13307 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
13308 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
13311 @node Splitting Mail
13312 @subsection Splitting Mail
13313 @cindex splitting mail
13314 @cindex mail splitting
13315 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
13317 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
13318 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
13319 to be split into groups.
13322 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13323 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13324 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13325 ("mail.other" "")))
13328 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
13329 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
13330 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
13331 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
13332 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
13333 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
13334 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
13337 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
13341 In that case, @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether
13342 the inserted text should be made lowercase. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
13344 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13345 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
13346 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
13347 mail belongs in that group.
13349 @cindex @samp{bogus} group
13350 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
13351 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{""} so that it matches any mails
13352 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
13353 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first rule
13354 to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled. In
13355 that case, all matching rules will ``win''.) If no rule matched, the mail
13356 will end up in the @samp{bogus} group. When new groups are created by
13357 splitting mail, you may want to run @code{gnus-group-find-new-groups} to
13358 see the new groups. This also applies to the @samp{bogus} group.
13360 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
13361 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
13362 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
13363 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
13364 thinks should carry this mail message.
13366 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
13367 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
13368 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
13369 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
13371 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
13372 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
13373 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
13374 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
13375 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{""}) group.
13377 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
13380 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
13381 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
13382 links. If that's the case for you, set
13383 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
13384 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
13386 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
13387 @findex nnmail-split-history
13388 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
13389 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
13390 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
13391 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
13394 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
13395 Header lines longer than the value of
13396 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
13399 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
13400 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
13401 By default the splitting codes @acronym{MIME} decodes headers so you
13402 can match on non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. The
13403 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset} variable specifies the default
13404 charset for decoding. The behaviour can be turned off completely by
13405 binding @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to @code{nil}, which is
13406 useful if you want to match articles based on the raw header data.
13408 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13409 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
13410 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
13411 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
13412 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
13413 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
13414 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
13415 other kinds of entries.)
13417 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
13418 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
13419 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
13420 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
13421 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
13422 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
13423 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
13424 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
13425 month's rent money.
13429 @subsection Mail Sources
13431 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
13432 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
13433 maildir, for instance.
13436 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
13437 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
13438 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
13442 @node Mail Source Specifiers
13443 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
13445 @cindex mail server
13448 @cindex mail source
13450 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
13451 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
13456 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
13459 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
13460 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
13461 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
13464 The following mail source types are available:
13468 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
13474 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
13475 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
13476 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
13480 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13483 An example file mail source:
13486 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
13489 Or using the default file name:
13495 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
13496 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
13497 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
13498 mail spool while moving the mail.
13500 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
13504 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
13507 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
13511 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
13514 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
13516 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
13519 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
13523 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
13524 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
13525 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
13526 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
13527 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
13528 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
13529 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
13530 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
13531 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
13532 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
13534 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13535 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
13536 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
13537 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
13543 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
13547 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
13551 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
13552 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
13553 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
13554 predicate are considered.
13558 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13562 An example directory mail source:
13565 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13570 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
13576 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
13577 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13580 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
13581 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13582 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13583 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13584 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13587 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
13591 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
13592 the user is prompted.
13595 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
13596 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13599 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13602 The valid format specifier characters are:
13606 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13607 included in this string.
13610 The name of the server.
13613 The port number of the server.
13616 The user name to use.
13619 The password to use.
13622 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13623 corresponding keywords.
13626 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13627 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13630 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13631 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13634 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
13635 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
13636 mail should be moved to.
13638 @item :authentication
13639 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13640 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13644 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this can be the symbol
13645 @code{ssl}, the symbol @code{tls} or others. The default is @code{nil}
13646 and use insecure connections. Note that for SSL/TLS, you need external
13647 programs and libraries:
13651 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL@. Requires OpenSSL (the program
13652 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
13653 library @samp{ssl.el}.
13655 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to SSL)@.
13656 Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13661 Non-@code{nil} if mail is to be left on the server and UIDL used for
13662 message retrieval. The default is @code{nil}.
13666 @vindex pop3-movemail
13667 @vindex pop3-leave-mail-on-server
13668 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13669 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used. If the
13670 @code{pop3-leave-mail-on-server} is non-@code{nil} the mail is to be
13671 left on the @acronym{POP} server after fetching when using
13672 @code{pop3-movemail}. Note that POP servers maintain no state
13673 information between sessions, so what the client believes is there and
13674 what is actually there may not match up. If they do not, then the whole
13675 thing can fall apart and leave you with a corrupt mailbox.
13677 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server,
13678 using the default user name, and default fetcher:
13684 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13687 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13688 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13691 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13694 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13698 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13699 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13700 contains exactly one mail.
13706 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13707 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13710 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13711 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13713 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13714 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13715 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13718 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13719 from locking problems).
13723 Two example maildir mail sources:
13726 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13727 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13731 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13736 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
13737 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
13738 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
13739 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
13740 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
13742 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
13743 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13749 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
13750 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13753 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13754 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
13757 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
13761 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
13765 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13766 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13767 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
13768 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13770 @item :authentication
13771 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13772 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13773 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13774 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13777 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13778 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
13779 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13785 The valid format specifier characters are:
13789 The name of the server.
13792 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
13795 The port number of the server.
13798 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13799 corresponding keywords.
13802 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13803 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13806 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13807 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13808 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
13809 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13810 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13811 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13814 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13815 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13816 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13817 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13820 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
13821 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
13825 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
13828 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13830 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13834 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
13835 @uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
13836 @uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
13838 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13839 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13841 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13847 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13848 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13851 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13855 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13859 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
13860 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
13864 An example webmail source:
13867 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13869 :password "secret")
13874 @item Common Keywords
13875 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13881 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
13882 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
13887 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13892 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13893 useful when you use local mail and news.
13898 @subsubsection Function Interface
13900 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13901 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13902 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13903 consider the following mail-source setting:
13906 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13907 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13910 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13911 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13912 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13913 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13914 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13916 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13919 @node Mail Source Customization
13920 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13922 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13923 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13927 @item mail-source-crash-box
13928 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13929 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
13930 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13932 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13933 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13934 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
13935 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
13936 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
13937 (This will only happen, when receiving new mail). You may also set
13938 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
13939 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
13941 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13942 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13943 If non-@code{nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
13944 files. This variable only applies when
13945 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
13947 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
13948 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
13949 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
13951 @item mail-source-directory
13952 @vindex mail-source-directory
13953 Directory where incoming mail source files (if any) will be stored. The
13954 default is @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for
13955 is to say where the incoming files will be stored if the variable
13956 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a number.
13958 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13959 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13960 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13961 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13962 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13963 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13965 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13966 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13967 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13969 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13970 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13971 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
13972 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13977 @node Fetching Mail
13978 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13980 @vindex mail-sources
13981 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13982 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13983 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13984 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13986 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13987 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13990 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
13991 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
13996 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13997 :password "secret")))
14000 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
14004 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
14005 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
14008 :password "secret")))
14012 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
14013 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
14014 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
14015 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
14016 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
14017 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
14021 @node Mail Back End Variables
14022 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
14024 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
14028 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
14029 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
14030 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
14031 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
14033 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
14034 @item nnmail-split-hook
14035 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
14036 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
14037 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
14038 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
14039 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
14040 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
14041 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
14042 in the buffer will show up in any files.
14043 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
14046 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14047 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14048 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14049 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14050 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
14051 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
14052 starting to handle the new mail) and
14053 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
14054 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
14055 default file modes the new mail files get:
14058 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14059 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
14061 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14062 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
14065 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
14066 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
14067 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
14068 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
14069 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
14070 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
14071 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
14073 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
14074 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
14075 @findex delete-file
14076 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
14078 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14079 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14080 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
14081 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
14082 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
14084 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14085 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14086 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
14087 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
14088 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
14090 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
14091 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
14092 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
14097 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
14098 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
14099 @cindex mail splitting
14100 @cindex fancy mail splitting
14102 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
14103 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
14104 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
14105 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
14106 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
14107 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
14109 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
14112 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
14113 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
14114 ;; @r{from real errors.}
14115 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
14117 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
14118 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
14119 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
14120 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
14121 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
14122 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
14123 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
14124 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
14125 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
14126 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
14127 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
14128 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
14129 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
14130 (any "mypackage@@somewhere" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
14131 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
14132 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
14133 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
14137 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
14138 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
14139 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
14144 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
14145 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
14147 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split})
14148 If the split is a list, the first element of which is a string, then
14149 store the message as specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field}
14150 (a regexp) contains @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict}
14151 (yet another regexp) matches some string after @var{field} and before
14152 the end of the matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If
14153 none of the @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
14155 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
14156 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
14157 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
14158 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
14159 stored in one or more groups.
14161 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
14162 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
14163 process all @var{split}s in the list.
14166 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
14167 this message. Use with extreme caution.
14169 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
14170 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
14171 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
14172 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
14175 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
14176 body of the messages:
14179 (defun split-on-body ()
14183 (goto-char (point-min))
14184 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
14188 The buffer is narrowed to the message in question when @var{function}
14189 is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called after
14190 @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
14191 above. Also note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will
14192 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
14193 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
14194 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
14196 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
14197 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
14198 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
14199 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
14200 should return a split.
14203 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
14207 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
14208 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
14209 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
14210 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
14211 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
14213 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
14214 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
14215 they are expanded as specified by the variable
14216 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
14217 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
14218 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
14219 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
14223 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
14225 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
14226 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
14228 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
14231 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
14232 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
14233 when all this splitting is performed.
14235 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
14236 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
14237 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
14240 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
14243 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
14244 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
14246 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
14247 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
14248 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
14249 groupings 1 through 9.
14251 @vindex nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded
14252 Where @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether the
14253 lowercase of the matched string should be used for the substitution.
14254 Setting it as non-@code{nil} is useful to avoid the creation of multiple
14255 groups when users send to an address using different case
14256 (i.e. mailing-list@@domain vs Mailing-List@@Domain). The default value
14259 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
14260 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} controls whether partial
14261 words are matched during fancy splitting.
14263 Normally, regular expressions given in @code{nnmail-split-fancy} are
14264 implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers, which are word
14265 delimiters. If this variable is true, they are not implicitly
14266 surrounded by anything.
14269 (any "joe" "joemail")
14272 In this example, messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will
14273 normally not be filed in @samp{joemail}. With
14274 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} set to t, however, the
14275 match will happen. In effect, the requirement of a word boundary is
14276 removed and instead the match becomes more like a grep.
14278 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
14279 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
14280 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
14281 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
14282 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
14283 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
14284 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
14285 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
14286 it once per thread.
14288 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
14289 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
14290 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
14291 using the colon feature, like so:
14293 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
14294 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
14296 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
14297 ;; @r{other splits go here}
14301 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
14302 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
14303 in the file specified by the variable
14304 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
14305 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
14306 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
14307 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
14308 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
14309 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
14310 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
14311 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
14312 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
14313 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
14314 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
14315 300 kBytes in size.)
14316 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14317 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
14318 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
14319 messages goes into the new group.
14321 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
14322 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
14323 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
14324 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
14325 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
14326 ``outgoing'' group.
14329 @node Group Mail Splitting
14330 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
14331 @cindex mail splitting
14332 @cindex group mail splitting
14334 @findex gnus-group-split
14335 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
14336 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
14337 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
14338 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
14339 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
14340 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
14341 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
14342 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
14344 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
14345 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
14346 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
14347 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
14349 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
14350 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
14351 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
14352 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
14353 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
14354 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
14355 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
14357 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
14358 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
14359 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
14360 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
14361 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
14362 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
14363 @code{gnus-group-split}.
14365 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
14366 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
14367 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
14368 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
14369 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
14370 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
14371 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
14372 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
14373 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
14374 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
14375 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
14376 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
14377 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
14379 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
14384 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
14385 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
14387 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
14388 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
14389 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
14390 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
14392 ((split-spec . catch-all))
14395 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
14396 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
14397 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
14400 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
14401 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
14402 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
14406 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
14407 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
14408 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
14412 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
14415 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
14416 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
14417 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
14418 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
14419 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
14420 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
14421 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
14422 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
14423 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
14425 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
14426 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
14427 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
14428 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
14429 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
14430 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
14431 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
14432 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
14433 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
14435 @findex gnus-group-split-update
14436 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
14437 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
14438 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
14439 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
14440 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
14443 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
14446 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
14447 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
14448 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
14449 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
14450 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
14453 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
14454 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
14455 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
14456 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
14458 @node Incorporating Old Mail
14459 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
14460 @cindex incorporating old mail
14461 @cindex import old mail
14463 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
14464 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
14465 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
14468 Doing so can be quite easy.
14470 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
14471 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
14472 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
14473 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
14474 your @code{nnml} groups.
14480 Go to the group buffer.
14483 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
14484 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14487 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
14490 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
14491 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14494 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
14495 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
14498 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
14499 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
14500 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
14501 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
14502 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
14504 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
14505 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
14506 using the new mail back end.
14509 @node Expiring Mail
14510 @subsection Expiring Mail
14511 @cindex article expiry
14513 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
14514 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
14515 different approach to mail reading.
14517 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
14518 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
14519 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
14520 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
14521 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
14522 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
14525 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
14526 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
14527 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
14528 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
14529 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
14530 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
14531 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
14532 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
14533 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
14535 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
14536 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
14537 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
14538 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
14539 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
14540 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
14541 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
14544 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
14545 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
14546 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
14547 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
14548 into its own group.)
14550 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
14551 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
14552 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
14553 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
14554 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
14555 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
14556 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
14557 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
14560 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14561 Groups that match the regular expression
14562 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
14563 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
14564 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
14566 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
14567 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
14568 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
14569 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
14570 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14572 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
14574 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
14575 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
14576 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
14579 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
14580 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
14581 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
14582 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
14583 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
14585 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
14586 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
14589 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14590 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
14593 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
14594 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
14596 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
14597 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
14598 don't really mix very well.
14600 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
14601 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
14602 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
14603 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
14606 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
14607 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
14608 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
14609 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
14612 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14614 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14616 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
14618 ((string= group "mail.junk")
14620 ((string= group "important")
14626 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
14627 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
14629 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
14630 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
14631 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
14634 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
14635 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14637 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
14638 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
14639 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
14640 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
14641 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
14642 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
14643 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
14644 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
14645 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
14646 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
14647 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
14648 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
14649 name or @code{delete}.
14651 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
14653 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
14656 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14657 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14658 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
14659 expire mail to groups according to the variable
14660 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
14663 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14664 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14665 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
14666 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
14667 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
14670 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
14671 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
14672 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
14673 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
14674 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
14675 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14677 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14678 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14679 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14680 easier for procmail users.
14682 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14683 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14684 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14685 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14686 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14687 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14688 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14689 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14690 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14691 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14692 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14693 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14694 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14697 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14699 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14700 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14701 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14702 auto-expire turned on.
14706 @subsection Washing Mail
14707 @cindex mail washing
14708 @cindex list server brain damage
14709 @cindex incoming mail treatment
14711 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
14712 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
14713 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
14714 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
14715 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
14716 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
14718 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
14719 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
14720 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
14723 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
14724 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
14725 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
14726 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
14729 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14730 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14731 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
14732 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
14733 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
14736 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14737 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14738 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
14739 Emacs running on MS machines.
14743 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14744 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14745 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
14746 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
14749 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14750 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14751 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
14752 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
14754 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
14755 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
14756 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
14757 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
14758 into a feature by documenting it.)
14760 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14761 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14762 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
14763 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
14764 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
14765 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
14766 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
14769 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
14770 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
14773 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
14774 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14777 This can also be done non-destructively with
14778 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14780 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14781 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14782 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14784 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14785 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14787 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14788 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14789 @code{References} headers.
14793 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14794 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14795 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14799 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14800 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14801 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14808 @subsection Duplicates
14810 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14811 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14812 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14813 @cindex duplicate mails
14814 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14815 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14816 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14817 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14818 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14819 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14820 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14821 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14822 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14823 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14824 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14825 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14826 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14828 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14829 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14830 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14831 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14833 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14836 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14837 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14841 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14842 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
14843 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14844 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
14845 (any mail "mail.misc")
14846 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14852 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14853 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14854 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14858 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14859 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14860 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14861 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14862 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14865 @node Not Reading Mail
14866 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14868 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14869 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14870 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14872 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14873 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14874 mail, which should help.
14876 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14877 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14878 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14879 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14880 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14881 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14882 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old Rmail
14883 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14884 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14885 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14886 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14888 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14889 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14893 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14894 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14896 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14897 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14898 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14900 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14901 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14902 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14906 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14907 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
14908 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14909 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14910 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
14911 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14912 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14916 @node Unix Mail Box
14917 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14919 @cindex unix mail box
14921 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14922 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14923 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14924 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14925 which group it belongs in.
14927 Virtual server settings:
14930 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14931 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14932 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14935 @item nnmbox-active-file
14936 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14937 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14938 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14940 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14941 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14942 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14943 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14948 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14952 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14953 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14954 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{Rmail
14955 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14956 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14958 Virtual server settings:
14961 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14962 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14963 The name of the Rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14965 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14966 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14967 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14968 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14970 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14971 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14972 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14978 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14980 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
14982 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14983 format. It should be used with some caution.
14985 @vindex nnml-directory
14986 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14987 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14988 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14989 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14991 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14994 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14995 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14996 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14997 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14998 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14999 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
15000 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
15001 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
15003 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
15004 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
15005 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
15006 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
15008 @cindex self contained nnml servers
15010 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
15011 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15012 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15013 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
15014 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
15015 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
15016 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
15017 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
15020 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
15021 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
15022 them next time it starts.
15024 Virtual server settings:
15027 @item nnml-directory
15028 @vindex nnml-directory
15029 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
15030 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
15033 @item nnml-active-file
15034 @vindex nnml-active-file
15035 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
15036 @file{~/Mail/active}.
15038 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
15039 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
15040 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15041 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
15043 @item nnml-get-new-mail
15044 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
15045 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
15048 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
15049 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
15050 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15051 default is @code{nil}.
15053 @item nnml-nov-file-name
15054 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
15055 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
15057 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
15058 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
15059 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
15061 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
15062 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
15063 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15064 default is @code{nil}.
15066 @item nnml-marks-file-name
15067 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
15068 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
15070 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
15071 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
15072 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
15077 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
15078 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of
15079 whack, you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
15080 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
15081 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
15082 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
15083 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
15088 @subsubsection MH Spool
15090 @cindex mh-e mail spool
15092 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
15093 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks
15094 file. This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than
15095 @code{nnml}, but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts
15098 Virtual server settings:
15101 @item nnmh-directory
15102 @vindex nnmh-directory
15103 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
15104 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
15107 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
15108 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
15109 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
15113 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
15114 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
15115 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks
15116 they are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
15117 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
15118 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not
15119 have to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
15124 @subsubsection Maildir
15128 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
15129 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
15130 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
15131 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. @code{nnmaildir}
15132 also stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory
15135 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
15136 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
15137 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
15138 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
15139 can still do that with @code{nnmaildir}, but the more common
15140 configuration is to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs
15141 that appear as group in Gnus.
15143 @code{nnmaildir} is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will
15144 never corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never
15145 corrupt its data in the filesystem.
15147 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each
15148 maildir. So you can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to
15149 another, and you will keep your marks.
15151 Virtual server settings:
15155 For each of your @code{nnmaildir} servers (it's very unlikely that
15156 you'd need more than one), you need to create a directory and populate
15157 it with maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not
15158 choose a directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir
15159 will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
15160 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
15161 in the directory starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is
15162 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
15163 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
15164 @code{nnmaildir} notices at these times.
15166 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
15167 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
15168 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
15169 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
15170 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
15171 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
15172 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
15173 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
15174 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
15175 if @code{nnmaildir} uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical
15178 @item target-prefix
15179 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
15180 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
15181 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
15184 When you create a group on an @code{nnmaildir} server, the maildir is
15185 created with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
15186 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
15187 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
15188 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
15189 the group @code{foo}, @code{nnmaildir} will create
15190 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
15191 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
15192 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
15194 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
15195 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
15196 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
15197 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
15198 symlinks pointing to them will be).
15200 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
15201 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
15202 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
15203 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
15204 @code{force} argument.
15206 @item directory-files
15207 This should be a function with the same interface as
15208 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
15209 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
15210 parameter is optional; the default is
15211 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
15212 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
15213 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
15214 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
15215 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
15216 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
15219 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
15220 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
15221 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
15222 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
15223 value is @code{nil}.
15225 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
15226 an @code{nnmaildir} group. The results might happen to be useful, but
15227 that would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be
15228 different in the future. If your split rules create new groups,
15229 remember to supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
15232 @subsubsection Group parameters
15234 @code{nnmaildir} uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore
15235 all this; the default behavior for @code{nnmaildir} is the same as the
15236 default behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after
15237 one week, etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this
15238 functionality is unique to @code{nnmaildir}, so you can ignore it if
15239 you're just trying to duplicate the behavior you already have with
15242 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
15243 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
15244 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
15245 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
15246 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
15247 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
15248 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
15249 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
15250 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
15254 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article
15255 before it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
15256 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
15257 @code{nnmaildir} falls back to the usual
15258 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (overrideable by
15259 the @code{expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) group parameters. If you
15260 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
15261 60 60)]}; @code{nnmaildir} will evaluate the form and use the result.
15262 An article's age is measured starting from the article file's
15263 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
15264 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
15265 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
15268 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
15270 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
15272 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
15273 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
15274 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an @code{nnmaildir}
15275 group, the article will be just as old in the destination group as it
15276 was in the source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
15277 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
15278 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
15279 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
15280 article. So that form can refer to
15281 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
15282 article. @emph{If this parameter is not set, @code{nnmaildir} does
15283 not fall back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
15284 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
15287 If this is set to @code{t}, @code{nnmaildir} will treat the articles
15288 in this maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed
15289 from @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in
15290 @file{new/}, not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles
15291 cannot be edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the
15292 @file{new/} directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox
15293 containing a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the
15294 maildir outside @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for
15295 a shared mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or
15296 have write permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't
15297 contain extra copies of the articles.
15299 @item directory-files
15300 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
15301 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
15302 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
15303 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
15305 @item distrust-Lines:
15306 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmaildir} will always count the lines of an
15307 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
15308 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
15311 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever
15312 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15313 say that all articles have these marks, regardless of whether the
15314 marks stored in the filesystem say so. This is a proof-of-concept
15315 feature that will probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done
15316 in Gnus proper, or abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15319 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
15320 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15321 say that no articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks
15322 stored in the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
15323 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
15324 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
15325 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15327 @item nov-cache-size
15328 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To
15329 speed things up, @code{nnmaildir} keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory
15330 for a limited number of articles in each group. (This is probably not
15331 worthwhile, and will probably be removed in the future.) This
15332 parameter's value is noticed only the first time a group is seen after
15333 the server is opened---i.e., when you first start Gnus, typically.
15334 The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized until the server is closed
15335 and reopened. The default is an estimate of the number of articles
15336 that would be displayed in the summary buffer: a count of articles
15337 that are either marked with @code{tick} or not marked with
15338 @code{read}, plus a little extra.
15341 @subsubsection Article identification
15342 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
15343 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
15344 contains no colons. @code{nnmaildir} ignores, but preserves, the
15345 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
15346 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
15347 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
15348 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
15349 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
15350 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
15351 request the article in the summary buffer.
15353 @subsubsection NOV data
15354 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used
15355 to generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
15356 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
15357 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
15358 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically
15359 when the article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can
15360 force @code{nnmaildir} to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a
15361 single article simply by deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV}
15362 file, but @emph{beware}: this will also cause @code{nnmaildir} to
15363 assign a new article number for this article, which may cause trouble
15364 with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
15366 @subsubsection Article marks
15367 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
15368 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
15369 When Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for a group's marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15370 looks for such files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus
15371 asks @code{nnmaildir} to store a new set of marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15372 creates and deletes the corresponding files as needed. (Actually,
15373 rather than create a new file for each mark, it just creates hard
15374 links to @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
15376 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
15377 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
15378 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
15379 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
15380 this while Gnus is running and your @code{nnmaildir} server is open,
15381 it's best to exit all summary buffers for @code{nnmaildir} groups and
15382 type @kbd{s} in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or
15383 @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not
15384 pick up the changes, and might undo them.
15388 @subsubsection Mail Folders
15390 @cindex mbox folders
15391 @cindex mail folders
15393 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a
15394 separate file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.
15395 @code{nnfolder} will add extra headers to keep track of article
15396 numbers and arrival dates.
15398 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
15400 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
15401 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15402 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15403 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
15404 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
15405 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
15406 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder}
15407 directory. Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to
15408 backup, use @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup
15409 into the @code{nnfolder} directory).
15411 Virtual server settings:
15414 @item nnfolder-directory
15415 @vindex nnfolder-directory
15416 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this
15417 directory. The default is the value of @code{message-directory}
15418 (whose default is @file{~/Mail})
15420 @item nnfolder-active-file
15421 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
15422 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
15424 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15425 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15426 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15427 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
15429 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
15430 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
15431 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The
15432 default is @code{t}
15434 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15435 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15436 @cindex backup files
15437 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
15438 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If
15439 you wish to switch this off, you could say something like the
15440 following in your @file{.emacs} file:
15443 (defun turn-off-backup ()
15444 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
15446 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
15449 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15450 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15451 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
15452 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
15453 extract some information from it before removing it.
15455 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15456 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15457 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15458 default is @code{nil}.
15460 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15461 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15462 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
15464 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
15465 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
15466 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
15467 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15469 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15470 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15471 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15472 default is @code{nil}.
15474 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15475 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15476 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
15478 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
15479 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
15480 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
15481 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15486 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
15487 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
15488 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
15489 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
15490 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
15491 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
15494 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
15495 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
15497 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
15498 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
15499 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
15500 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
15501 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
15503 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
15504 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
15505 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
15506 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
15507 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
15508 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
15509 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
15510 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
15513 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
15514 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
15515 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
15516 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
15521 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
15522 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
15523 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
15524 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
15525 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
15526 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
15527 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
15528 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
15529 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
15530 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
15531 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
15532 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
15533 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
15538 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
15539 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
15540 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
15541 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
15542 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
15543 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
15544 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
15545 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
15546 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
15547 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
15548 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
15549 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
15550 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
15551 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
15553 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
15554 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
15559 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
15560 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
15561 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
15562 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
15563 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
15564 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
15565 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
15566 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
15567 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
15568 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
15569 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
15570 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
15571 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
15572 provided by the active file and overviews.
15574 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
15575 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
15576 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
15577 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
15578 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
15581 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
15582 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
15587 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
15588 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
15589 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
15590 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
15591 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
15592 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
15593 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
15597 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
15598 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
15599 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
15600 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
15601 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
15602 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
15603 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
15604 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
15605 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
15607 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
15608 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
15609 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
15610 friendly mail back end all over.
15614 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
15615 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
15618 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
15619 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
15620 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
15621 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
15622 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
15623 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
15624 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
15625 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
15628 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
15629 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
15630 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
15631 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
15632 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
15633 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
15634 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
15635 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
15636 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
15637 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
15638 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
15640 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
15641 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
15642 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
15643 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
15644 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
15647 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
15648 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
15649 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
15650 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
15651 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
15652 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
15653 removed in the future.
15655 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
15656 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
15657 on your file system.
15659 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
15660 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
15665 @node Browsing the Web
15666 @section Browsing the Web
15668 @cindex browsing the web
15672 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
15673 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
15674 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
15675 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
15676 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
15677 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
15678 even know what a news group is.
15680 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
15681 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
15682 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
15683 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
15684 you mad in the end.
15686 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
15689 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
15690 interfaces to these sources.
15694 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
15695 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
15696 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
15697 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
15698 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
15699 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
15702 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
15704 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
15705 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
15706 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
15707 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
15708 though, you should be ok.
15710 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
15711 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
15712 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
15713 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
15714 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
15716 @node Archiving Mail
15717 @subsection Archiving Mail
15718 @cindex archiving mail
15719 @cindex backup of mail
15721 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
15722 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
15723 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
15724 marks is fairly simple.
15726 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
15727 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
15730 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
15731 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
15732 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
15733 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
15734 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
15735 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
15736 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
15737 before you restore the data.
15739 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
15740 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
15741 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
15742 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
15743 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
15744 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
15745 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
15746 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
15747 is unnecessary in that case.
15750 @subsection Web Searches
15755 @cindex Usenet searches
15756 @cindex searching the Usenet
15758 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
15759 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
15760 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
15761 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
15762 searches without having to use a browser.
15764 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
15765 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
15766 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
15767 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
15768 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
15770 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
15771 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
15772 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
15773 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
15774 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
15775 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
15776 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
15777 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
15778 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
15779 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
15782 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
15783 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
15784 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'@^etre} is to
15785 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
15786 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
15787 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
15789 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
15790 to use @code{nnweb}.
15792 Virtual server variables:
15797 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
15798 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
15799 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
15802 @vindex nnweb-search
15803 The search string to feed to the search engine.
15805 @item nnweb-max-hits
15806 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
15807 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
15810 @item nnweb-type-definition
15811 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
15812 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
15813 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
15818 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
15822 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
15825 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
15828 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
15832 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
15839 @subsection Slashdot
15843 @uref{http://slashdot.org/, Slashdot} is a popular news site, with
15844 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
15845 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
15847 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
15848 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
15851 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15852 '((nnslashdot "")))
15855 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
15856 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
15857 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
15858 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
15859 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
15862 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
15863 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
15865 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
15866 comments), some light @acronym{HTML}izations will be performed. In
15867 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
15868 @samp{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @samp{br} added to
15869 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @acronym{HTML}
15870 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
15871 @acronym{HTML} forms.
15873 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
15876 @item nnslashdot-threaded
15877 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
15878 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
15879 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
15880 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
15881 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
15882 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
15884 @item nnslashdot-login-name
15885 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
15886 The login name to use when posting.
15888 @item nnslashdot-password
15889 @vindex nnslashdot-password
15890 The password to use when posting.
15892 @item nnslashdot-directory
15893 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
15894 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
15895 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
15897 @item nnslashdot-active-url
15898 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
15899 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the
15900 information on news articles and comments. The default is@*
15901 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
15903 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
15904 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
15905 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch comments.
15907 @item nnslashdot-article-url
15908 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
15909 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the news
15910 article. The default is
15911 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
15913 @item nnslashdot-threshold
15914 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
15915 The score threshold. The default is -1.
15917 @item nnslashdot-group-number
15918 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
15919 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
15920 updated. The default is 0.
15927 @subsection Ultimate
15929 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
15931 @uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/, The Ultimate Bulletin Board} is
15932 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
15933 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
15934 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15936 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
15937 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
15938 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @acronym{URL}
15939 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
15940 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
15941 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
15942 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
15944 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
15947 @item nnultimate-directory
15948 @vindex nnultimate-directory
15949 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is@*
15950 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
15955 @subsection Web Archive
15957 @cindex Web Archive
15959 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
15960 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
15961 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
15962 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15965 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
15966 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
15967 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
15968 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET @var{an_egroup} RET egroups RET
15969 www.egroups.com RET @var{your@@email.address} RET}. (Substitute the
15970 @var{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
15971 @var{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
15972 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
15974 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
15977 @item nnwarchive-directory
15978 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
15979 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is@*
15980 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
15982 @item nnwarchive-login
15983 @vindex nnwarchive-login
15984 The account name on the web server.
15986 @item nnwarchive-passwd
15987 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
15988 The password for your account on the web server.
15996 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
15997 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
15998 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
15999 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
16000 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
16002 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
16003 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
16005 @kindex G R (Summary)
16006 Use @kbd{G R} from the summary buffer to subscribe to a feed---you
16007 will be prompted for the location of the feed.
16009 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
16010 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET y}, then
16011 subscribe to groups.
16014 You can also use the following commands to import and export your
16015 subscriptions from a file in @acronym{OPML} format (Outline Processor
16018 @defun nnrss-opml-import file
16019 Prompt for an @acronym{OPML} file, and subscribe to each feed in the
16023 @defun nnrss-opml-export
16024 Write your current @acronym{RSS} subscriptions to a buffer in
16025 @acronym{OPML} format.
16028 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
16031 @item nnrss-directory
16032 @vindex nnrss-directory
16033 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
16034 @file{~/News/rss/}.
16036 @item nnrss-use-local
16037 @vindex nnrss-use-local
16038 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
16039 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
16040 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
16041 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
16042 download script using @command{wget}.
16045 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
16046 the summary buffer.
16049 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
16050 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
16052 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
16054 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
16055 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
16058 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
16061 (require 'browse-url)
16063 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
16065 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
16068 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
16069 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
16072 (browse-url (cdr url))
16073 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
16074 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
16076 (eval-after-load "gnus"
16077 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
16078 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
16079 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
16082 @node Customizing w3
16083 @subsection Customizing w3
16089 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
16090 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
16091 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
16093 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
16094 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
16095 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
16098 (eval-after-load "w3"
16100 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
16101 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
16102 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
16103 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
16105 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
16108 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
16109 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
16116 @cindex @acronym{IMAP}
16118 @acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
16119 think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
16120 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
16121 specify the network address of the server.
16123 @acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
16124 everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
16125 @acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
16126 similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
16127 @acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
16128 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
16130 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
16131 entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
16132 the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
16133 not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
16135 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
16136 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
16137 manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
16138 usage explained in this section.
16140 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP}
16141 servers might look something like the following. (Note that for
16142 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you need external programs and libraries,
16146 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
16147 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
16148 ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
16150 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16151 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
16152 ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
16154 (nnimap-server-port 143)
16155 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16156 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
16157 ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
16158 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
16159 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
16160 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
16161 (nnimap-stream network))
16162 ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
16164 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
16165 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
16166 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
16169 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
16170 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
16171 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
16172 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
16174 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
16179 @item nnimap-address
16180 @vindex nnimap-address
16182 The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
16183 server name if not specified.
16185 @item nnimap-server-port
16186 @vindex nnimap-server-port
16187 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
16189 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
16192 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16193 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
16196 @item nnimap-list-pattern
16197 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
16198 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
16199 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
16200 interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
16201 @acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
16202 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
16204 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
16205 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
16206 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
16209 Example server specification:
16212 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16213 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
16214 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
16217 @item nnimap-stream
16218 @vindex nnimap-stream
16219 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
16220 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
16221 of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over
16222 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can
16223 be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
16225 Example server specification:
16228 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16229 (nnimap-stream ssl))
16232 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
16236 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
16237 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
16239 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
16241 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
16242 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
16245 @dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
16246 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
16248 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
16249 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
16251 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
16253 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
16256 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
16257 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
16258 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
16259 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
16260 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
16261 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
16262 restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
16263 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
16264 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
16267 For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
16268 needed. It is available from
16269 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
16271 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
16272 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
16273 authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
16274 sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
16275 exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
16276 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
16277 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
16280 @vindex imap-ssl-program
16281 For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
16282 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
16283 and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
16284 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
16285 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
16286 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
16289 @vindex imap-shell-program
16290 @vindex imap-shell-host
16291 For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
16292 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
16294 @item nnimap-authenticator
16295 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
16297 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
16298 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
16300 Example server specification:
16303 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16304 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
16307 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
16311 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
16312 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
16314 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
16317 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
16318 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
16320 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
16322 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
16324 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as ``anonymous'', supplying your email address as password.
16327 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
16329 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
16330 Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers have decided things that
16331 don't exist actually do exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
16332 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
16333 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
16334 nnimap does when you delete an article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
16337 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
16338 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
16339 running in circles yet?
16341 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
16342 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
16345 The possible options are:
16350 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
16353 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
16354 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
16355 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
16356 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
16358 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
16363 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
16364 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
16366 If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
16367 well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
16368 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
16369 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
16370 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
16373 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
16374 enable per-user persistent dormant flags, using something like:
16377 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
16378 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16379 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
16380 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16383 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
16384 as ticked for other users.
16386 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
16388 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
16390 This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
16391 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
16392 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
16393 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
16395 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
16396 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
16397 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
16398 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
16400 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
16401 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
16403 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
16404 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
16405 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
16406 @ref{NNTP}. An example of an .authinfo line for an IMAP server, is:
16409 machine students.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis port imap
16412 Note that it should be @code{port imap}, or @code{port 143}, if you
16413 use a @code{nnimap-stream} of @code{tls} or @code{ssl}, even if the
16414 actual port number used is port 993 for secured IMAP. For
16415 convenience, Gnus will accept @code{port imaps} as a synonym of
16418 @item nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16419 @vindex nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16421 Unselect mailboxes before looking for new mail in them. Some servers
16422 seem to need this under some circumstances; it was reported that
16428 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
16429 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
16430 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
16431 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
16432 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
16433 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
16438 @node Splitting in IMAP
16439 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
16440 @cindex splitting imap mail
16442 Splitting is something Gnus users have loved and used for years, and now
16443 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
16444 @acronym{IMAP} servers have server side splitting and those that have
16445 splitting seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that
16446 @acronym{IMAP} support for Gnus has to do its own splitting.
16450 (Incidentally, people seem to have been dreaming on, and Sieve has
16451 gaining a market share and is supported by several IMAP servers.
16452 Fortunately, Gnus support it too, @xref{Sieve Commands}.)
16454 Here are the variables of interest:
16458 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
16459 @cindex splitting, crosspost
16461 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
16463 If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
16464 mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
16465 found will be used.
16467 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
16469 @item nnimap-split-inbox
16470 @cindex splitting, inbox
16472 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
16474 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
16475 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
16476 splitting is disabled!
16479 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
16480 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
16483 No nnmail equivalent.
16485 @item nnimap-split-rule
16486 @cindex splitting, rules
16487 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
16489 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
16492 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
16493 sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
16494 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
16495 Neither did I, we need examples.
16498 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16500 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
16501 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
16502 ("INBOX.private" "")))
16505 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
16506 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
16507 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
16509 The first string may contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by
16510 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
16514 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
16517 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
16518 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
16520 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
16521 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
16522 containing the headers of the article. It should return a
16523 non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
16525 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
16526 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
16527 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
16528 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
16529 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
16530 them every time you fetch new mail.)
16532 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
16533 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
16534 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
16536 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
16537 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
16538 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16540 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
16542 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
16543 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
16544 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
16547 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16548 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
16549 ("junk" "From:.*Simon"))))
16550 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
16551 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
16552 ("junk" my-junk-func))))))
16555 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
16556 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
16557 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
16558 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
16559 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
16560 group/function elements.
16562 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16564 @item nnimap-split-predicate
16566 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
16568 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
16569 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
16571 This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
16572 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
16573 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
16576 @item nnimap-split-fancy
16577 @cindex splitting, fancy
16578 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
16579 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
16581 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16582 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
16583 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
16585 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
16586 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16587 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
16588 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16593 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
16594 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
16597 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
16599 @item nnimap-split-download-body
16600 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
16601 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
16603 Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
16604 This is generally not required, and will slow things down
16605 considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
16606 splitting function that analyses the body to split the article.
16610 @node Expiring in IMAP
16611 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
16612 @cindex expiring imap mail
16614 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
16615 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
16616 Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
16617 IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
16618 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
16619 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
16622 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
16623 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
16624 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
16625 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
16626 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
16627 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
16628 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
16629 messages. Most do, fortunately.
16633 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
16634 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16636 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
16637 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
16639 @item nnmail-expiry-target
16641 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
16642 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
16643 that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
16644 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
16648 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
16649 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
16650 @cindex editing imap acls
16651 @cindex Access Control Lists
16652 @cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
16653 @kindex G l (Group)
16654 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
16656 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
16657 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
16658 @acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
16661 To edit an ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
16662 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with an ACL
16663 editing window with detailed instructions.
16665 Some possible uses:
16669 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
16670 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
16671 follow the list without subscribing to it.
16673 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
16674 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
16675 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
16679 @node Expunging mailboxes
16680 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
16684 @cindex manual expunging
16685 @kindex G x (Group)
16686 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
16688 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
16689 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
16690 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
16692 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
16695 @node A note on namespaces
16696 @subsection A note on namespaces
16697 @cindex IMAP namespace
16700 The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
16701 by the following text in the RFC:
16704 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
16706 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
16707 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
16708 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
16709 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
16711 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
16712 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
16713 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
16714 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
16715 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
16716 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
16719 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
16720 @acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
16721 prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
16723 Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
16724 mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
16725 in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
16726 created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
16727 without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
16728 not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
16729 mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
16730 you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
16733 See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
16734 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
16735 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
16737 @node Debugging IMAP
16738 @subsection Debugging IMAP
16739 @cindex IMAP debugging
16740 @cindex protocol dump (IMAP)
16742 @acronym{IMAP} is a complex protocol, more so than @acronym{NNTP} or
16743 @acronym{POP3}. Implementation bugs are not unlikely, and we do our
16744 best to fix them right away. If you encounter odd behaviour, chances
16745 are that either the server or Gnus is buggy.
16747 If you are familiar with network protocols in general, you will
16748 probably be able to extract some clues from the protocol dump of the
16749 exchanges between Gnus and the server. Even if you are not familiar
16750 with network protocols, when you include the protocol dump in
16751 @acronym{IMAP}-related bug reports you are helping us with data
16752 critical to solving the problem. Therefore, we strongly encourage you
16753 to include the protocol dump when reporting IMAP bugs in Gnus.
16757 Because the protocol dump, when enabled, generates lots of data, it is
16758 disabled by default. You can enable it by setting @code{imap-log} as
16765 This instructs the @code{imap.el} package to log any exchanges with
16766 the server. The log is stored in the buffer @samp{*imap-log*}. Look
16767 for error messages, which sometimes are tagged with the keyword
16768 @code{BAD}---but when submitting a bug, make sure to include all the
16771 @node Other Sources
16772 @section Other Sources
16774 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
16775 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
16779 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
16780 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
16781 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
16782 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
16783 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
16787 @node Directory Groups
16788 @subsection Directory Groups
16790 @cindex directory groups
16792 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
16793 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
16796 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
16797 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
16798 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
16799 back end to read directories. Big deal.
16801 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
16802 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
16803 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
16804 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
16805 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
16807 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
16809 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
16810 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
16811 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
16812 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
16815 @node Anything Groups
16816 @subsection Anything Groups
16819 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
16820 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
16821 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
16824 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
16825 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
16826 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
16827 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
16828 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
16829 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
16830 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
16831 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
16832 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
16833 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
16836 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
16837 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
16838 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
16839 in the article buffer, just as usual.
16841 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
16842 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
16843 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
16844 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
16846 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
16847 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
16848 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
16849 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
16850 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
16851 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
16852 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
16853 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
16858 @item nneething-map-file-directory
16859 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
16860 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
16861 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
16863 @item nneething-exclude-files
16864 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
16865 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
16866 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
16868 @item nneething-include-files
16869 @vindex nneething-include-files
16870 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
16871 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
16873 @item nneething-map-file
16874 @vindex nneething-map-file
16875 Name of the map files.
16879 @node Document Groups
16880 @subsection Document Groups
16882 @cindex documentation group
16885 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
16886 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
16893 The Babyl (Rmail) mail box.
16898 The standard Unix mbox file.
16900 @cindex MMDF mail box
16902 The MMDF mail box format.
16905 Several news articles appended into a file.
16908 @cindex rnews batch files
16909 The rnews batch transport format.
16910 @cindex forwarded messages
16913 Forwarded articles.
16916 Netscape mail boxes.
16919 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
16921 @item standard-digest
16922 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
16925 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
16927 @item lanl-gov-announce
16928 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
16930 @item rfc822-forward
16931 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
16934 The Outlook mail box.
16937 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
16940 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
16943 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
16946 An RFC934-forwarded message.
16952 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
16955 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
16961 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
16962 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
16963 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
16966 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
16967 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
16968 group. And that's it.
16970 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
16971 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
16972 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
16973 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
16974 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
16975 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
16976 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
16977 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
16978 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
16979 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
16981 Virtual server variables:
16984 @item nndoc-article-type
16985 @vindex nndoc-article-type
16986 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
16987 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
16988 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
16989 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
16990 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
16992 @item nndoc-post-type
16993 @vindex nndoc-post-type
16994 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
16995 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
17000 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
17004 @node Document Server Internals
17005 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
17007 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
17008 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
17009 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
17010 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
17012 First, here's an example document type definition:
17016 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
17017 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
17020 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
17021 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
17022 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
17023 types can be defined with very few settings:
17026 @item first-article
17027 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
17028 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
17031 @item article-begin
17032 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
17033 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
17035 @item head-begin-function
17036 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
17039 @item nndoc-head-begin
17040 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
17043 @item nndoc-head-end
17044 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
17045 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
17047 @item body-begin-function
17048 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
17052 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
17055 @item body-end-function
17056 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
17060 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
17063 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
17064 regexp will be totally ignored.
17068 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
17069 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
17070 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
17071 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
17072 something that's palatable for Gnus:
17075 @item prepare-body-function
17076 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
17077 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
17078 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
17080 @item article-transform-function
17081 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
17082 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
17083 body of the article.
17085 @item generate-head-function
17086 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
17087 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
17088 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
17089 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
17093 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
17098 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17099 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17100 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
17101 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
17102 (head-end . "^ ?$")
17103 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
17104 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
17105 (subtype digest guess))
17108 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
17109 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
17110 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
17111 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
17112 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
17114 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
17115 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
17116 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
17117 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
17118 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
17119 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
17120 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
17121 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
17122 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
17123 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
17124 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
17125 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
17133 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
17134 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
17135 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
17137 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
17138 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
17139 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
17142 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
17143 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
17144 that interested in doing things properly.
17146 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
17147 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
17150 First some terminology:
17155 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
17156 get news and/or mail from.
17159 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
17160 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
17163 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
17167 @item message packets
17168 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
17169 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
17170 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17172 @item response packets
17173 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
17174 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
17175 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17185 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
17186 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
17187 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
17188 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
17191 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
17194 You put the packet in your home directory.
17197 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
17198 the native or secondary server.
17201 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
17202 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
17205 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
17209 You transfer this packet to the server.
17212 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
17215 You then repeat until you die.
17219 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
17220 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
17223 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
17224 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
17225 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
17229 @node SOUP Commands
17230 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
17232 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
17236 @kindex G s b (Group)
17237 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
17238 Pack all unread articles in the current group
17239 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
17240 process/prefix convention.
17243 @kindex G s w (Group)
17244 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
17245 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
17248 @kindex G s s (Group)
17249 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
17250 Send all replies from the replies packet
17251 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
17254 @kindex G s p (Group)
17255 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
17256 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
17259 @kindex G s r (Group)
17260 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
17261 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
17264 @kindex O s (Summary)
17265 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
17266 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
17267 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
17268 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17273 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
17278 @item gnus-soup-directory
17279 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
17280 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
17281 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
17283 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
17284 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
17285 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
17286 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
17288 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
17289 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
17290 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
17291 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
17293 @item gnus-soup-packer
17294 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
17295 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17296 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
17298 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
17299 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
17300 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17301 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17303 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
17304 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
17305 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
17307 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17308 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17309 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
17310 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
17316 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
17319 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
17320 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
17321 you can read them at leisure.
17323 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
17327 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
17328 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
17329 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
17330 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
17332 @item nnsoup-directory
17333 @vindex nnsoup-directory
17334 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
17335 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
17337 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
17338 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
17339 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
17340 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
17342 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
17343 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
17344 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
17345 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
17346 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
17348 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
17349 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
17350 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
17351 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
17353 @item nnsoup-active-file
17354 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
17355 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
17356 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
17357 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
17358 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
17360 @item nnsoup-packer
17361 @vindex nnsoup-packer
17362 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
17363 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
17365 @item nnsoup-unpacker
17366 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
17367 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
17368 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17370 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
17371 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
17372 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
17375 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
17376 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
17377 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
17380 @item nnsoup-always-save
17381 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
17382 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
17388 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
17390 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
17391 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
17392 more for that to happen.
17394 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
17395 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
17396 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
17399 In specific, this is what it does:
17402 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
17403 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
17406 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
17407 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
17408 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
17411 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
17412 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
17413 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
17416 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
17417 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
17418 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
17420 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
17426 @item nngateway-address
17427 @vindex nngateway-address
17428 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
17430 @item nngateway-header-transformation
17431 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
17432 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
17433 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
17434 transformation should be called, and defaults to
17435 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
17436 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
17439 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
17440 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
17441 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
17444 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
17447 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
17450 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
17453 The following pre-defined functions exist:
17455 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17458 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17459 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17460 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
17462 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17464 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17465 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17466 @code{nngateway-address}.
17474 (setq gnus-post-method
17476 "mail2news@@replay.com"
17477 (nngateway-header-transformation
17478 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
17481 So, to use this, simply say something like:
17484 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
17489 @node Combined Groups
17490 @section Combined Groups
17492 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
17496 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
17497 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
17501 @node Virtual Groups
17502 @subsection Virtual Groups
17504 @cindex virtual groups
17505 @cindex merging groups
17507 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
17510 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
17511 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
17512 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
17514 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
17515 regexp to match component groups.
17517 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
17518 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
17519 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
17520 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
17521 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
17522 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
17523 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
17524 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
17526 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
17527 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
17530 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
17533 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
17534 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
17536 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
17537 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
17538 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
17539 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
17542 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
17545 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
17546 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
17547 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
17549 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
17550 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
17551 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
17552 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
17553 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
17555 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
17556 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
17557 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
17559 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
17560 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
17561 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
17562 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
17563 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
17564 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
17565 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
17566 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
17567 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
17568 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
17569 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
17571 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
17572 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
17573 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
17574 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
17575 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
17576 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
17577 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
17579 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
17580 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
17582 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
17583 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
17587 @node Kibozed Groups
17588 @subsection Kibozed Groups
17592 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by the @acronym{OED} as ``grepping through
17593 (parts of) the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will
17594 do this for you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @acronym{NNTP} server
17595 down to a halt with useless requests! Oh happiness!
17597 @kindex G k (Group)
17598 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
17601 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
17602 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
17603 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between
17604 @code{nnkiboze} and @code{nnvirtual} end.
17606 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an
17607 @code{nnkiboze} group must have a score file to say what articles are
17608 to be included in the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
17610 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
17611 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
17612 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
17613 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time.
17614 Lots of time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the
17615 headers from all the articles in all the component groups and run them
17616 through the scoring process to determine if there are any articles in
17617 the groups that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
17619 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
17620 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
17621 @acronym{NNTP} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
17622 Stranger things have happened.
17624 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
17625 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
17627 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
17628 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
17629 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/kiboze/} by default.
17630 One contains the @acronym{NOV} header lines for all the articles in
17631 the group, and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store
17632 information on what groups have been searched through to find
17633 component articles.
17635 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
17636 their @acronym{NOV} lines removed from the @acronym{NOV} file.
17639 @node Gnus Unplugged
17640 @section Gnus Unplugged
17645 @cindex Gnus unplugged
17647 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
17648 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
17649 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
17650 read news. Believe it or not.
17652 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
17653 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
17654 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
17655 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
17656 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
17658 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
17659 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
17660 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
17661 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
17662 reading news on a machine.
17664 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
17665 fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
17666 by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
17668 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
17671 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
17672 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
17673 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
17674 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
17675 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
17676 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
17677 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
17678 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
17679 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
17680 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
17681 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
17682 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
17683 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
17688 @subsection Agent Basics
17690 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
17692 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
17693 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
17694 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
17695 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
17697 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
17698 connected to the net continuously.
17700 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
17701 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
17703 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
17704 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
17705 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
17706 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
17707 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
17709 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
17710 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
17711 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
17712 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
17713 they're kinda like plugged always).
17715 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
17716 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
17717 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
17720 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
17721 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
17722 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
17723 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
17724 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
17726 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
17731 @findex gnus-unplugged
17732 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
17733 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
17734 already fetched while in this mode.
17737 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
17738 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
17739 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
17740 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
17741 Source Specifiers}).
17744 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
17745 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
17746 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
17747 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
17748 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
17751 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
17752 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
17753 then you read the news offline.
17756 And then you go to step 2.
17759 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
17765 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
17766 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
17767 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
17768 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
17769 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
17770 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
17771 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
17772 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
17775 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
17776 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
17777 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
17778 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
17780 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
17781 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
17782 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
17783 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
17784 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
17785 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
17789 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
17793 @node Agent Categories
17794 @subsection Agent Categories
17796 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
17797 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
17798 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
17799 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
17800 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
17801 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
17802 you're interested in the articles anyway.
17804 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
17805 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
17806 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
17807 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
17808 buffer for creating and managing categories.
17810 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
17811 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
17812 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
17813 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
17814 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
17817 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
17818 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
17819 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
17820 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
17821 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
17822 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
17826 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
17827 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
17828 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
17832 @node Category Syntax
17833 @subsubsection Category Syntax
17835 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
17836 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
17837 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
17840 @cindex Agent Parameters
17842 @item agent-cat-name
17843 The name of the category.
17846 The list of groups that are in this category.
17848 @item agent-predicate
17849 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
17850 are eligible for downloading; and
17852 @item agent-score-file
17853 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
17854 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
17855 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
17857 @item agent-enable-expiration
17858 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
17859 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
17860 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
17861 only groups that should not be expired.
17863 @item agent-days-until-old
17864 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
17865 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
17867 @item agent-low-score
17868 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
17870 @item agent-high-score
17871 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
17873 @item agent-length-when-short
17874 an integer that overrides the value of
17875 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
17877 @item agent-length-when-long
17878 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
17880 @item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
17881 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
17882 undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
17883 faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
17884 undownloaded faces.
17887 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
17890 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
17891 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
17892 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
17895 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
17896 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
17897 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
17898 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
17900 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
17901 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
17902 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
17904 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
17905 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
17906 operators sprinkled in between.
17908 Perhaps some examples are in order.
17910 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
17911 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
17917 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
17918 short (for some value of ``short'').
17920 Here's a more complex predicate:
17929 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
17930 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
17933 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
17934 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
17935 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
17937 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
17938 you want to do, you can write your own.
17940 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
17941 bound to the value determined by calling
17942 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
17943 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
17944 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
17945 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
17946 predicate to individual groups.
17950 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
17951 lines; default 100.
17954 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
17955 lines; default 200.
17958 True iff the article has a download score less than
17959 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
17962 True iff the article has a download score greater than
17963 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
17966 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
17967 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
17968 checksum and sees whether articles match.
17977 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
17978 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
17979 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
17982 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
17983 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
17984 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
17985 something along the lines of the following:
17988 (defun my-article-old-p ()
17989 "Say whether an article is old."
17990 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
17991 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
17994 with the predicate then defined as:
17997 (not my-article-old-p)
18000 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
18001 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
18005 (require 'gnus-agent)
18006 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
18007 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
18008 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
18011 and simply specify your predicate as:
18017 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
18018 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
18019 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
18020 just don't give a damn.
18022 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
18023 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
18024 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
18025 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
18026 parameters like so:
18029 (agent-predicate . short)
18032 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
18033 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
18034 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
18036 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
18039 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
18042 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
18043 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
18044 predicate is assumed to be a list.
18047 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
18048 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
18049 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
18050 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
18051 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
18052 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
18054 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
18055 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
18056 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
18057 if it's to be specific to that group.
18059 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
18066 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
18067 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
18073 Category specification
18077 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18083 Group/Topic Parameter specification
18086 (agent-score ("from"
18087 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18092 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
18098 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
18099 keywords stated above.
18105 Category specification
18108 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
18114 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
18118 Group Parameter specification
18121 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
18124 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
18129 Use @code{normal} score files
18131 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
18132 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
18133 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
18134 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
18136 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
18137 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
18138 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
18139 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
18143 Category Specification
18150 Group Parameter specification
18153 (agent-score . file)
18158 @node Category Buffer
18159 @subsubsection Category Buffer
18161 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
18162 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
18163 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
18165 The following commands are available in this buffer:
18169 @kindex q (Category)
18170 @findex gnus-category-exit
18171 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
18174 @kindex e (Category)
18175 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
18176 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
18177 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
18180 @kindex k (Category)
18181 @findex gnus-category-kill
18182 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
18185 @kindex c (Category)
18186 @findex gnus-category-copy
18187 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
18190 @kindex a (Category)
18191 @findex gnus-category-add
18192 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
18195 @kindex p (Category)
18196 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
18197 Edit the predicate of the current category
18198 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
18201 @kindex g (Category)
18202 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
18203 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
18204 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
18207 @kindex s (Category)
18208 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
18209 Edit the download score rule of the current category
18210 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
18213 @kindex l (Category)
18214 @findex gnus-category-list
18215 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
18219 @node Category Variables
18220 @subsubsection Category Variables
18223 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
18224 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
18225 Hook run in category buffers.
18227 @item gnus-category-line-format
18228 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
18229 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
18230 Variables}). Valid elements are:
18234 The name of the category.
18237 The number of groups in the category.
18240 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
18241 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
18242 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
18244 @item gnus-agent-short-article
18245 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
18246 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
18248 @item gnus-agent-long-article
18249 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
18250 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
18252 @item gnus-agent-low-score
18253 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
18254 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
18257 @item gnus-agent-high-score
18258 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
18259 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
18262 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
18263 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18264 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
18265 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
18266 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
18267 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
18268 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
18269 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
18273 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18274 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18275 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
18276 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
18277 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
18278 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
18279 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
18284 @node Agent Commands
18285 @subsection Agent Commands
18286 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
18287 @kindex J j (Agent)
18289 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
18290 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
18291 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
18295 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
18296 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
18297 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
18303 @node Group Agent Commands
18304 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
18308 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
18309 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
18310 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
18311 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
18314 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
18315 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
18316 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
18319 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
18320 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
18321 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
18322 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
18325 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
18326 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
18327 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
18328 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
18331 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
18332 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
18333 Add the current group to an Agent category
18334 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
18335 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18338 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
18339 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
18340 Remove the current group from its category, if any
18341 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
18342 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18345 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
18346 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18347 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
18353 @node Summary Agent Commands
18354 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
18358 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
18359 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
18360 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
18363 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
18364 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
18365 Remove the downloading mark from the article
18366 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
18370 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
18371 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
18372 Toggle whether to download the article
18373 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
18377 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
18378 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
18379 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
18382 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
18383 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
18384 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
18385 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
18388 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
18389 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-series
18390 Download all processable articles in this group.
18391 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-series}).
18394 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
18395 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
18396 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
18397 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
18402 @node Server Agent Commands
18403 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
18407 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
18408 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
18409 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
18410 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
18413 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
18414 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
18415 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
18416 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
18421 @node Agent Visuals
18422 @subsection Agent Visuals
18424 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
18425 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
18426 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
18427 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
18428 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
18429 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
18430 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
18431 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
18432 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
18433 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
18435 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
18436 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
18437 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
18438 way, ``If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
18439 less than satisfying unplugged session''. For this reason, the Agent
18440 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
18441 the download status of each article so that you always know which
18442 articles will be available when unplugged.
18444 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
18445 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
18446 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
18447 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
18448 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
18449 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
18450 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
18451 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
18453 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
18454 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
18455 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
18456 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
18457 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
18458 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
18459 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
18460 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
18461 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
18463 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
18464 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
18465 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
18466 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
18467 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
18468 users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
18469 database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
18470 to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
18471 of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
18472 normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
18474 If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
18475 undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
18476 group parameter to t. This parameter, like all other agent
18477 parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent
18478 Categories}), a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an
18479 individual group (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
18481 The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
18482 can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
18483 even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
18484 is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
18485 This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
18486 fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
18487 the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
18488 expiring'' articles.
18490 @node Agent as Cache
18491 @subsection Agent as Cache
18493 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
18494 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
18495 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
18496 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
18497 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
18498 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
18499 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
18500 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
18501 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
18503 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
18504 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
18505 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
18506 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
18507 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
18510 @subsection Agent Expiry
18512 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18513 @findex gnus-agent-expire
18514 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
18515 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
18516 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
18517 @cindex agent expiry
18518 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
18521 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
18522 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
18523 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
18524 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
18525 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
18526 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
18527 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
18528 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
18530 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
18531 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
18532 synchronized with the group.
18534 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
18535 prevent expiration in selected groups.
18537 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
18538 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
18539 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
18540 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
18541 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
18542 be kept indefinitely.
18544 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
18545 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
18546 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
18547 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
18549 @node Agent Regeneration
18550 @subsection Agent Regeneration
18552 @cindex agent regeneration
18553 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
18554 @cindex regeneration
18556 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
18557 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
18558 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
18559 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
18560 internal inconsistencies.
18562 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
18563 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
18564 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
18565 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
18566 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
18567 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
18569 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
18570 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
18571 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
18572 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
18573 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
18574 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
18576 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
18577 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
18578 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
18579 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
18580 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
18581 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
18584 @node Agent and IMAP
18585 @subsection Agent and IMAP
18587 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
18588 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
18589 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
18590 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
18592 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
18593 are kept on the @acronym{IMAP} server, rather than in @file{.newsrc} as is the
18594 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
18595 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
18597 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
18598 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
18599 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
18600 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
18602 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18603 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
18604 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
18605 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
18606 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
18607 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
18609 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
18610 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
18611 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
18612 in the group buffer.
18614 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
18615 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
18620 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
18623 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
18627 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
18628 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
18629 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
18630 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group and
18631 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
18632 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
18633 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
18634 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
18637 @node Outgoing Messages
18638 @subsection Outgoing Messages
18640 By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
18641 and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
18642 You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
18644 You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
18645 (see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
18646 news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
18648 You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
18649 commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
18650 group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
18651 Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
18654 If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
18655 about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
18656 ask you to confirm your action (see
18657 @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
18659 @node Agent Variables
18660 @subsection Agent Variables
18665 Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
18666 the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
18667 automatically mark some back ends as agentized. You may change which
18668 back ends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
18670 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
18671 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
18674 @item gnus-agent-directory
18675 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
18676 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
18677 @file{~/News/agent/}.
18679 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
18680 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
18681 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
18682 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
18683 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
18686 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
18687 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
18688 Hook run when connecting to the network.
18690 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
18691 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
18692 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
18694 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
18695 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
18696 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
18698 @item gnus-agent-cache
18699 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
18700 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
18701 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
18702 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
18704 @item gnus-agent-go-online
18705 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
18706 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
18707 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
18708 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
18709 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
18710 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
18713 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
18714 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
18715 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
18716 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
18717 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
18718 read. The default is t.
18720 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
18721 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
18722 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
18723 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
18724 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
18725 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
18726 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
18727 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
18728 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
18729 over and over again.
18731 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
18732 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
18733 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
18734 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
18735 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
18736 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
18737 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
18738 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
18739 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
18740 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
18741 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
18742 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
18745 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
18746 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
18747 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
18748 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
18749 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
18750 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
18751 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
18752 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
18753 is only valid if the Agent is used.
18755 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
18756 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
18757 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
18758 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
18759 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
18760 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
18762 The legal values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
18763 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
18764 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
18765 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
18766 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
18768 @item gnus-agent-queue-mail
18769 @vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
18770 When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
18771 queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
18772 will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
18773 mail. The default is @code{t}.
18775 @item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
18776 @vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
18777 When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
18778 prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
18779 @kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
18781 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
18782 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
18783 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
18784 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
18785 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
18786 which back ends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
18787 to agentize remote back ends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
18788 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
18789 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
18790 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
18791 start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
18796 @node Example Setup
18797 @subsection Example Setup
18799 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
18800 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
18801 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
18804 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
18805 ;;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
18806 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
18808 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
18809 ;;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
18810 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
18812 ;;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
18813 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
18815 ;;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
18816 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
18817 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
18820 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
18821 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
18824 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
18825 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
18826 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
18827 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
18828 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
18831 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
18832 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
18833 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
18834 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
18835 back all the killed groups.)
18837 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
18838 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
18839 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
18842 @node Batching Agents
18843 @subsection Batching Agents
18844 @findex gnus-agent-batch
18846 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
18847 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
18848 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
18850 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
18851 following incantation:
18855 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
18859 @node Agent Caveats
18860 @subsection Agent Caveats
18862 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
18863 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
18867 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
18869 @strong{No}. If you want this behaviour, add
18870 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
18871 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
18873 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
18874 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
18876 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
18880 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
18881 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
18882 locally stored articles.
18889 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
18890 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
18891 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
18894 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
18895 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
18896 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
18897 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
18898 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
18900 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
18901 before generating the summary buffer.
18903 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
18904 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
18905 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
18907 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
18908 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
18909 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
18910 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
18913 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
18914 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
18915 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
18916 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
18917 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
18918 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
18919 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
18920 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
18921 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
18922 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
18923 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
18924 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
18925 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
18926 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
18927 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
18928 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
18932 @node Summary Score Commands
18933 @section Summary Score Commands
18934 @cindex score commands
18936 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
18937 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
18938 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
18939 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
18940 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
18942 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
18943 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
18944 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
18945 score file the current one.
18947 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
18952 @kindex V s (Summary)
18953 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
18954 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
18957 @kindex V S (Summary)
18958 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
18959 Display the score of the current article
18960 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
18963 @kindex V t (Summary)
18964 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
18965 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
18966 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
18967 may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
18968 current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
18969 score file and edit it.
18972 @kindex V w (Summary)
18973 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
18974 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
18977 @kindex V R (Summary)
18978 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
18979 Run the current summary through the scoring process
18980 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
18981 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
18982 effect you're having.
18985 @kindex V c (Summary)
18986 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
18987 Make a different score file the current
18988 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
18991 @kindex V e (Summary)
18992 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
18993 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
18994 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
18998 @kindex V f (Summary)
18999 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
19000 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
19001 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
19004 @kindex V F (Summary)
19005 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19006 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
19007 after editing score files.
19010 @kindex V C (Summary)
19011 @findex gnus-score-customize
19012 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
19013 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
19017 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
19022 @kindex V m (Summary)
19023 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
19024 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
19025 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
19028 @kindex V x (Summary)
19029 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
19030 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
19031 expunge all articles below this score
19032 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
19035 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
19036 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
19039 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
19040 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
19044 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
19045 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
19047 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
19048 keys are available:
19052 Score on the author name.
19055 Score on the subject line.
19058 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
19061 Score on the @code{References} line.
19067 Score on the number of lines.
19070 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
19073 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
19074 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
19077 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
19078 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
19079 @file{ADAPT} files.)
19088 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
19094 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
19095 what headers you are scoring on.
19107 Substring matching.
19110 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
19139 Greater than number.
19144 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
19145 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
19146 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
19151 Temporary score entry.
19154 Permanent score entry.
19157 Immediately scoring.
19161 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
19162 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
19163 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
19167 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
19168 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
19169 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
19170 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
19172 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
19173 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
19174 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
19175 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
19176 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
19178 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
19179 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
19180 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
19181 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
19182 current score file.
19184 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
19185 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
19186 pretend they are keymaps or not.
19189 @node Group Score Commands
19190 @section Group Score Commands
19191 @cindex group score commands
19193 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
19198 @kindex W e (Group)
19199 @findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
19200 Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
19201 a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
19204 @kindex W f (Group)
19205 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19206 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
19207 all the time. This command will flush the cache
19208 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
19212 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
19214 @findex gnus-batch-score
19215 @cindex batch scoring
19217 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
19221 @node Score Variables
19222 @section Score Variables
19223 @cindex score variables
19227 @item gnus-use-scoring
19228 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
19229 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
19230 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
19232 @item gnus-kill-killed
19233 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
19234 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
19235 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
19236 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
19237 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
19238 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
19239 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
19241 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
19242 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
19243 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
19244 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
19245 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
19247 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
19248 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
19249 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
19250 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
19252 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19253 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19254 @cindex score cache
19255 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
19256 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
19257 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
19258 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
19259 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
19260 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
19261 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
19264 @item gnus-save-score
19265 @vindex gnus-save-score
19266 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
19267 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
19268 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
19270 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
19271 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
19272 across group visits.
19274 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19275 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19276 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
19277 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
19278 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
19279 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
19280 manually entered data.
19282 @item gnus-summary-default-score
19283 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
19284 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
19286 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
19287 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
19288 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
19289 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
19290 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
19291 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
19293 @item gnus-score-over-mark
19294 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
19295 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
19296 default. Default is @samp{+}.
19298 @item gnus-score-below-mark
19299 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
19300 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
19301 default. Default is @samp{-}.
19303 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19304 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19305 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
19306 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
19308 Predefined functions available are:
19311 @item gnus-score-find-single
19312 @findex gnus-score-find-single
19313 Only apply the group's own score file.
19315 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
19316 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
19317 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
19318 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
19319 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
19320 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
19321 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
19322 then a regexp match is done.
19324 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
19325 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
19327 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
19328 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
19329 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
19330 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
19332 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19333 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19334 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
19335 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
19336 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
19340 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
19341 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
19342 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
19343 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
19344 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
19345 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
19346 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
19349 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
19350 overall score file, you could use the value
19352 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
19353 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
19356 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
19357 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
19358 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
19359 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
19360 are expired. It's 7 by default.
19362 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19363 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19364 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
19365 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
19366 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
19367 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
19368 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
19369 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
19371 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19372 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19373 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
19375 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
19376 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
19377 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
19378 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
19379 threading---according to the current value of
19380 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
19381 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
19382 simplified in this manner.
19387 @node Score File Format
19388 @section Score File Format
19389 @cindex score file format
19391 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
19392 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
19393 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
19395 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
19399 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
19401 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
19403 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
19405 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
19410 (mark-and-expunge -10)
19414 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
19415 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
19416 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
19417 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
19421 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
19422 Scoring}, for a different approach.
19424 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
19425 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
19426 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
19428 Six keys are supported by this alist:
19433 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
19434 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
19435 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
19436 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
19437 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
19438 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
19439 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
19440 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
19441 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
19442 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
19443 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
19444 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
19445 to articles that matches these score entries.
19447 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
19448 score entry has one to four elements.
19452 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
19453 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
19457 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
19458 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
19459 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
19460 is successful. If this element is not present, the
19461 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
19462 instead. This is 1000 by default.
19465 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
19466 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
19467 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
19468 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
19469 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
19472 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
19473 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
19474 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
19475 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
19478 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
19479 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
19480 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
19481 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
19482 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
19483 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
19484 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
19485 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
19486 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
19487 instead, if you feel like.
19490 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
19491 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
19492 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
19493 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
19494 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
19495 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
19499 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
19500 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
19504 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
19505 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
19507 These predicates are true if
19510 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
19513 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
19514 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
19521 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
19522 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
19523 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
19524 it's not. I think.)
19526 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
19527 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
19528 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
19529 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
19532 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
19533 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
19534 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
19535 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
19536 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
19537 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
19538 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
19542 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
19543 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
19544 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
19545 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
19546 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
19547 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
19548 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
19549 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
19552 @item Head, Body, All
19553 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
19557 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
19558 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
19559 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
19560 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
19561 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
19562 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
19563 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
19567 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
19568 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
19569 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
19570 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
19571 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
19572 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
19573 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
19574 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
19575 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
19576 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
19577 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
19581 @cindex score file atoms
19583 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19584 lower than this number will be marked as read.
19587 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19588 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
19590 @item mark-and-expunge
19591 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19592 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
19595 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
19596 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
19597 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
19598 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
19599 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
19602 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
19603 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
19606 @item exclude-files
19607 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
19608 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
19612 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
19613 ignored when handling global score files.
19616 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
19617 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
19618 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
19619 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
19622 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
19623 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
19624 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
19625 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
19627 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
19631 (mark-and-expunge -100)
19634 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
19635 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
19636 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
19637 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
19638 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
19640 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
19641 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
19642 scoring rules exist.
19645 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
19646 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
19647 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
19648 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
19649 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
19650 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
19651 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
19652 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
19653 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
19654 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
19655 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
19659 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
19660 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
19661 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
19662 file for a number of groups.
19665 @cindex local variables
19666 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
19667 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
19668 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
19669 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
19670 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
19675 @node Score File Editing
19676 @section Score File Editing
19678 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
19679 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
19680 with a mode for that.
19682 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
19683 additional commands:
19688 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
19689 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
19690 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
19691 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
19694 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
19695 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
19696 Insert the current date in numerical format
19697 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
19698 you were wondering.
19701 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
19702 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
19703 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
19704 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
19705 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
19710 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
19712 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
19713 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
19715 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
19716 @kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
19719 @node Adaptive Scoring
19720 @section Adaptive Scoring
19721 @cindex adaptive scoring
19723 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
19724 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
19725 stupidity, to be precise.
19727 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
19728 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
19729 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
19730 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
19731 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
19732 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
19733 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
19734 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
19735 variable to @code{(word line)}.
19737 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
19738 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
19739 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
19740 might look something like this:
19743 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
19744 '((gnus-unread-mark)
19745 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
19746 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
19747 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
19748 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
19749 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
19750 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
19751 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
19752 (gnus-ancient-mark)
19753 (gnus-low-score-mark)
19754 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
19757 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
19758 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
19759 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
19760 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
19761 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
19762 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
19765 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
19766 will be applied to each article.
19768 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
19769 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
19770 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
19771 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
19773 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
19774 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
19775 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
19776 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
19778 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
19779 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
19780 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
19781 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
19783 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
19784 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
19785 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
19786 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
19787 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
19788 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
19790 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
19791 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
19792 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
19794 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
19795 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
19796 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
19798 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
19799 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
19800 let you use different rules in different groups.
19802 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
19803 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
19804 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
19807 @vindex gnus-adaptive-pretty-print
19808 Adaptive score files can get huge and are not meant to be edited by
19809 human hands. If @code{gnus-adaptive-pretty-print} is @code{nil} (the
19810 deafult) those files will not be written in a human readable way.
19812 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
19813 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
19814 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
19815 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
19816 the length of the match is less than
19817 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
19818 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
19821 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
19822 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
19823 headers. If you adapt on words, the
19824 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
19825 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
19828 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
19829 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
19830 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
19831 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
19832 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
19835 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
19836 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
19837 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
19838 score with 30 points.
19840 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
19841 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
19842 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
19843 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
19844 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
19846 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
19847 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
19848 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
19849 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
19850 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
19852 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
19853 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
19854 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
19855 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
19857 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
19858 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
19859 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
19860 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
19862 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
19863 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
19864 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
19865 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
19866 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
19868 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
19869 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
19870 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
19872 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
19873 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
19874 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
19875 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
19878 @node Home Score File
19879 @section Home Score File
19881 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
19882 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
19883 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
19884 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
19886 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
19887 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
19888 could perhaps use the same home score file.
19890 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
19891 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
19896 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
19900 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
19901 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
19905 A list. The elements in this list can be:
19909 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
19910 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
19913 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
19914 be used as the home score file.
19917 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
19920 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
19925 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
19928 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19929 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
19932 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
19933 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
19935 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
19937 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19938 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
19941 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
19942 Other functions include
19945 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
19946 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
19947 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
19948 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
19952 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
19953 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
19954 their own home score files:
19957 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19958 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
19959 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
19960 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
19961 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
19964 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
19965 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
19966 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
19967 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
19968 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
19970 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
19971 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
19972 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
19973 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
19974 precedence over this variable.
19977 @node Followups To Yourself
19978 @section Followups To Yourself
19980 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
19981 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
19982 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
19983 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
19984 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
19985 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
19989 @item gnus-score-followup-article
19990 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
19991 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
19994 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
19995 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
19996 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
20000 @vindex message-sent-hook
20001 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
20002 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
20004 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
20008 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
20009 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
20013 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20014 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20017 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
20018 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
20023 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
20027 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
20028 is system-dependent.
20031 @node Scoring On Other Headers
20032 @section Scoring On Other Headers
20033 @cindex scoring on other headers
20035 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
20036 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
20037 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
20038 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
20039 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
20041 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
20042 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
20043 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
20044 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
20045 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
20047 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
20050 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
20051 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
20054 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
20055 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
20056 time if you have much mail.
20058 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
20059 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
20065 @section Scoring Tips
20066 @cindex scoring tips
20072 @cindex scoring crossposts
20073 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
20074 the @code{Xref} header.
20076 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
20079 @item Multiple crossposts
20080 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
20081 more than, say, 3 groups:
20084 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
20088 @item Matching on the body
20089 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
20090 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
20091 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
20092 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
20093 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
20094 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
20095 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
20098 @item Marking as read
20099 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
20100 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
20101 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
20105 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
20107 @item Negated character classes
20108 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
20109 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
20110 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
20114 @node Reverse Scoring
20115 @section Reverse Scoring
20116 @cindex reverse scoring
20118 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
20119 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
20120 like this in your score file:
20124 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
20129 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
20130 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
20133 @node Global Score Files
20134 @section Global Score Files
20135 @cindex global score files
20137 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
20138 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
20139 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
20141 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
20142 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
20143 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
20145 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
20146 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
20147 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
20148 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
20149 files are applicable to which group.
20151 To use the score file
20152 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
20153 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
20157 (setq gnus-global-score-files
20158 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
20159 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
20162 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
20164 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
20165 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
20166 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
20167 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
20169 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
20170 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
20172 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
20173 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
20174 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
20175 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
20176 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
20177 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
20179 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
20185 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
20187 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
20189 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
20191 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
20192 lowered out of existence.
20194 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
20195 articles completely.
20198 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
20199 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
20200 old articles for a long time.
20203 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
20204 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
20205 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
20206 holding our breath yet?
20210 @section Kill Files
20213 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
20214 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
20215 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
20217 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
20218 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
20219 files into score files.
20221 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
20222 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
20223 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
20224 that isn't a very good idea.
20226 Normal kill files look like this:
20229 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20230 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
20234 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
20235 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
20237 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
20238 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
20241 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
20246 @kindex M-k (Summary)
20247 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
20248 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
20251 @kindex M-K (Summary)
20252 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
20253 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
20256 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
20261 @kindex M-k (Group)
20262 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
20263 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
20266 @kindex M-K (Group)
20267 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
20268 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
20271 Kill file variables:
20274 @item gnus-kill-file-name
20275 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
20276 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
20277 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
20278 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
20279 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
20280 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
20282 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20283 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20284 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
20285 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
20288 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
20289 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
20290 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
20291 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
20292 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
20293 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
20294 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
20295 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
20296 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
20298 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20299 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20300 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
20305 @node Converting Kill Files
20306 @section Converting Kill Files
20308 @cindex converting kill files
20310 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
20311 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
20312 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
20315 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
20316 You can fetch it from
20317 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
20319 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
20320 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
20321 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
20325 @node Advanced Scoring
20326 @section Advanced Scoring
20328 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
20329 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
20330 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
20331 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
20332 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
20334 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
20338 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
20339 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
20340 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
20344 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
20345 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
20347 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
20348 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
20349 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
20350 non-@code{nil} value.
20352 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
20353 operator, and various match operators.
20360 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20361 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
20362 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
20367 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20368 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
20369 then this operator will return @code{false}.
20374 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
20375 logical negation of the value of its argument.
20379 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
20380 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
20381 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
20382 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
20383 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
20384 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
20385 the ancestry you want to go.
20387 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
20388 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
20389 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
20390 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
20391 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
20394 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
20395 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
20397 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
20398 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
20401 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
20402 when he's talking about Gnus:
20407 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20408 ("subject" "Gnus"))
20415 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
20419 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20426 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
20427 really don't want to read what he's written:
20431 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20432 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
20436 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
20437 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
20438 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
20445 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
20446 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
20447 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
20448 ("body" "white.*socks"))
20452 The possibilities are endless.
20455 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
20456 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
20458 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
20459 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
20460 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
20461 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
20462 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
20463 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
20464 @samp{subject}) first.
20466 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
20467 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
20478 Then that means ``score on the from header of the grandparent of the
20479 current article''. An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
20485 ("subject" "Gnus")))
20492 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
20493 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
20498 @section Score Decays
20499 @cindex score decays
20502 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
20503 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
20504 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
20505 use them in any sensible way.
20507 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
20508 @findex gnus-decay-score
20509 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
20510 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
20511 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
20512 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
20513 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
20514 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
20515 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
20516 definition of that function:
20519 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
20520 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
20521 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
20523 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
20525 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
20527 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
20528 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
20529 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
20530 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
20531 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
20533 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
20537 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
20538 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
20539 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
20540 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
20544 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
20547 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
20550 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
20554 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
20555 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
20556 the new score, which should be an integer.
20558 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
20559 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
20564 @include message.texi
20565 @chapter Emacs MIME
20566 @include emacs-mime.texi
20568 @include sieve.texi
20570 @c @include pgg.texi
20572 @c @include sasl.texi
20580 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
20581 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
20582 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
20583 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
20584 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
20585 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
20586 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
20587 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
20588 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
20589 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
20590 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
20591 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
20592 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
20593 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
20594 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
20595 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
20596 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
20597 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
20598 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
20599 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
20603 @node Process/Prefix
20604 @section Process/Prefix
20605 @cindex process/prefix convention
20607 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
20608 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
20610 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
20611 command to be performed on.
20615 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
20616 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
20617 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
20618 with the current one.
20620 @vindex transient-mark-mode
20621 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
20622 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
20624 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
20625 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
20628 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
20629 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
20631 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
20634 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
20635 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
20636 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
20637 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
20639 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
20640 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
20641 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
20642 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
20643 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
20644 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
20645 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
20646 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
20648 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
20649 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
20650 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
20651 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
20652 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
20656 @section Interactive
20657 @cindex interaction
20661 @item gnus-novice-user
20662 @vindex gnus-novice-user
20663 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
20664 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
20665 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
20666 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
20669 @item gnus-expert-user
20670 @vindex gnus-expert-user
20671 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
20672 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
20673 matter how strange.
20675 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
20676 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
20677 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
20678 is @code{t} by default.
20680 @item gnus-interactive-exit
20681 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
20682 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
20687 @node Symbolic Prefixes
20688 @section Symbolic Prefixes
20689 @cindex symbolic prefixes
20691 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
20692 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
20693 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
20694 rule of 900 to the current article.
20696 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
20697 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
20698 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
20699 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
20700 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
20701 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
20702 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
20704 @kindex M-i (Summary)
20705 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
20706 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
20707 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
20708 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
20709 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
20710 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
20711 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
20712 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
20714 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
20715 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
20716 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
20718 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
20722 @node Formatting Variables
20723 @section Formatting Variables
20724 @cindex formatting variables
20726 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
20727 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
20728 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
20729 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
20730 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
20733 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
20734 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
20735 lots of percentages everywhere.
20738 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
20739 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
20740 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
20741 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
20742 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
20743 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
20744 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
20745 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
20748 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
20749 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
20750 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
20751 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
20752 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
20753 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
20754 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
20755 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
20757 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
20758 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
20760 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
20761 @findex gnus-update-format
20762 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
20763 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
20764 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
20765 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
20769 @node Formatting Basics
20770 @subsection Formatting Basics
20772 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
20773 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
20774 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
20776 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
20777 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
20778 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
20779 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
20780 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
20783 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
20784 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
20785 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
20786 less than 4 characters wide.
20788 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
20789 @samp{%&user-date;}.
20792 @node Mode Line Formatting
20793 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
20795 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
20796 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
20797 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
20798 with the following two differences:
20803 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
20806 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
20807 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
20808 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
20809 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
20810 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
20811 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
20812 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
20817 @node Advanced Formatting
20818 @subsection Advanced Formatting
20820 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
20821 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
20822 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
20823 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
20825 These are the valid modifiers:
20830 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
20834 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
20839 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
20842 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
20847 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
20850 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
20853 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
20856 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
20862 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
20867 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
20868 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
20869 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
20870 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
20871 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
20872 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
20873 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
20875 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
20876 last operation, padding.
20878 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
20879 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
20880 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
20881 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
20882 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
20883 the look of your lines.
20884 @xref{Compilation}.
20887 @node User-Defined Specs
20888 @subsection User-Defined Specs
20890 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
20891 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
20892 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
20893 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
20894 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
20895 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
20896 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
20897 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
20898 should protect against that.
20900 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
20901 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
20903 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
20904 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
20905 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
20906 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
20910 @node Formatting Fonts
20911 @subsection Formatting Fonts
20913 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
20914 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
20915 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
20916 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
20919 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
20920 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
20921 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
20922 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
20923 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
20924 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
20926 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
20927 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
20928 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
20929 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
20930 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
20931 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
20932 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
20933 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
20934 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
20935 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
20936 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
20939 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
20942 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
20943 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
20944 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
20946 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
20947 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
20948 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
20949 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
20950 ;; @r{Set the color.}
20951 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
20952 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
20954 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
20955 (setq gnus-group-line-format
20956 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
20959 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
20960 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
20962 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
20963 mode-line variables.
20965 @node Positioning Point
20966 @subsection Positioning Point
20968 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
20969 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
20970 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
20972 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
20974 @findex gnus-goto-colon
20975 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
20976 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
20978 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
20979 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
20980 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
20985 @subsection Tabulation
20987 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
20988 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
20989 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
20990 about lining up the following text afterwards.
20992 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
20993 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
20995 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20996 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
20997 This is the soft tabulator.
20999 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
21000 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
21001 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
21004 @node Wide Characters
21005 @subsection Wide Characters
21007 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
21008 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
21009 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
21011 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
21012 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
21013 these countries, that's not true.
21015 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
21016 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
21017 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
21018 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
21022 @node Window Layout
21023 @section Window Layout
21024 @cindex window layout
21026 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
21028 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
21029 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
21030 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
21031 @code{t} by default.
21033 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
21034 glitches. Use at your own peril.
21036 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
21037 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
21038 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
21041 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
21042 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
21043 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
21047 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
21048 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
21049 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
21050 possible names is listed below.
21052 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
21053 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
21056 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
21060 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
21061 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
21062 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
21063 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
21064 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
21065 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
21066 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
21067 size spec per split.
21069 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
21070 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
21071 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
21072 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
21073 present) gets focus.
21075 Here's a more complicated example:
21078 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
21079 (summary 0.25 point)
21080 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
21084 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
21085 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
21086 occupy, not a percentage.
21088 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
21089 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
21090 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
21091 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
21092 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
21095 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
21098 (article (horizontal 1.0
21103 (summary 0.25 point)
21108 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
21109 @code{horizontal} thingie?
21111 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
21112 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
21113 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
21114 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
21115 the screen is to be given to this strip.
21117 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
21118 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
21119 lines from the splits.
21121 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
21126 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
21127 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
21128 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
21129 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
21130 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
21131 size = number | frame-params
21132 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
21136 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
21137 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
21138 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
21139 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
21141 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
21142 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
21143 @cindex window height
21144 @cindex window width
21145 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
21146 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
21147 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
21148 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
21149 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
21150 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
21152 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
21153 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
21154 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
21155 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
21157 @findex gnus-configure-frame
21158 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
21159 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
21160 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
21161 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
21162 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
21163 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
21164 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
21165 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
21166 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
21167 configuration list.
21170 (gnus-configure-frame
21174 (article 0.3 point))
21182 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
21183 @code{frame} split:
21186 (gnus-configure-frame
21189 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
21191 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
21192 (user-position . t)
21193 (left . -1) (top . 1))
21198 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
21199 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
21200 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
21201 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
21202 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
21203 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
21204 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
21205 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
21207 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
21208 be found in its default value.
21210 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
21211 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
21212 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
21216 (message (horizontal 1.0
21217 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
21219 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
21224 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
21225 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
21226 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
21231 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
21232 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
21233 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
21234 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
21235 (name . "Message"))
21236 (message 1.0 point))))
21239 @findex gnus-add-configuration
21240 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
21241 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
21242 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
21243 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
21246 (gnus-add-configuration
21247 '(article (vertical 1.0
21249 (summary .25 point)
21253 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
21254 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
21255 Gnus has been loaded.
21257 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
21258 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
21259 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
21260 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
21261 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
21263 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
21264 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
21265 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
21268 @subsection Example Window Configurations
21272 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
21273 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
21288 (gnus-add-configuration
21291 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21293 (summary 0.16 point)
21296 (gnus-add-configuration
21299 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21300 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
21306 @node Faces and Fonts
21307 @section Faces and Fonts
21312 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
21313 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
21314 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
21319 @section Compilation
21320 @cindex compilation
21321 @cindex byte-compilation
21323 @findex gnus-compile
21325 Remember all those line format specification variables?
21326 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
21327 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
21328 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
21329 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
21330 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
21331 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
21332 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
21335 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
21336 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
21337 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
21338 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
21339 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
21342 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
21343 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
21344 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
21345 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
21346 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
21351 @section Mode Lines
21354 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
21355 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
21356 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
21357 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
21358 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
21359 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
21360 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
21363 @cindex display-time
21365 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
21366 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
21367 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
21368 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
21369 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
21370 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
21371 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
21372 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
21375 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
21377 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
21378 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
21380 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
21381 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
21382 (length display-time-string)))))
21385 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
21386 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
21387 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
21388 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
21389 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
21392 @node Highlighting and Menus
21393 @section Highlighting and Menus
21395 @cindex highlighting
21398 @vindex gnus-visual
21399 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
21400 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
21401 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
21404 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
21405 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
21408 @item group-highlight
21409 Do highlights in the group buffer.
21410 @item summary-highlight
21411 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
21412 @item article-highlight
21413 Do highlights in the article buffer.
21415 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
21417 Create menus in the group buffer.
21419 Create menus in the summary buffers.
21421 Create menus in the article buffer.
21423 Create menus in the browse buffer.
21425 Create menus in the server buffer.
21427 Create menus in the score buffers.
21429 Create menus in all buffers.
21432 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
21433 buffers, you could say something like:
21436 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
21439 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
21442 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
21445 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
21446 in all Gnus buffers.
21448 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
21451 @item gnus-mouse-face
21452 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
21453 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
21454 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
21458 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
21462 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
21463 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
21464 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
21466 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
21467 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
21468 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
21470 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
21471 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
21472 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
21474 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
21475 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
21476 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
21478 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
21479 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
21480 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
21482 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
21483 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
21484 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
21495 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
21496 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
21497 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
21498 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
21499 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
21503 @vindex gnus-carpal
21504 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
21505 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
21506 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
21511 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21512 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21513 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
21515 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
21516 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
21517 Face used on buttons.
21519 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
21520 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
21521 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
21523 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21524 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21525 Buttons in the group buffer.
21527 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21528 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21529 Buttons in the summary buffer.
21531 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21532 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21533 Buttons in the server buffer.
21535 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21536 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21537 Buttons in the browse buffer.
21540 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
21541 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
21542 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
21550 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
21551 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
21552 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
21553 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
21554 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
21556 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
21557 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
21558 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
21560 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
21561 been idle for thirty minutes:
21564 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
21567 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
21571 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
21574 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
21575 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
21576 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
21578 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
21579 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
21580 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
21581 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
21583 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
21584 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
21585 @var{idle} minutes.
21587 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
21588 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
21591 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
21592 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
21593 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
21595 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
21596 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
21597 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
21598 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
21600 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
21601 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21603 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
21605 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
21608 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
21609 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
21610 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
21611 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
21612 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
21613 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
21614 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
21615 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
21616 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
21617 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
21618 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
21620 @findex gnus-demon-init
21621 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
21622 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
21623 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
21624 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
21625 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
21627 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
21628 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
21629 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
21638 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
21639 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
21641 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
21642 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
21643 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
21644 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
21647 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
21648 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
21649 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
21650 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
21652 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
21653 this will make spam disappear.
21655 There are some variables to customize, of course:
21658 @item gnus-use-nocem
21659 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
21660 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
21663 @item gnus-nocem-groups
21664 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
21665 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
21668 ("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
21669 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")
21672 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
21673 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
21674 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
21675 people you want to listen to. The default is
21677 ("Automoose-1" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
21678 "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo" "hweede@@snafu.de")
21680 fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
21682 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
21683 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
21685 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
21686 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
21687 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
21688 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
21689 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
21690 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
21691 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
21692 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
21693 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
21694 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
21696 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
21697 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
21700 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
21703 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
21704 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
21707 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
21710 The specs are applied left-to-right.
21713 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
21714 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
21716 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
21717 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
21718 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
21719 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
21721 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
21722 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
21725 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
21727 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
21735 This might be dangerous, though.
21737 @item gnus-nocem-directory
21738 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
21739 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
21740 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
21742 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21743 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21744 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
21745 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
21746 might then see old spam.
21748 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
21749 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
21750 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
21751 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
21752 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
21755 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21756 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21757 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
21758 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
21762 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
21763 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
21764 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
21765 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
21772 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
21773 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
21774 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
21776 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
21777 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
21778 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
21779 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
21780 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
21781 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
21782 @code{undo} function.
21784 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
21785 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
21786 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
21787 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
21788 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
21789 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
21790 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
21791 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
21792 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
21793 never be totally undoable.
21795 @findex gnus-undo-mode
21796 @vindex gnus-use-undo
21798 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
21799 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
21800 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
21801 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
21805 @node Predicate Specifiers
21806 @section Predicate Specifiers
21807 @cindex predicate specifiers
21809 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
21810 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
21811 to type all that much.
21813 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
21818 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
21819 gnus-article-unread-p)
21822 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
21823 functions all take one parameter.
21825 @findex gnus-make-predicate
21826 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
21827 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
21828 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
21833 @section Moderation
21836 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
21837 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
21838 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
21841 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
21845 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
21848 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
21850 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
21855 You split your incoming mail by matching on
21856 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
21857 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
21860 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
21861 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
21864 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
21865 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
21869 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
21872 (setq gnus-moderated-list
21873 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
21877 @node Image Enhancements
21878 @section Image Enhancements
21880 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
21881 support images yet.}, is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has
21882 taken advantage of that.
21885 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
21886 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
21887 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
21888 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
21889 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
21897 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
21898 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
21899 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
21903 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
21904 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
21905 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
21913 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
21914 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
21915 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
21916 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
21918 The variable that controls this is the
21919 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
21920 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
21921 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
21922 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
21923 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
21925 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
21926 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
21927 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
21928 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
21931 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
21932 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
21933 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
21934 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
21935 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
21936 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
21937 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
21938 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
21940 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
21948 @vindex gnus-x-face
21949 Face to show X-Face. The colors from this face are used as the
21950 foreground and background colors of the displayed X-Faces. The
21951 default colors are black and white.
21953 @item gnus-face-properties-alist
21954 @vindex gnus-face-properties-alist
21955 Alist of image types and properties applied to Face (@pxref{Face}) and
21956 X-Face images. The default value is @code{((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face))
21957 (png . nil))} for Emacs or @code{((xface . (:face gnus-x-face)))} for
21958 XEmacs. Here are examples:
21961 ;; Specify the altitude of Face and X-Face images in the From header.
21962 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
21963 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :ascent 80))
21964 (png . (:ascent 80))))
21966 ;; Show Face and X-Face images as pressed buttons.
21967 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
21968 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :relief -2))
21969 (png . (:relief -2))))
21972 @pxref{Image Descriptors, ,Image Descriptors, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
21973 Reference Manual} for the valid properties for various image types.
21974 Currently, @code{pbm} is used for X-Face images and @code{png} is used
21975 for Face images in Emacs. Only the @code{:face} property is effective
21976 on the @code{xface} image type in XEmacs if it is built with the
21977 @samp{libcompface} library.
21980 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
21981 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
21983 @findex gnus-random-x-face
21984 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
21985 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
21986 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
21987 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
21988 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
21989 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
21990 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
21991 header data as a string.
21993 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
21994 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
21995 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
21996 randomly generated data.
21998 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
21999 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
22000 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
22001 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
22002 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
22004 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
22005 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22008 (setq message-required-news-headers
22009 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22010 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
22013 Using the last function would be something like this:
22016 (setq message-required-news-headers
22017 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22018 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
22019 (gnus-x-face-from-file
22020 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
22028 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces'implementations should really be harmonized.
22030 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
22031 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
22032 represent the author of the message.
22035 @findex gnus-article-display-face
22036 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
22037 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
22040 The @code{gnus-face-properties-alist} variable affects the appearance of
22041 displayed Face images. @xref{X-Face}.
22043 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
22044 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
22046 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
22047 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
22048 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
22050 @findex gnus-face-from-file
22051 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
22052 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
22053 converts the file to Face format by using the
22054 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
22056 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
22057 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22060 (setq message-required-news-headers
22061 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22062 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
22063 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
22068 @subsection Smileys
22073 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
22078 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
22079 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
22081 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
22082 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22085 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
22088 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
22089 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
22090 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
22091 text and maps that to file names.
22093 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
22094 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
22095 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
22096 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
22097 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
22100 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
22105 @item smiley-data-directory
22106 @vindex smiley-data-directory
22107 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
22109 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
22110 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
22111 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
22125 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
22126 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
22127 over your shoulder as you read news.
22129 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
22138 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
22139 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
22140 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
22141 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
22142 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
22143 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
22144 @code{GIF} formats.
22147 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
22148 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
22149 point your Web browser at
22150 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
22152 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
22153 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
22155 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
22156 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
22159 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
22163 @item gnus-picon-databases
22164 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
22165 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
22166 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
22167 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
22168 "/usr/local/faces")}.
22170 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
22171 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
22172 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22173 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
22175 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
22176 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
22177 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
22178 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
22180 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
22181 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
22182 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22183 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
22184 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
22186 @item gnus-picon-file-types
22187 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
22188 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
22189 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
22195 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
22198 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22199 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22200 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
22201 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
22202 unusual directory structure.
22204 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
22205 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
22206 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
22207 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
22209 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
22210 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
22211 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
22212 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
22213 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
22214 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
22216 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22217 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22218 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
22223 @subsubsection Toolbar
22227 @item gnus-use-toolbar
22228 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
22229 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
22230 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
22231 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
22233 @item gnus-group-toolbar
22234 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
22235 The toolbar in the group buffer.
22237 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
22238 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
22239 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
22241 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22242 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22243 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
22254 @node Fuzzy Matching
22255 @section Fuzzy Matching
22256 @cindex fuzzy matching
22258 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
22259 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
22261 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
22262 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
22263 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
22265 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
22266 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
22267 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
22268 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
22269 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
22272 @node Thwarting Email Spam
22273 @section Thwarting Email Spam
22277 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22279 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
22280 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
22281 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
22282 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
22283 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
22284 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
22285 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
22286 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
22289 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
22290 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
22291 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
22292 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
22293 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
22294 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
22296 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
22299 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
22300 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
22301 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
22302 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
22303 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
22304 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
22307 @node The problem of spam
22308 @subsection The problem of spam
22310 @cindex spam filtering approaches
22311 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
22313 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22315 First, some background on spam.
22317 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
22318 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it
22319 exists because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail,
22320 so only a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to
22321 make it worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most
22322 common spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for
22323 further spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers},
22324 but terms like @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, @emph{sociopaths}, and
22325 @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
22327 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
22328 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
22329 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
22330 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
22331 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
22332 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
22333 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
22334 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
22335 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
22338 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering, at the mail
22339 server or when you sort through incoming mail. If you get 200 spam
22340 messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you block
22341 @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about @samp{VIAGRA}, you
22342 discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the message. If you get
22343 lots of spam from Bulgaria, for example, you try to filter all mail
22344 from Bulgarian IPs.
22346 This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate e-mail. The
22347 risks of blocking a whole country (Bulgaria, Norway, Nigeria, China,
22348 etc.) or even a continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) from contacting
22349 you should be obvious, so don't do it if you have the choice.
22351 In another instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest has
22352 been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it @strong{contained}
22353 words that were common in spam messages. Nevertheless, in isolated
22354 cases, with great care, direct filtering of mail can be useful.
22356 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
22357 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
22358 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
22359 Ghana, Estonia, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
22360 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into a
22361 database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the number
22362 of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When a user
22363 of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a message is
22364 spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
22366 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
22367 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
22368 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
22369 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
22370 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
22371 sending spam, and their web sites and mailing lists have been shut
22372 down for some time because of the incident.
22374 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
22375 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
22376 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
22377 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
22378 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
22379 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
22380 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
22381 to store the database of spam analyses. Statistical analysis on the
22382 server is gaining popularity. This has the advantage of letting the
22383 user Just Read Mail, but has the disadvantage that it's harder to tell
22384 the server that it has misclassified mail.
22386 Fighting spam is not easy, no matter what anyone says. There is no
22387 magic switch that will distinguish Viagra ads from Mom's e-mails.
22388 Even people are having a hard time telling spam apart from non-spam,
22389 because spammers are actively looking to fool us into thinking they
22390 are Mom, essentially. Spamming is irritating, irresponsible, and
22391 idiotic behavior from a bunch of people who think the world owes them
22392 a favor. We hope the following sections will help you in fighting the
22395 @node Anti-Spam Basics
22396 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
22400 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22402 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
22403 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
22405 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
22406 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
22407 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
22408 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
22409 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
22410 part of the mail address.)
22413 (setq message-default-news-headers
22414 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
22417 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
22418 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22422 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
22423 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
22424 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
22429 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
22430 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
22431 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
22432 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
22434 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
22435 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
22436 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
22437 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
22438 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
22439 your fancy split rule in this way:
22444 (to "larsi" "misc")
22448 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
22449 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
22450 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
22451 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
22452 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
22454 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
22455 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
22456 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
22457 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
22459 Be careful with this approach. Spammers are wise to it.
22463 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
22464 @cindex SpamAssassin
22465 @cindex Vipul's Razor
22468 The days where the hints in the previous section were sufficient in
22469 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
22470 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
22471 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
22472 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
22473 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
22474 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
22476 Note that this section does not involve the @code{spam.el} package,
22477 which is discussed in the next section. If you don't care for all
22478 the features of @code{spam.el}, you can make do with these simple
22481 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
22482 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
22483 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
22484 Specifiers}) follow.
22488 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
22492 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
22495 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
22496 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
22497 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
22500 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
22504 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22507 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
22508 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
22512 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
22513 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
22514 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
22515 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
22518 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
22520 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
22524 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
22525 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
22529 Note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will not be
22530 downloaded by default. You need to set
22531 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
22532 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
22534 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
22535 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
22536 spam. And here is the nifty function:
22539 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
22540 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
22542 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
22543 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
22544 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
22548 @subsection Hashcash
22551 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
22552 costly and demonstrably unique for each message they send. This has
22553 the obvious drawback that you cannot rely on everyone in the world
22554 using this technique, since it is not part of the Internet standards,
22555 but it may be useful in smaller communities.
22557 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
22558 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
22559 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
22560 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
22561 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
22562 instead prefers that everyone you contact through e-mail supports the
22563 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
22564 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
22565 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
22566 one of them separately.
22569 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
22570 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
22571 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:} header.
22572 For more details, and for the external application @code{hashcash} you
22573 need to install to use this feature, see
22574 @uref{http://www.hashcash.org/}. Even more information can be found
22575 at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
22577 If you wish to generate hashcash for each message you send, you can
22578 customize @code{message-generate-hashcash} (@pxref{Mail Headers, ,Mail
22579 Headers,message, The Message Manual}), as in:
22582 (setq message-generate-hashcash t)
22585 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
22589 @item hashcash-default-payment
22590 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
22591 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
22592 should consist of. By default this is 20. Suggested useful values
22595 @item hashcash-payment-alist
22596 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
22597 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
22598 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
22599 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
22600 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
22601 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
22602 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
22603 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
22605 @item hashcash-path
22606 @vindex hashcash-path
22607 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed. This variable should
22608 be automatically set by @code{executable-find}, but if it's @code{nil}
22609 (usually because the @code{hashcash} binary is not in your path)
22610 you'll get a warning when you check hashcash payments and an error
22611 when you generate hashcash payments.
22615 Gnus can verify hashcash cookies, although this can also be done by
22616 hand customized mail filtering scripts. To verify a hashcash cookie
22617 in a message, use the @code{mail-check-payment} function in the
22618 @code{hashcash.el} library. You can also use the @code{spam.el}
22619 package with the @code{spam-use-hashcash} back end to validate hashcash
22620 cookies in incoming mail and filter mail accordingly (@pxref{Anti-spam
22621 Hashcash Payments}).
22623 @node Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
22624 @subsection Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
22625 @cindex spam filtering
22628 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
22629 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
22630 filters new mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
22631 @dfn{Ham} is the name used throughout @code{spam.el} to indicate
22634 Make sure you read the section on the @code{spam.el} sequence of
22635 events. See @xref{Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events}.
22637 @cindex spam-initialize
22638 To use @code{spam.el}, you @strong{must} run the function
22639 @code{spam-initialize} to autoload @file{spam.el} and to install the
22640 @code{spam.el} hooks. There is one exception: if you use the
22641 @code{spam-use-stat} (@pxref{spam-stat spam filtering}) setting, you
22642 should turn it on before @code{spam-initialize}:
22645 (setq spam-use-stat t) ;; if needed
22649 So, what happens when you load @file{spam.el}?
22651 First, some hooks will get installed by @code{spam-initialize}. There
22652 are some hooks for @code{spam-stat} so it can save its databases, and
22653 there are hooks so interesting things will happen when you enter and
22654 leave a group. More on the sequence of events later (@pxref{Spam
22655 ELisp Package Sequence of Events}).
22657 You get the following keyboard commands:
22667 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
22668 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
22670 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark.
22671 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
22672 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
22673 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
22679 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
22680 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
22682 You must have Bogofilter installed for that command to work properly.
22688 Also, when you load @file{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
22689 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
22693 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
22694 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
22695 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
22696 * Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer::
22697 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
22698 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
22699 * BBDB Whitelists::
22700 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
22701 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
22703 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
22705 * SpamAssassin back end::
22706 * ifile spam filtering::
22707 * spam-stat spam filtering::
22709 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
22712 @node Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events
22713 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events
22714 @cindex spam filtering
22715 @cindex spam filtering sequence of events
22717 You must read this section to understand how @code{spam.el} works.
22718 Do not skip, speed-read, or glance through this section.
22720 There are two @emph{contact points}, if you will, between
22721 @code{spam.el} and the rest of Gnus: checking new mail for spam, and
22724 Getting new mail in Gnus is done in one of two ways. You can either
22725 split your incoming mail or you can classify new articles as ham or
22726 spam when you enter the group.
22728 Splitting incoming mail is better suited to mail back ends such as
22729 @code{nnml} or @code{nnimap} where new mail appears in a single file
22730 called a @dfn{Spool File}. See @xref{Spam ELisp Package Filtering of
22733 @vindex gnus-spam-autodetect
22734 @vindex gnus-spam-autodetect-methods
22735 For back ends such as @code{nntp} there is no incoming mail spool, so
22736 an alternate mechanism must be used. This may also happen for
22737 back ends where the server is in charge of splitting incoming mail, and
22738 Gnus does not do further splitting. The @code{spam-autodetect} and
22739 @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameters (accessible with
22740 @kbd{G c} and @kbd{G p} as usual), and the corresponding variables
22741 @code{gnus-spam-autodetect} and @code{gnus-spam-autodetect-methods}
22742 (accessible with @kbd{M-x customize-variable} as usual) can help.
22744 When @code{spam-autodetect} is used (you can turn it on for a
22745 group/topic or wholesale by regular expression matches, as needed), it
22746 hooks into the process of entering a group. Thus, entering a group
22747 with unseen or unread articles becomes the substitute for checking
22748 incoming mail. Whether only unseen articles or all unread articles
22749 will be processed is determined by the
22750 @code{spam-autodetect-recheck-messages}. When set to @code{t}, unread
22751 messages will be rechecked. You should probably stick with the
22752 default of only checking unseen messages.
22754 @code{spam-autodetect} grants the user at once more and less control
22755 of spam filtering. The user will have more control over each group's
22756 spam methods, so for instance the @samp{ding} group may have
22757 @code{spam-use-BBDB} as the autodetection method, while the
22758 @samp{suspect} group may have the @code{spam-use-blacklist} and
22759 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} methods enabled. Every article detected to
22760 be spam will be marked with the spam mark @samp{$} and processed on
22761 exit from the group as normal spam. The user has less control over
22762 the @emph{sequence} of checks, as he might with @code{spam-split}.
22764 When the newly split mail goes into groups, or messages are
22765 autodetected to be ham or spam, those groups must be exited (after
22766 entering, if needed) for further spam processing to happen. It
22767 matters whether the group is considered a ham group, a spam group, or
22768 is unclassified, based on its @code{spam-content} parameter
22769 (@pxref{Spam ELisp Package Global Variables}). Spam groups have the
22770 additional characteristic that, when entered, any unseen or unread
22771 articles (depending on the @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam}
22772 variable) will be marked as spam. Thus, mail split into a spam group
22773 gets automatically marked as spam when you enter the group.
22775 Thus, when you exit a group, the @code{spam-processors} are applied,
22776 if any are set, and the processed mail is moved to the
22777 @code{ham-process-destination} or the @code{spam-process-destination}
22778 depending on the article's classification. If the
22779 @code{ham-process-destination} or the @code{spam-process-destination},
22780 whichever is appropriate, are @code{nil}, the article is left in the
22783 If a spam is found in any group (this can be changed to only non-spam
22784 groups with @code{spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only}), it is
22785 processed by the active @code{spam-processors} (@pxref{Spam ELisp
22786 Package Global Variables}) when the group is exited. Furthermore, the
22787 spam is moved to the @code{spam-process-destination} (@pxref{Spam
22788 ELisp Package Global Variables}) for further training or deletion.
22789 You have to load the @code{gnus-registry.el} package and enable the
22790 @code{spam-log-to-registry} variable if you want spam to be processed
22791 no more than once. Thus, spam is detected and processed everywhere,
22792 which is what most people want. If the
22793 @code{spam-process-destination} is @code{nil}, the spam is marked as
22794 expired, which is usually the right thing to do.
22796 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
22797 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
22799 If a ham mail is found in a ham group, as determined by the
22800 @code{ham-marks} parameter, it is processed as ham by the active ham
22801 @code{spam-processor} when the group is exited. With the variables
22802 @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} and
22803 @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} the behavior can be further
22804 altered so ham found anywhere can be processed. You have to load the
22805 @code{gnus-registry.el} package and enable the
22806 @code{spam-log-to-registry} variable if you want ham to be processed
22807 no more than once. Thus, ham is detected and processed only when
22808 necessary, which is what most people want. More on this in
22809 @xref{Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples}.
22811 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
22812 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
22814 If all this seems confusing, don't worry. Soon it will be as natural
22815 as typing Lisp one-liners on a neural interface@dots{} err, sorry, that's
22816 50 years in the future yet. Just trust us, it's not so bad.
22818 @node Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail
22819 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail
22820 @cindex spam filtering
22821 @cindex spam filtering incoming mail
22824 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
22825 must add the following to your fancy split list
22826 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
22832 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
22833 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
22834 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
22836 Also, @code{spam-split} will not modify incoming mail in any way.
22838 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
22839 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
22840 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
22841 but you can customize @code{spam-split-group}. Make sure the contents
22842 of @code{spam-split-group} are an @emph{unqualified} group name, for
22843 instance in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server} the value
22844 @samp{spam} will turn out to be @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The
22845 value @samp{nnimap+server:spam}, therefore, is wrong and will
22846 actually give you the group
22847 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam} which may or may not
22848 work depending on your server's tolerance for strange group names.
22850 You can also give @code{spam-split} a parameter,
22851 e.g. @code{spam-use-regex-headers} or @code{"maybe-spam"}. Why is
22854 Take these split rules (with @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and
22855 @code{spam-use-blackholes} set):
22858 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
22859 (any "ding" "ding")
22861 ;; @r{default mailbox}
22865 Now, the problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the
22866 ding folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam
22867 detected by SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through,
22868 when it's sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to
22869 the ding list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the
22870 invocation of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
22872 You can let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, but all other
22873 @code{spam-split} rules (including a second invocation of the
22874 regex-headers check) will be after the ding rule:
22879 ;; @r{all spam detected by @code{spam-use-regex-headers} goes to @samp{regex-spam}}
22880 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
22881 (any "ding" "ding")
22882 ;; @r{all other spam detected by spam-split goes to @code{spam-split-group}}
22884 ;; @r{default mailbox}
22888 This lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks depending on
22889 your particular needs, and to target the results of those checks to a
22890 particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail into all the
22891 spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that messages to
22892 mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have resource-intensive
22893 blackhole checks performed on them. You could also specify different
22894 spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap split. Go crazy.
22896 You should still have specific checks such as
22897 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} set to @code{t}, even if you
22898 specifically invoke @code{spam-split} with the check. The reason is
22899 that when loading @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done
22900 depending on what @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set. This
22901 is usually not critical, though.
22903 @emph{Note for IMAP users}
22905 The boolean variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} needs to be
22906 set, if you want to split based on the whole message instead of just
22907 the headers. By default, the nnimap back end will only retrieve the
22908 message headers. If you use a @emph{statistical} filter,
22909 e.g. @code{spam-check-bogofilter}, @code{spam-check-ifile}, or
22910 @code{spam-check-stat} (the splitters that can benefit from the full
22911 message body), this variable will be set automatically. It is not set
22912 for non-statistical back ends by default because it will slow
22913 @acronym{IMAP} down.
22915 @xref{Splitting in IMAP}.
22917 @node Spam ELisp Package Global Variables
22918 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Global Variables
22919 @cindex spam filtering
22920 @cindex spam filtering variables
22921 @cindex spam variables
22924 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
22925 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
22926 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
22927 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
22928 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
22929 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
22930 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
22931 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
22932 will be detected later.
22934 The format of the spam or ham processor entry used to be a symbol,
22935 but now it is a @sc{cons} cell. See the individual spam processor entries
22936 for more information.
22938 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
22939 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
22940 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
22941 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
22942 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
22943 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
22944 by customizing the corresponding variable
22945 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
22946 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
22947 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
22948 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
22949 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
22950 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
22951 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
22954 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
22956 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
22957 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
22958 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
22959 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
22960 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
22961 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
22962 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
22963 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
22964 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
22965 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
22966 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
22967 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
22968 processor which will study them as spam samples.
22970 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
22971 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
22972 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
22973 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
22974 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
22975 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
22976 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
22977 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
22980 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
22981 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
22982 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks (the idea is
22983 that these articles have been read, but are not spam). It can be
22984 useful to also include the tick mark in the ham marks. It is not
22985 recommended to make the unread mark a ham mark, because it normally
22986 indicates a lack of classification. But you can do it, and we'll be
22991 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
22992 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
22993 the spam mark. It is not recommended to change that, but you can if
22994 you really want to.
22997 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
22998 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
22999 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
23000 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
23001 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
23002 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
23005 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
23006 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
23007 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
23008 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
23009 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
23010 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
23011 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
23012 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
23013 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with @kbd{M-x
23014 customize-variable @key{RET} gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
23015 group name list is a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize
23016 the variable manually. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
23017 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
23018 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
23019 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
23021 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23022 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23024 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
23025 expression! This enables you to send your ham to a regular mail
23026 group and to a @emph{ham training} group.
23028 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
23029 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
23031 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
23032 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
23033 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
23034 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
23035 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
23037 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
23038 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
23039 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
23040 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
23041 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
23044 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
23045 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
23046 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
23047 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
23048 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
23049 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
23050 customize this variable with @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET}
23051 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each group name list is a standard
23052 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. If the
23053 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
23054 articles are only expired. The group name is fully qualified, meaning
23055 that if you see @samp{nntp:servername} before the group name in the
23056 group buffer then you need it here as well.
23058 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23059 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23061 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
23062 expression! This enables you to send your spam to multiple @emph{spam
23065 @vindex spam-log-to-registry
23066 The problem with processing ham and spam is that Gnus doesn't track
23067 this processing by default. Enable the @code{spam-log-to-registry}
23068 variable so @code{spam.el} will use @code{gnus-registry.el} to track
23069 what articles have been processed, and avoid processing articles
23070 multiple times. Keep in mind that if you limit the number of registry
23071 entries, this won't work as well as it does without a limit.
23073 @vindex spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam
23074 Set this variable if you want only unseen articles in spam groups to
23075 be marked as spam. By default, it is set. If you set it to
23076 @code{nil}, unread articles will also be marked as spam.
23078 @vindex spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group
23079 Set this variable if you want ham to be unmarked before it is moved
23080 out of the spam group. This is very useful when you use something
23081 like the tick mark @samp{!} to mark ham---the article will be placed
23082 in your @code{ham-process-destination}, unmarked as if it came fresh
23083 from the mail server.
23085 @vindex spam-autodetect-recheck-messages
23086 When autodetecting spam, this variable tells @code{spam.el} whether
23087 only unseen articles or all unread articles should be checked for
23088 spam. It is recommended that you leave it off.
23090 @node Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer
23091 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer
23092 @cindex spam scoring
23093 @cindex spam sorting
23094 @cindex spam score summary buffer
23095 @cindex spam sort summary buffer
23098 You can display the spam score of articles in your summary buffer, and
23099 you can sort articles by their spam score.
23101 First you need to decide which back end you will be using. If you use
23102 the @code{spam-use-spamassassin},
23103 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}, or @code{spam-use-regex-headers}
23104 back end, the @code{X-Spam-Status} header will be used. If you use
23105 @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, the @code{X-Bogosity} header will be used.
23106 If you use @code{spam-use-crm114}, any header that matches the CRM114
23107 score format will be used. As long as you set the appropriate back end
23108 variable to t @emph{before} you load @file{spam.el}, you will be
23109 fine. @code{spam.el} will automatically add the right header to the
23110 internal Gnus list of required headers.
23112 To show the spam score in your summary buffer, add this line to your
23113 @code{gnus.el} file (note @code{spam.el} does not do that by default
23114 so it won't override any existing @code{S} formats you may have).
23117 (defalias 'gnus-user-format-function-S 'spam-user-format-function-S)
23120 Now just set your summary line format to use @code{%uS}. Here's an
23121 example that formats the spam score in a 5-character field:
23124 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
23125 "%U%R %10&user-date; $%5uS %6k %B %(%4L: %*%-25,25a%) %s \n")
23128 Finally, to sort by spam status, either do it globally:
23132 gnus-show-threads nil
23133 gnus-article-sort-functions
23134 '(spam-article-sort-by-spam-status))
23137 or per group (@pxref{Sorting the Summary Buffer}).
23139 @node Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples
23140 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples
23141 @cindex spam filtering
23142 @cindex spam filtering configuration examples
23143 @cindex spam configuration examples
23146 @subsubheading Ted's setup
23148 From Ted Zlatanov <tzz@@lifelogs.com>.
23150 ;; @r{for @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent} and spam autodetection}
23151 ;; @r{see @file{gnus-registry.el} for more information}
23152 (gnus-registry-initialize)
23155 ;; @r{I like @kbd{C-s} for marking spam}
23156 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map "\C-s" 'gnus-summary-mark-as-spam)
23159 spam-log-to-registry t ; @r{for spam autodetection}
23161 spam-use-regex-headers t ; @r{catch X-Spam-Flag (SpamAssassin)}
23162 ;; @r{all groups with @samp{spam} in the name contain spam}
23163 gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
23164 '(("spam" gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23165 ;; @r{see documentation for these}
23166 spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
23167 spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
23168 spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
23169 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
23170 ;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
23171 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
23172 ;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
23173 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
23174 ;; @r{this will catch server-side SpamAssassin tags}
23175 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
23176 (any "ding" "ding")
23177 ;; @r{note that spam by default will go to @samp{spam}}
23179 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23182 ;; @r{my parameters, set with @kbd{G p}}
23184 ;; @r{all nnml groups, and all nnimap groups except}
23185 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} and}
23186 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam}: any spam goes to nnimap training,}
23187 ;; @r{because it must have been detected manually}
23189 ((spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
23191 ;; @r{all @acronym{NNTP} groups}
23192 ;; @r{autodetect spam with the blacklist and ham with the BBDB}
23193 ((spam-autodetect-methods spam-use-blacklist spam-use-BBDB)
23194 ;; @r{send all spam to the training group}
23195 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
23197 ;; @r{only some @acronym{NNTP} groups, where I want to autodetect spam}
23198 ((spam-autodetect . t))
23200 ;; @r{my nnimap @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam} group}
23202 ;; @r{this is a spam group}
23203 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam)
23205 ;; @r{any spam (which happens when I enter for all unseen messages,}
23206 ;; @r{because of the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} setting above), goes to}
23207 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} unless I mark it as ham}
23209 (spam-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train")
23211 ;; @r{any ham goes to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail} folder, but}
23212 ;; @r{also to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham} folder for training}
23214 (ham-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail"
23215 "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham")
23216 ;; @r{in this group, only @samp{!} marks are ham}
23218 (gnus-ticked-mark))
23219 ;; @r{remembers senders in the blacklist on the way out---this is}
23220 ;; @r{definitely not needed, it just makes me feel better}
23221 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist)))
23223 ;; @r{Later, on the @acronym{IMAP} server I use the @samp{train} group for training}
23224 ;; @r{SpamAssassin to recognize spam, and the @samp{trainham} group fora}
23225 ;; @r{recognizing ham---but Gnus has nothing to do with it.}
23229 @subsubheading Using @code{spam.el} on an IMAP server with a statistical filter on the server
23230 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
23232 My provider has set up bogofilter (in combination with @acronym{DCC}) on
23233 the mail server (@acronym{IMAP}). Recognized spam goes to
23234 @samp{spam.detected}, the rest goes through the normal filter rules,
23235 i.e. to @samp{some.folder} or to @samp{INBOX}. Training on false
23236 positives or negatives is done by copying or moving the article to
23237 @samp{training.ham} or @samp{training.spam} respectively. A cron job on
23238 the server feeds those to bogofilter with the suitable ham or spam
23239 options and deletes them from the @samp{training.ham} and
23240 @samp{training.spam} folders.
23242 With the following entries in @code{gnus-parameters}, @code{spam.el}
23243 does most of the job for me:
23246 ("nnimap:spam\\.detected"
23247 (gnus-article-sort-functions '(gnus-article-sort-by-chars))
23248 (ham-process-destination "nnimap:INBOX" "nnimap:training.ham")
23249 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23250 ("nnimap:\\(INBOX\\|other-folders\\)"
23251 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap:training.spam")
23252 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham))
23257 @item @b{The Spam folder:}
23259 In the folder @samp{spam.detected}, I have to check for false positives
23260 (i.e. legitimate mails, that were wrongly judged as spam by
23261 bogofilter or DCC).
23263 Because of the @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam} entry, all
23264 messages are marked as spam (with @code{$}). When I find a false
23265 positive, I mark the message with some other ham mark (@code{ham-marks},
23266 @ref{Spam ELisp Package Global Variables}). On group exit, those
23267 messages are copied to both groups, @samp{INBOX} (where I want to have
23268 the article) and @samp{training.ham} (for training bogofilter) and
23269 deleted from the @samp{spam.detected} folder.
23271 The @code{gnus-article-sort-by-chars} entry simplifies detection of
23272 false positives for me. I receive lots of worms (sweN, @dots{}), that all
23273 have a similar size. Grouping them by size (i.e. chars) makes finding
23274 other false positives easier. (Of course worms aren't @i{spam}
23275 (@acronym{UCE}, @acronym{UBE}) strictly speaking. Anyhow, bogofilter is
23276 an excellent tool for filtering those unwanted mails for me.)
23278 @item @b{Ham folders:}
23280 In my ham folders, I just hit @kbd{S x}
23281 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) whenever I see an unrecognized spam
23282 mail (false negative). On group exit, those messages are moved to
23283 @samp{training.ham}.
23286 @subsubheading Reporting spam articles in Gmane groups with @code{spam-report.el}
23288 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
23290 With following entry in @code{gnus-parameters}, @kbd{S x}
23291 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) marks articles in @code{gmane.*}
23292 groups as spam and reports the to Gmane at group exit:
23296 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane)))
23299 Additionally, I use @code{(setq spam-report-gmane-use-article-number nil)}
23300 because I don't read the groups directly from news.gmane.org, but
23301 through my local news server (leafnode). I.e. the article numbers are
23302 not the same as on news.gmane.org, thus @code{spam-report.el} has to check
23303 the @code{X-Report-Spam} header to find the correct number.
23305 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
23306 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
23307 @cindex spam filtering
23308 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
23309 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
23312 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
23314 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
23315 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
23316 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
23317 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
23322 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
23324 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
23325 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
23326 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
23327 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
23328 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23332 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
23334 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
23335 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
23336 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
23340 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
23342 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23343 customizing the group parameters or the
23344 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23345 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23346 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
23350 Instead of the obsolete
23351 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist}, it is recommended
23352 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-blacklist)}. Everything will work
23353 the same way, we promise.
23357 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
23359 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23360 customizing the group parameters or the
23361 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23362 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23363 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
23368 Instead of the obsolete
23369 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist}, it is recommended
23370 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-whitelist)}. Everything will work
23371 the same way, we promise.
23375 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
23376 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
23377 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
23378 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
23379 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
23381 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
23382 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
23383 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
23384 Emacs regular expression syntax.
23386 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
23387 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
23388 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
23389 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
23390 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
23391 @file{blacklist} respectively.
23393 @node BBDB Whitelists
23394 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
23395 @cindex spam filtering
23396 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
23397 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
23400 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
23402 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
23403 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
23404 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
23405 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
23406 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
23407 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
23408 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23412 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
23414 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
23415 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
23416 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
23417 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
23418 classified as spammers.
23420 While @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} @emph{can} be used as an alias
23421 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} as far as @code{spam.el} is concerned, it is
23422 @emph{not} a separate back end. If you set
23423 @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} to t, @emph{all} your BBDB splitting
23428 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
23430 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23431 customizing the group parameters or the
23432 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23433 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23434 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
23439 Instead of the obsolete
23440 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB}, it is recommended
23441 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-BBDB)}. Everything will work
23442 the same way, we promise.
23446 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
23447 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
23448 @cindex spam reporting
23449 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
23450 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
23453 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
23455 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23456 customizing the group parameters or the
23457 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23458 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
23459 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
23462 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
23466 Instead of the obsolete
23467 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane}, it is recommended
23468 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-gmane)}. Everything will work the
23469 same way, we promise.
23473 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
23475 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
23476 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
23477 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
23478 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
23479 @code{spam-report.el} will use the @code{X-Report-Spam} header that
23484 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
23485 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
23486 @cindex spam filtering
23487 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
23490 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
23492 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
23493 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
23494 instead of the sender address. Messages without a hashcash payment
23495 token will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an explicit
23496 filter, meaning that unless a hashcash token is found, the messages
23497 are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23502 @subsubsection Blackholes
23503 @cindex spam filtering
23504 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
23507 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
23509 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
23510 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
23511 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
23512 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
23513 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
23514 contains outdated servers.
23516 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
23517 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
23518 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
23519 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
23520 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
23521 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
23525 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
23527 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
23531 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
23533 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
23534 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
23538 @defvar spam-use-dig
23540 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
23541 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
23545 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
23546 ham processor for blackholes.
23548 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
23549 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
23550 @cindex spam filtering
23551 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
23554 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
23556 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
23557 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
23558 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
23559 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
23560 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
23561 message is spam or ham, respectively.
23565 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
23567 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
23568 the message, positively identify it as spam.
23572 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
23574 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
23575 the message, positively identify it as ham.
23579 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
23580 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
23583 @subsubsection Bogofilter
23584 @cindex spam filtering
23585 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
23588 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
23590 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
23593 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
23594 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
23595 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
23596 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
23597 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
23598 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
23600 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
23601 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
23604 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
23605 processing will be turned off.
23607 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
23611 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
23613 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
23614 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
23615 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
23616 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
23617 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
23618 installation documents for details.
23620 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
23624 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
23625 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23626 customizing the group parameters or the
23627 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23628 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
23629 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
23633 Instead of the obsolete
23634 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
23635 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
23636 the same way, we promise.
23639 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
23640 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23641 customizing the group parameters or the
23642 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23643 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
23644 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
23645 of non-spam messages.
23649 Instead of the obsolete
23650 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
23651 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
23652 the same way, we promise.
23655 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
23657 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
23658 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
23659 database directory.
23663 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
23664 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
23665 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
23666 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
23667 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
23668 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
23670 @node SpamAssassin back end
23671 @subsubsection SpamAssassin back end
23672 @cindex spam filtering
23673 @cindex spamassassin, spam filtering
23676 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin
23678 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use SpamAssassin.
23680 SpamAssassin assigns a score to each article based on a set of rules
23681 and tests, including a Bayesian filter. The Bayesian filter can be
23682 trained by associating the @samp{$} mark for spam articles. The
23683 spam score can be viewed by using the command @kbd{S t} in summary
23686 If you set this variable, each article will be processed by
23687 SpamAssassin when @code{spam-split} is called. If your mail is
23688 preprocessed by SpamAssassin, and you want to just use the
23689 SpamAssassin headers, set @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}
23692 You should not enable this is you use
23693 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}.
23697 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin-headers
23699 Set this variable if your mail is preprocessed by SpamAssassin and
23700 want @code{spam-split} to split based on the SpamAssassin headers.
23702 You should not enable this is you use @code{spam-use-spamassassin}.
23706 @defvar spam-spamassassin-path
23708 This variable points to the SpamAssassin executable. If you have
23709 @code{spamd} running, you can set this variable to the @code{spamc}
23710 executable for faster processing. See the SpamAssassin documentation
23711 for more information on @code{spamd}/@code{spamc}.
23715 SpamAssassin is a powerful and flexible spam filter that uses a wide
23716 variety of tests to identify spam. A ham and a spam processors are
23717 provided, plus the @code{spam-use-spamassassin} and
23718 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers} variables to indicate to
23719 spam-split that SpamAssassin should be either used, or has already
23720 been used on the article. The 2.63 version of SpamAssassin was used
23721 to test this functionality.
23723 @node ifile spam filtering
23724 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
23725 @cindex spam filtering
23726 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
23729 @defvar spam-use-ifile
23731 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
23732 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
23736 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
23738 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
23739 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
23740 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
23744 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
23746 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
23747 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
23748 the default value of @samp{spam}.
23751 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
23753 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
23754 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
23758 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
23759 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
23760 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
23761 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
23764 @node spam-stat spam filtering
23765 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
23766 @cindex spam filtering
23767 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
23771 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat}.
23773 @defvar spam-use-stat
23775 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
23776 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
23780 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
23781 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23782 customizing the group parameters or the
23783 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23784 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
23785 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
23789 Instead of the obsolete
23790 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
23791 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
23792 the same way, we promise.
23795 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
23796 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23797 customizing the group parameters or the
23798 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23799 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
23800 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
23801 of non-spam messages.
23805 Instead of the obsolete
23806 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
23807 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
23808 the same way, we promise.
23811 This enables @code{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
23812 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
23813 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
23814 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
23815 @code{spam-split} are provided.
23818 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
23819 @cindex spam filtering
23823 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
23824 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
23825 installed separately.
23827 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
23828 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
23829 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
23830 mail as a spam mail or not.
23832 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
23833 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
23834 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
23836 The easiest method is to make @code{spam.el} (@pxref{Filtering Spam
23837 Using The Spam ELisp Package}) call SpamOracle.
23839 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
23840 To enable SpamOracle usage by @code{spam.el}, set the variable
23841 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
23842 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy} as described in
23843 the section @xref{Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package}. In
23844 this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is filtered using
23845 SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be moved to
23846 @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham messages stay
23850 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
23851 spam-split-group "Junk"
23852 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
23853 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
23854 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
23857 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
23858 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
23862 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
23863 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
23864 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
23868 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
23869 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
23870 store its analyses. This is controlled by the variable
23871 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
23872 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
23873 database to live somewhere special, set
23874 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
23877 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
23878 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
23879 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns the
23880 characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
23881 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
23882 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary buffer
23883 and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using @code{spam.el}'s
23884 spam- and ham-processors, which is much more convenient. For a
23885 detailed description of spam- and ham-processors, @xref{Filtering Spam
23886 Using The Spam ELisp Package}.
23888 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
23889 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23890 customizing the group parameter or the
23891 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
23892 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
23893 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
23897 Instead of the obsolete
23898 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
23899 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
23900 the same way, we promise.
23903 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
23904 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23905 customizing the group parameter or the
23906 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
23907 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
23908 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
23913 Instead of the obsolete
23914 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
23915 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
23916 the same way, we promise.
23919 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of a group that has been
23920 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
23923 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
23924 (spam-process ((ham spam-use-spamoracle)
23925 (spam spam-use-spamoracle))))
23927 For this group the @code{spam-use-spamoracle} is installed for both
23928 ham and spam processing. If the group contains spam message
23929 (e.g. because SpamOracle has not had enough sample messages yet) and
23930 the user marks some messages as spam messages, these messages will be
23931 processed by SpamOracle. The processor sends the messages to
23932 SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
23934 @node Extending the Spam ELisp package
23935 @subsubsection Extending the Spam ELisp package
23936 @cindex spam filtering
23937 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
23938 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
23940 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
23941 incoming mail, provide the following:
23949 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
23950 "True if blackbox should be used.")
23953 Write @code{spam-check-blackbox} if Blackbox can check incoming mail.
23955 Write @code{spam-blackbox-register-routine} and
23956 @code{spam-blackbox-unregister-routine} using the bogofilter
23957 register/unregister routines as a start, or other restister/unregister
23958 routines more appropriate to Blackbox, if Blackbox can
23959 register/unregister spam and ham.
23964 The @code{spam-check-blackbox} function should return @samp{nil} or
23965 @code{spam-split-group}, observing the other conventions. See the
23966 existing @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can
23967 do, and stick to the template unless you fully understand the reasons
23972 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
23979 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
23980 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
23982 Also, ham and spam processors are being phased out as single
23983 variables. Instead the form @code{'(spam spam-use-blackbox)} or
23984 @code{'(ham spam-use-blackbox)} is favored. For now, spam/ham
23985 processor variables are still around but they won't be for long.
23988 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-spam"
23989 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
23990 Only applicable to spam groups.")
23992 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-ham"
23993 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
23994 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
24003 (const :tag "Spam: Blackbox" (spam spam-use-blackbox))
24004 (const :tag "Ham: Blackbox" (ham spam-use-blackbox))
24006 to the @code{spam-process} group parameter in @code{gnus.el}. Make
24007 sure you do it twice, once for the parameter and once for the
24008 variable customization.
24012 (variable-item spam-use-blackbox)
24014 to the @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameter in
24015 @code{gnus.el} if Blackbox can check incoming mail for spam contents.
24017 Finally, use the appropriate @code{spam-install-*-backend} function in
24018 @code{spam.el}. Here are the available functions.
24024 @code{spam-install-backend-alias}
24026 This function will simply install an alias for a back end that does
24027 everything like the original back end. It is currently only used to
24028 make @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} act like @code{spam-use-BBDB}.
24031 @code{spam-install-nocheck-backend}
24033 This function installs a back end that has no check function, but can
24034 register/unregister ham or spam. The @code{spam-use-gmane} back end is
24038 @code{spam-install-checkonly-backend}
24040 This function will install a back end that can only check incoming mail
24041 for spam contents. It can't register or unregister messages.
24042 @code{spam-use-blackholes} and @code{spam-use-hashcash} are such
24046 @code{spam-install-statistical-checkonly-backend}
24048 This function installs a statistical back end (one which requires the
24049 full body of a message to check it) that can only check incoming mail
24050 for contents. @code{spam-use-regex-body} is such a filter.
24053 @code{spam-install-statistical-backend}
24055 This function install a statistical back end with incoming checks and
24056 registration/unregistration routines. @code{spam-use-bogofilter} is
24060 @code{spam-install-backend}
24062 This is the most normal back end installation, where a back end that can
24063 check and register/unregister messages is set up without statistical
24064 abilities. The @code{spam-use-BBDB} is such a back end.
24067 @code{spam-install-mover-backend}
24069 Mover back ends are internal to @code{spam.el} and specifically move
24070 articles around when the summary is exited. You will very probably
24071 never install such a back end.
24077 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
24078 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
24079 @cindex Paul Graham
24080 @cindex Graham, Paul
24081 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
24082 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
24083 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
24085 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
24086 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
24087 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
24088 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
24089 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
24090 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
24091 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
24092 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
24093 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
24096 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
24097 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
24098 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
24099 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
24100 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
24101 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
24102 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
24103 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
24105 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
24106 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
24107 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
24108 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
24109 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
24112 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
24113 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
24114 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
24117 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
24118 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
24120 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
24121 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
24122 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
24123 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
24124 need several hundred emails in both collections.
24126 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
24127 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
24128 per mail. Use the following:
24130 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
24131 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
24132 is treated as one spam mail.
24135 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
24136 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
24137 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
24140 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
24141 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
24142 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
24143 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
24144 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
24145 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
24147 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
24148 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
24149 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
24150 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
24151 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
24154 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
24155 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
24156 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
24157 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
24160 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
24161 reset the dictionary.
24163 @defun spam-stat-reset
24164 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
24167 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
24168 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
24169 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
24170 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
24171 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
24172 only non-spam mails.
24174 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
24175 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
24176 to update the dictionary incrementally.
24179 @defun spam-stat-save
24180 Save the dictionary.
24183 @defvar spam-stat-file
24184 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
24185 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
24188 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
24189 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
24191 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
24192 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
24195 (require 'spam-stat)
24199 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
24202 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
24203 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
24204 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
24205 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
24207 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
24208 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
24209 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
24210 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
24213 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24214 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24218 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
24219 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
24222 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
24223 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
24224 expression are considered potential spam.
24227 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24228 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24229 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24233 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
24234 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
24235 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
24236 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
24237 mails, when creating the dictionary!
24240 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24241 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24242 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24246 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
24247 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
24248 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
24249 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
24250 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
24254 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24255 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
24256 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24257 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24262 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
24263 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
24265 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
24267 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
24268 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
24269 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
24272 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
24273 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
24274 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
24277 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
24278 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
24279 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
24280 already been processed as non-spam.
24283 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
24284 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
24285 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
24286 been processed as spam.
24289 @defun spam-stat-save
24290 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
24291 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
24294 @defun spam-stat-load
24295 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
24296 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
24299 @defun spam-stat-score-word
24300 Return the spam score for a word.
24303 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
24304 Return the spam score for a buffer.
24307 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
24308 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
24309 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
24312 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
24313 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
24316 (require 'spam-stat)
24320 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
24323 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
24324 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24325 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24326 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24327 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
24328 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
24329 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24330 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24331 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
24332 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24333 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
24334 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
24335 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24336 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24339 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
24342 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
24343 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24344 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24345 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
24346 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
24347 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24351 @section Interaction with other modes
24356 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} provided some useful functions for dired
24357 buffers. It is enabled with
24359 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
24364 @findex gnus-dired-attach
24365 Send dired's marked files as an attachment (@code{gnus-dired-attach}).
24366 You will be prompted for a message buffer.
24369 @findex gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap
24370 Visit a file according to the appropriate mailcap entry
24371 (@code{gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap}). With prefix, open file in a new
24375 @findex gnus-dired-print
24376 Print file according to the mailcap entry (@code{gnus-dired-print}). If
24377 there is no print command, print in a PostScript image.
24380 @node Various Various
24381 @section Various Various
24387 @item gnus-home-directory
24388 @vindex gnus-home-directory
24389 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
24390 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
24392 @item gnus-directory
24393 @vindex gnus-directory
24394 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
24395 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
24396 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
24398 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
24399 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
24400 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
24401 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
24403 @item gnus-default-directory
24404 @vindex gnus-default-directory
24405 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
24406 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
24407 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
24408 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
24409 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
24410 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
24413 @vindex gnus-verbose
24414 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
24415 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
24416 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
24417 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
24418 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
24420 @item gnus-verbose-backends
24421 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
24422 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
24423 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
24425 @item nnheader-max-head-length
24426 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
24427 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
24428 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
24429 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
24430 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
24431 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
24432 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
24433 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
24434 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
24436 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
24437 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
24438 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
24439 read when doing the operation described above.
24441 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24442 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24444 @cindex invalid characters in file names
24445 @cindex characters in file names
24446 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
24447 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
24448 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
24452 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24457 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
24458 Windows (phooey) systems.
24460 @item gnus-hidden-properties
24461 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
24462 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
24463 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
24464 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
24466 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
24467 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
24468 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
24469 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
24470 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
24472 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
24473 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
24474 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
24476 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
24477 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
24479 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
24480 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
24481 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
24482 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
24485 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
24493 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
24494 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
24496 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
24498 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
24504 Not because of victories @*
24507 but for the common sunshine,@*
24509 the largess of the spring.
24513 but for the day's work done@*
24514 as well as I was able;@*
24515 not for a seat upon the dais@*
24516 but at the common table.@*
24521 @chapter Appendices
24524 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
24525 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
24526 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
24527 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
24528 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
24529 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
24530 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
24531 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
24532 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
24539 @cindex installing under XEmacs
24541 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
24542 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
24543 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{mail-lib}, @samp{xemacs-base},
24544 @samp{eterm}, @samp{sh-script}, @samp{net-utils}, @samp{os-utils},
24545 @samp{dired}, @samp{mh-e}, @samp{sieve}, @samp{ps-print}, @samp{w3},
24546 @samp{pgg}, @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{ecrypto}, and @samp{sasl}.
24553 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
24554 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
24556 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
24557 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
24558 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
24559 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
24560 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
24562 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
24563 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
24564 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
24565 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
24566 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
24567 appropriate name, don't you think?)
24569 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
24570 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
24571 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
24572 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
24575 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
24576 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
24577 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
24578 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
24579 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
24580 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
24581 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
24582 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
24583 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
24587 @node Gnus Versions
24588 @subsection Gnus Versions
24590 @cindex September Gnus
24592 @cindex Quassia Gnus
24593 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
24596 @cindex Gnus versions
24598 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
24599 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
24600 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
24602 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
24603 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
24605 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
24606 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
24608 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
24609 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
24611 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
24612 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
24615 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
24617 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
24618 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
24619 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
24620 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
24621 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
24622 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
24625 @node Other Gnus Versions
24626 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
24629 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
24630 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
24631 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
24632 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
24634 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
24635 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
24636 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
24637 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
24644 What's the point of Gnus?
24646 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
24647 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
24648 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
24649 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
24650 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
24651 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
24652 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
24653 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
24654 keep track of millions of people who post?
24656 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
24657 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
24658 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
24659 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
24660 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
24661 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
24662 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
24663 every one of you to explore and invent.
24665 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
24666 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
24669 @node Compatibility
24670 @subsection Compatibility
24672 @cindex compatibility
24673 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
24674 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
24675 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
24680 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
24684 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
24687 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
24690 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
24691 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
24692 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
24693 important variables have their values copied into their global
24694 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
24695 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
24697 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
24698 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
24699 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
24700 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
24701 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
24705 @cindex highlighting
24706 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
24707 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
24708 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
24709 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
24710 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
24711 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
24714 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
24715 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
24716 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
24717 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
24719 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
24720 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
24721 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
24722 to stop doing it the old way.
24724 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
24726 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
24728 @cindex reporting bugs
24730 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
24731 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
24732 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
24734 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
24735 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
24736 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
24737 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
24742 @subsection Conformity
24744 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
24745 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
24753 There are no known breaches of this standard.
24757 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
24759 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
24760 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
24761 We do have some breaches to this one.
24767 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
24768 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
24769 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
24770 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
24771 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
24776 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
24777 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
24778 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
24779 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
24781 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
24782 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
24783 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
24785 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
24786 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
24788 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
24791 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
24792 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
24793 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
24794 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
24795 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
24798 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
24799 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
24800 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
24801 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
24803 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
24804 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
24806 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
24807 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
24808 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
24809 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
24810 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
24811 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
24812 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
24813 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
24817 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
24818 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
24823 @subsection Emacsen
24829 Gnus should work on:
24837 XEmacs 21.4 and up.
24841 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
24842 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
24843 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
24844 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
24845 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
24847 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
24848 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
24849 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
24853 @node Gnus Development
24854 @subsection Gnus Development
24856 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
24857 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
24858 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
24859 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
24860 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
24861 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
24862 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
24863 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
24865 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
24866 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
24867 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
24868 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
24869 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
24872 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
24873 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
24874 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
24875 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
24876 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
24878 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
24879 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
24880 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
24881 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
24882 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
24883 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
24884 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
24885 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
24886 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
24887 can't be assumed to do so.
24892 @subsection Contributors
24893 @cindex contributors
24895 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
24896 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
24897 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
24898 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
24899 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
24900 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
24901 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
24902 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
24903 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
24904 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
24906 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
24912 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
24915 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
24916 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
24917 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
24918 functionality and stuff.
24921 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
24922 well as numerous other things).
24925 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
24928 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
24931 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
24934 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
24937 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
24938 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
24941 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
24944 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section.
24947 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
24950 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
24953 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
24956 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
24959 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
24960 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
24963 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
24966 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
24969 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
24972 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
24976 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
24979 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
24982 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
24985 Fran@,{c}ois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
24986 well as autoconf support.
24990 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
24991 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
24993 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
25008 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
25010 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
25014 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
25024 Alexei V. Barantsev,
25039 Massimo Campostrini,
25044 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
25045 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
25049 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
25052 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
25058 Michael Welsh Duggan,
25063 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
25067 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
25075 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
25077 Michelangelo Grigni,
25081 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
25083 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
25085 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
25092 Fran@,{c}ois Felix Ingrand,
25093 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
25094 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
25096 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
25106 Peter Skov Knudsen,
25107 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
25109 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
25110 Thor Kristoffersen,
25113 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
25131 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
25132 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
25139 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
25144 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
25148 John McClary Prevost,
25154 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
25159 Christian von Roques,
25162 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
25169 Philippe Schnoebelen,
25171 Randal L. Schwartz,
25185 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
25190 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
25210 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
25211 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
25212 (550kB and counting).
25214 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
25217 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
25218 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
25222 @subsection New Features
25223 @cindex new features
25226 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
25227 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
25228 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
25229 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
25230 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
25231 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
25232 * No Gnus:: Lars, FIXME!
25235 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
25236 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
25237 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
25240 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
25242 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
25247 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
25248 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
25251 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
25252 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
25255 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
25258 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
25259 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
25260 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
25263 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
25264 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
25265 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
25266 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
25269 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
25270 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25273 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
25274 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
25275 (@pxref{The Active File}).
25278 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
25279 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
25282 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
25283 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
25284 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
25287 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
25288 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
25289 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
25292 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
25293 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
25296 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
25297 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
25300 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
25301 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
25304 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
25305 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25308 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
25309 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
25312 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
25313 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
25316 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
25319 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
25320 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
25323 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
25324 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
25327 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
25328 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
25331 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
25334 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
25335 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
25338 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
25342 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
25346 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
25347 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
25350 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
25356 @node September Gnus
25357 @subsubsection September Gnus
25361 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
25365 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
25370 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
25371 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
25375 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
25376 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
25380 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
25384 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
25385 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
25388 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
25392 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions.
25395 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
25398 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
25401 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
25405 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
25406 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
25409 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
25413 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
25417 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
25421 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
25425 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
25428 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
25429 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
25432 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
25436 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
25437 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
25440 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
25443 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
25444 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
25445 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
25448 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
25452 The Gnus cache is much faster.
25455 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
25459 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
25460 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
25463 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
25464 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
25467 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
25468 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
25471 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
25472 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
25473 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
25476 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
25477 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
25480 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
25483 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
25486 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
25489 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
25492 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
25493 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
25496 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
25500 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
25503 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
25508 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
25511 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
25515 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25518 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
25522 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
25525 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
25528 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
25529 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
25532 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
25533 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
25537 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
25538 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
25541 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
25545 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
25546 buffer to allow easier treatment.
25549 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
25552 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
25556 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
25560 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
25561 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
25564 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
25568 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
25569 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
25572 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
25573 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
25576 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
25580 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
25583 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
25586 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
25592 @subsubsection Red Gnus
25594 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
25598 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
25605 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
25608 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
25609 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
25612 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
25613 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
25617 Article washing status can be displayed in the
25618 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
25621 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
25624 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
25625 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
25628 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
25632 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
25633 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
25637 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
25638 Server Internals}).
25641 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
25645 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
25648 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
25649 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
25652 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
25653 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
25654 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
25657 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
25658 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
25661 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
25662 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
25665 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
25669 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
25670 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
25673 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
25674 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
25677 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
25681 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
25684 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
25688 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
25689 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
25692 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
25693 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
25696 A new command for reading collections of documents
25697 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
25698 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
25701 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
25705 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
25706 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
25709 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
25710 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
25711 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
25714 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
25715 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
25719 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
25723 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
25727 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
25732 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
25736 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
25740 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
25741 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
25744 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
25750 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
25752 New features in Gnus 5.6:
25757 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
25758 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
25759 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
25762 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
25763 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
25764 group, which is created automatically.
25767 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
25771 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
25774 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
25775 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
25778 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
25782 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
25785 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
25786 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
25789 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
25792 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
25796 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
25797 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
25800 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
25801 control over simplification.
25804 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
25807 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
25811 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
25814 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
25817 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
25818 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
25819 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
25822 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
25823 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
25826 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
25830 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
25831 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
25834 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
25835 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
25838 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
25842 A history of where mails have been split is available.
25845 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
25848 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
25849 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
25852 A new function for citing in Message has been
25853 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
25856 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
25859 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
25863 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
25864 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
25867 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
25868 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
25871 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
25874 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
25878 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
25879 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
25881 New features in Gnus 5.8:
25886 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
25887 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
25889 If you used procmail like in
25892 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
25893 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
25894 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
25895 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
25898 this now has changed to
25902 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
25906 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
25909 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
25910 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
25913 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
25914 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
25917 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
25918 called to position point.
25921 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
25922 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
25925 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
25926 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
25929 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
25930 subtly different manner.
25933 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
25934 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
25935 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
25938 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
25943 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
25946 New features in Gnus 5.10:
25951 @kbd{F} (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}) and @kbd{R}
25952 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}) only yank the text in the
25953 region if the region is active.
25956 @code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group} can be called interactively,
25960 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
25961 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
25964 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
25965 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
25968 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
25970 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
25971 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
25972 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
25973 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
25974 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
25975 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
25976 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
25977 isn't save in general.
25982 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
25983 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
25984 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
25985 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
25990 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} (see @ref{Other modes}) installs key
25991 bindings in dired buffers to send a file as an attachment, open a file
25992 using the appropriate mailcap entry, and print a file using the mailcap
25996 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
25999 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
26004 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
26005 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
26007 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
26008 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
26012 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
26013 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
26016 Retrieval of charters and control messages
26018 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
26019 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
26024 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
26025 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
26026 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
26029 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
26030 decompressed when activated.
26033 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
26034 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
26037 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
26040 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
26041 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
26044 Warn about email replies to news
26046 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
26047 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
26051 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
26052 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
26056 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
26057 opposed to old but unread messages).
26060 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
26061 Gcc articles as read.
26064 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
26067 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
26068 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
26071 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
26072 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
26075 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
26076 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
26079 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
26080 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
26083 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
26085 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
26086 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
26087 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
26088 @file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
26091 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
26093 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
26094 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
26095 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, iff you want
26096 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
26097 the second parameter.
26099 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
26100 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
26101 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
26102 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
26103 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
26104 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
26105 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
26106 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
26107 cycle used under Unix systems.
26109 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} superfluous, so it has
26113 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
26115 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
26116 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
26117 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
26118 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
26119 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
26123 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
26125 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
26126 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
26127 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
26128 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
26132 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
26134 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
26135 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
26136 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
26137 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
26139 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
26140 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
26141 message cited below.
26144 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
26147 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
26149 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
26150 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
26151 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
26152 variable in @file{~/.emacs} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
26153 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
26156 (setq gnus-parameters
26158 (gnus-show-threads nil)
26159 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
26160 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
26161 (to-group . "\\1"))))
26165 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now iconized for Emacs too.
26167 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.emacs} to
26171 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
26173 Earlier it was generated iff the user configurable email address was
26174 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
26175 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
26176 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
26177 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
26178 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
26179 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
26180 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
26181 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
26184 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
26186 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
26187 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
26188 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
26189 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
26190 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
26191 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
26194 References and X-Draft-Headers are no longer generated when you start
26195 composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
26199 Improved anti-spam features.
26201 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
26202 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
26203 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
26204 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
26205 are also new. @xref{Thwarting Email Spam}.
26208 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers.
26211 Face headers handling.
26214 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
26215 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
26218 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
26221 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
26223 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
26224 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
26225 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
26226 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
26227 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
26228 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
26229 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
26230 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
26231 when getting new mail, remove the function.
26234 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
26236 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
26237 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
26238 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
26239 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
26240 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
26241 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
26242 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
26243 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
26244 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
26245 was inserted directly.
26248 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
26250 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
26251 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
26257 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
26258 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
26259 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
26260 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
26261 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
26262 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
26263 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
26264 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
26265 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
26266 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
26267 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
26268 behaviour of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
26269 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
26270 is not needed any more.
26273 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
26275 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
26276 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
26277 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
26278 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
26279 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
26283 @file{deuglify.el} (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article})
26285 A new file from Raymond Scholz @email{rscholz@@zonix.de} for deuglifying
26286 broken Outlook (Express) articles.
26289 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
26291 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
26292 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
26293 lisp directory into load-path.
26295 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
26296 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
26299 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
26301 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
26304 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
26306 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
26307 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
26308 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
26309 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
26312 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
26314 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
26316 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
26317 'bbdb-complete-name)
26321 Externalizing and deleting of attachments.
26323 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
26324 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
26325 local files as external parts.
26327 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
26328 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
26329 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
26330 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
26331 that support editing.
26334 @code{gnus-default-charset}
26336 The default value is determined from the
26337 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
26338 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
26339 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
26342 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
26344 Add a new format of match like
26346 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
26347 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
26349 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
26351 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
26352 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
26356 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
26358 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
26359 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
26360 need add those two headers too.
26363 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
26365 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
26366 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
26367 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
26370 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
26371 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
26372 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
26376 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
26378 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
26381 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
26383 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
26386 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
26388 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
26389 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
26390 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
26393 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
26395 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
26399 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
26401 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
26402 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
26403 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
26404 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
26405 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
26406 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
26407 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
26408 The behaviour can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
26411 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
26413 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
26414 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
26415 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
26416 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
26417 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
26420 Extended format specs.
26422 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
26423 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
26424 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
26425 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
26426 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
26427 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
26430 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
26432 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
26433 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
26434 out other articles.
26436 @item Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
26438 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
26439 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
26440 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
26441 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
26444 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
26446 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
26447 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
26448 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
26451 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
26453 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
26454 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
26455 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
26456 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
26457 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
26458 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
26459 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
26460 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
26461 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
26462 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
26463 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
26466 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
26467 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
26470 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
26471 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
26472 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
26473 message, Message Manual}).
26476 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
26477 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
26479 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
26480 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
26481 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
26483 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
26487 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
26488 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
26490 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
26491 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
26492 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
26493 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
26496 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
26499 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
26502 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
26503 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
26506 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to symbol @code{best}.
26508 The behaviour for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
26509 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
26510 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
26511 invalidate the digital signature.
26515 @subsubsection No Gnus
26518 New features in No Gnus:
26519 @c FIXME: Gnus 5.12?
26521 @include gnus-news.texi
26527 @section The Manual
26531 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
26532 either @code{texi2dvi}
26534 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
26535 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
26537 to get what you hold in your hands now.
26539 The following conventions have been used:
26544 This is a @samp{string}
26547 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
26550 This is a @file{file}
26553 This is a @code{symbol}
26557 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
26561 (setq flargnoze "yes")
26564 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
26567 (setq flumphel 'yes)
26570 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
26571 ever get them confused.
26575 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
26576 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
26577 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
26578 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
26579 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
26580 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
26581 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
26587 @node On Writing Manuals
26588 @section On Writing Manuals
26590 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
26591 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
26592 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
26593 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
26594 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
26595 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
26598 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
26599 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
26600 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
26603 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
26604 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
26609 @section Terminology
26611 @cindex terminology
26616 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
26617 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
26618 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
26619 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
26620 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
26624 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
26625 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
26626 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
26627 not posting, and replying is not following up.
26631 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
26635 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
26640 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
26641 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
26642 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
26643 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
26644 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
26645 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
26646 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
26647 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
26648 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
26651 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
26652 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
26653 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
26654 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
26655 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
26656 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
26658 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
26659 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
26660 access the articles.
26662 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
26663 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
26664 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
26669 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
26670 default, way of getting news.
26674 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
26675 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
26680 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
26681 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
26685 A message that has been posted as news.
26688 @cindex mail message
26689 A message that has been mailed.
26693 A mail message or news article
26697 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
26702 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
26707 A line from the head of an article.
26711 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
26712 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
26714 @item @acronym{NOV}
26715 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
26716 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
26717 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
26718 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
26719 normal @sc{head} format.
26723 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
26724 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
26725 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
26726 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
26727 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
26728 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
26730 @item killed groups
26731 @cindex killed groups
26732 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
26733 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
26735 @item zombie groups
26736 @cindex zombie groups
26737 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
26740 @cindex active file
26741 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
26742 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
26743 is rather large, as you might surmise.
26746 @cindex bogus groups
26747 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
26748 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
26749 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
26752 @cindex activating groups
26753 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
26754 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
26755 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
26759 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
26761 @item select method
26762 @cindex select method
26763 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
26766 @item virtual server
26767 @cindex virtual server
26768 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
26769 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
26770 whole is a virtual server.
26774 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
26775 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
26778 @item ephemeral groups
26779 @cindex ephemeral groups
26780 @cindex temporary groups
26781 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
26782 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
26783 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
26786 @cindex solid groups
26787 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
26788 group buffer are solid groups.
26790 @item sparse articles
26791 @cindex sparse articles
26792 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
26793 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
26797 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
26798 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
26802 @cindex thread root
26803 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
26804 articles in the thread.
26808 An article that has responses.
26812 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
26816 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
26817 specified by RFC 1153.
26820 @cindex splitting, terminolgy
26821 @cindex mail sorting
26822 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
26823 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
26824 incorrectly called mail filtering.
26830 @node Customization
26831 @section Customization
26832 @cindex general customization
26834 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
26835 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
26836 for some quite common situations.
26839 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
26840 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
26841 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
26842 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
26846 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
26847 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
26849 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
26850 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
26851 Gnus has to get from the @acronym{NNTP} server.
26855 @item gnus-read-active-file
26856 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
26857 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
26858 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
26859 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
26860 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
26862 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
26863 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
26864 the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast. Not all @acronym{NNTP} servers
26865 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
26869 @node Slow Terminal Connection
26870 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
26872 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
26873 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
26874 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
26878 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
26879 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
26880 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
26881 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
26882 horizontal and vertical recentering.
26884 @item gnus-visible-headers
26885 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
26886 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
26887 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
26888 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
26890 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
26892 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
26893 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
26894 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
26897 @item gnus-use-full-window
26898 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
26899 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
26900 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
26901 want to read them anyway.
26903 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
26904 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
26908 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
26909 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
26910 lines, which might save some time.
26914 @node Little Disk Space
26915 @subsection Little Disk Space
26918 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
26919 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
26923 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
26924 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
26925 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
26926 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
26929 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
26930 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
26931 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
26932 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
26935 @item gnus-save-killed-list
26936 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
26937 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
26938 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
26939 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
26945 @subsection Slow Machine
26946 @cindex slow machine
26948 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
26949 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
26951 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
26952 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
26954 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
26955 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
26956 summary buffer faster.
26960 @node Troubleshooting
26961 @section Troubleshooting
26962 @cindex troubleshooting
26964 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
26972 Make sure your computer is switched on.
26975 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
26976 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
26980 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
26981 like @samp{T-gnus 6.17.* (based on Gnus v5.10.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
26982 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. Otherwise you have some old
26983 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
26986 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
26987 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
26990 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
26991 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
26992 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
26993 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
26994 something like that.
26997 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
27000 @cindex reporting bugs
27002 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
27004 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
27005 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
27006 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
27007 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
27009 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
27010 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
27011 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
27012 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
27015 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
27016 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
27017 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
27018 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
27019 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
27020 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
27022 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
27023 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
27024 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
27028 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
27029 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
27032 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
27033 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
27034 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
27035 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
27036 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
27037 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
27038 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
27039 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
27040 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
27041 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
27042 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
27043 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
27044 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
27045 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
27050 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
27051 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
27052 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
27053 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
27054 helps isolating the real problem areas).
27056 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
27057 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
27058 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
27059 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
27060 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
27061 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
27062 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
27063 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
27064 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
27065 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
27066 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
27067 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
27068 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
27071 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
27072 @cindex ding mailing list
27073 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
27074 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
27075 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
27076 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
27080 @node Gnus Reference Guide
27081 @section Gnus Reference Guide
27083 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
27084 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
27085 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
27086 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
27089 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
27090 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
27091 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
27092 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
27093 and general methods of operation.
27096 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
27097 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
27098 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
27099 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
27100 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
27101 * Group Info:: The group info format.
27102 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
27103 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
27104 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
27108 @node Gnus Utility Functions
27109 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
27110 @cindex Gnus utility functions
27111 @cindex utility functions
27113 @cindex internal variables
27115 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
27116 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
27117 Below is a list of the most common ones.
27121 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
27122 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
27123 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
27125 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
27126 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
27127 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
27129 @item gnus-group-real-name
27130 @findex gnus-group-real-name
27131 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
27134 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
27135 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
27136 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
27137 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
27139 @item gnus-get-info
27140 @findex gnus-get-info
27141 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
27143 @item gnus-group-unread
27144 @findex gnus-group-unread
27145 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
27149 @findex gnus-active
27150 The active entry for @var{group}.
27152 @item gnus-set-active
27153 @findex gnus-set-active
27154 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
27156 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
27157 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
27158 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
27161 @item gnus-continuum-version
27162 @findex gnus-continuum-version
27163 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
27164 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
27167 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
27168 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
27169 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
27171 @item gnus-news-group-p
27172 @findex gnus-news-group-p
27173 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
27175 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
27176 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
27177 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
27179 @item gnus-server-to-method
27180 @findex gnus-server-to-method
27181 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
27183 @item gnus-server-equal
27184 @findex gnus-server-equal
27185 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
27187 @item gnus-group-native-p
27188 @findex gnus-group-native-p
27189 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
27191 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
27192 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
27193 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
27195 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
27196 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
27197 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
27199 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
27200 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
27201 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
27202 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
27204 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
27205 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
27206 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
27208 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
27209 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
27210 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
27212 @item gnus-check-backend-function
27213 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
27214 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
27215 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
27218 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
27222 @item gnus-read-method
27223 @findex gnus-read-method
27224 Prompts the user for a select method.
27229 @node Back End Interface
27230 @subsection Back End Interface
27232 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
27233 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
27234 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
27235 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
27236 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
27237 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
27239 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
27240 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
27241 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
27242 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
27243 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
27244 been opened, the function should fail.
27246 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
27247 name. Take this example:
27251 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
27252 (nntp-port-number 4324))
27255 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
27256 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
27258 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
27259 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
27260 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
27262 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
27263 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
27264 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
27266 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
27267 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
27268 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
27269 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
27270 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
27271 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
27274 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
27275 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
27276 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
27277 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
27280 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
27281 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
27282 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
27283 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
27284 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
27285 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
27286 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
27287 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
27288 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
27289 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
27291 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
27292 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
27293 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
27294 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
27295 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
27296 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
27297 of numbers as long as possible.
27299 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
27300 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
27301 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
27303 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
27306 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
27309 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
27310 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
27311 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
27312 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
27313 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
27314 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
27318 @node Required Back End Functions
27319 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
27323 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
27325 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
27326 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
27327 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
27328 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
27330 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
27331 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
27332 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
27333 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
27335 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
27336 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
27337 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
27338 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
27339 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
27340 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
27341 number, do maximum fetches.
27343 Here's an example HEAD:
27346 221 1056 Article retrieved.
27347 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
27348 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
27349 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
27350 Subject: Re: Something very droll
27351 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
27352 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
27354 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
27355 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
27356 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
27360 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
27361 these in the data buffer.
27363 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
27367 head = error / valid-head
27368 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
27369 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
27370 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
27371 header = <text> eol
27375 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
27377 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
27378 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
27382 nov-buffer = *nov-line
27383 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
27384 field = <text except TAB>
27387 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
27391 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
27393 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
27394 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
27396 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
27397 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
27398 server. In fact, it should do so.
27400 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
27401 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
27404 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
27406 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
27407 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
27410 There should be no data returned.
27413 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
27415 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
27416 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
27417 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
27418 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
27420 There should be no data returned.
27423 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
27425 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
27426 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
27427 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
27428 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
27430 There should be no data returned.
27433 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
27435 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
27437 There should be no data returned.
27440 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
27442 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
27443 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
27444 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
27445 it would be nice if that were possible.
27447 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
27448 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
27449 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
27450 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
27451 into its article buffer.
27453 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
27454 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
27455 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
27456 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
27457 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
27458 on successful article retrieval.
27461 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
27463 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
27464 making @var{group} the current group.
27466 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
27469 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
27472 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
27475 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
27476 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
27477 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
27478 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
27479 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
27480 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
27481 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
27482 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
27483 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
27487 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
27488 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
27489 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
27493 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
27495 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
27496 a no-op on most back ends.
27498 There should be no data returned.
27501 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
27503 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
27506 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
27509 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
27510 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
27513 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
27514 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
27515 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
27516 and the highest as 0.
27519 active-file = *active-line
27520 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
27522 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
27525 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
27526 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
27527 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
27530 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
27532 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
27533 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
27534 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
27535 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
27536 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
27537 clear if the posting could not be completed.
27539 There should be no result data from this function.
27544 @node Optional Back End Functions
27545 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
27549 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
27551 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
27552 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
27553 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
27555 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
27556 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
27557 former is in the same format as the data from
27558 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
27559 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
27562 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
27566 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
27568 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
27569 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
27570 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
27571 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
27572 should return a non-@code{nil} value.
27574 There should be no result data from this function.
27577 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
27579 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
27580 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
27581 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
27582 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
27583 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
27584 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
27585 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
27586 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
27588 There should be no result data from this function.
27591 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
27593 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
27594 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
27595 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
27596 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
27597 propagate the mark information to the server.
27599 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
27602 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
27605 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
27606 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
27607 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
27608 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
27609 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
27610 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
27611 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
27612 possible, not limit itself to these.
27614 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
27615 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
27616 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
27617 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
27619 An example action list:
27622 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
27623 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
27624 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
27627 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
27628 mark on (currently not used for anything).
27630 There should be no result data from this function.
27632 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
27634 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
27635 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
27636 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
27637 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
27638 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
27640 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
27641 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
27642 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
27645 There should be no result data from this function.
27648 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
27650 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
27651 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
27652 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
27653 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
27654 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
27655 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
27656 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
27657 local if that's practical.
27659 There should be no result data from this function.
27662 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
27664 The result data from this function should be a description of
27668 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
27670 description = <text>
27673 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
27675 The result data from this function should be the description of all
27676 groups available on the server.
27679 description-buffer = *description-line
27683 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
27685 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
27686 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
27687 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
27688 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
27689 in the active buffer format.
27691 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
27692 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
27693 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
27694 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
27695 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
27696 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
27697 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
27700 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
27702 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
27704 There should be no return data.
27707 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
27709 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
27710 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
27711 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
27712 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
27713 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
27716 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
27719 There should be no result data returned.
27722 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
27724 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
27725 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
27727 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
27728 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
27729 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
27730 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
27731 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
27732 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
27734 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
27735 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
27738 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
27739 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
27741 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
27742 article for that group.
27744 There should be no data returned.
27747 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
27749 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
27750 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
27751 this function in short order.
27753 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
27754 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
27756 There should be no data returned.
27759 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
27761 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
27762 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
27764 There should be no data returned.
27767 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
27769 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
27770 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
27771 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
27773 There should be no data returned.
27776 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
27778 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
27779 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
27781 There should be no data returned.
27786 @node Error Messaging
27787 @subsubsection Error Messaging
27789 @findex nnheader-report
27790 @findex nnheader-get-report
27791 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
27792 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
27793 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
27794 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
27795 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
27796 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
27799 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
27801 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
27804 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
27805 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
27806 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
27807 takes one argument---the server symbol.
27809 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
27810 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
27811 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
27814 @node Writing New Back Ends
27815 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
27817 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
27818 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
27819 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
27820 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
27821 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
27824 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
27825 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
27826 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
27828 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
27829 package called @code{nnoo}.
27831 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
27832 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
27838 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
27839 parameters. For instance:
27842 (nnoo-declare nndir
27846 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
27847 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
27850 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
27851 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
27852 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
27854 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
27855 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
27856 a function in those back ends.
27859 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
27860 "Where nndir will look for groups."
27861 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
27864 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
27865 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
27866 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
27868 @item nnoo-define-basics
27869 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
27873 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
27877 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
27878 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
27879 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
27881 @item nnoo-map-functions
27882 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
27883 functions from the parent back ends.
27886 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
27887 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27888 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
27891 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
27892 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
27893 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
27894 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
27897 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
27898 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
27899 haven't already been defined.
27905 nnmh-request-newgroups)
27909 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
27910 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
27911 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
27916 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
27919 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
27920 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
27924 (require 'nnheader)
27928 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
27930 (nnoo-declare nndir
27933 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
27934 "Where nndir will look for groups."
27935 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
27937 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
27938 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
27941 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
27943 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
27944 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
27945 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
27947 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
27948 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
27950 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
27952 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
27954 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
27955 (setq nndir-directory
27956 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
27958 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
27959 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
27960 (push `(nndir-current-group
27961 ,(file-name-nondirectory
27962 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
27964 (push `(nndir-top-directory
27965 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
27967 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
27969 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
27970 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27971 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27972 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
27973 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
27977 nnmh-status-message
27979 nnmh-request-newgroups))
27985 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
27986 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
27988 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
27989 @findex gnus-declare-backend
27990 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
27991 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
27992 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
27994 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
27995 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
28000 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
28003 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
28005 The abilities can be:
28009 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
28011 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
28013 This back end supports both mail and news.
28015 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
28018 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
28019 articles and groups.
28021 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
28022 true for almost all back ends.
28023 @item prompt-address
28024 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
28025 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
28026 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
28030 @node Mail-like Back Ends
28031 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
28033 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
28034 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
28035 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
28036 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
28039 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
28040 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
28041 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
28044 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
28045 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
28048 This function takes four parameters.
28052 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
28055 @item exit-function
28056 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
28058 @item temp-directory
28059 Where the temporary files should be stored.
28062 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
28063 performed for one group only.
28066 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
28067 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
28068 find the article number assigned to this article.
28070 The function also uses the following variables:
28071 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
28072 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
28073 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
28074 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
28078 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
28079 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
28083 @node Score File Syntax
28084 @subsection Score File Syntax
28086 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
28087 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
28088 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
28090 Here's a typical score file:
28094 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
28101 BNF definition of a score file:
28104 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
28105 element = rule / atom
28106 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
28107 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
28108 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
28109 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
28111 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
28112 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
28113 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
28114 date-header = "date"
28115 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28116 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28117 score = "nil" / <integer>
28118 date = "nil" / <natural number>
28119 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
28120 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
28121 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
28122 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
28123 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28124 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28125 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
28126 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28127 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
28128 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
28129 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
28130 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
28131 exclude-files / read-only / touched
28132 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
28133 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
28134 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
28135 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
28136 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
28137 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
28138 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
28139 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
28140 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
28141 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
28142 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
28143 eval = "eval" space <form>
28144 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
28147 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
28150 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
28151 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
28152 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
28153 one looong line, then that's ok.
28155 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
28156 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
28160 @subsection Headers
28162 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
28163 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
28164 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
28165 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
28167 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
28168 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
28169 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
28170 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
28171 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
28172 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
28173 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
28175 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
28176 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
28177 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
28178 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
28179 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
28181 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
28182 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
28188 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
28189 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
28191 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
28192 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
28193 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
28194 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
28196 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
28200 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
28203 is transformed into
28206 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
28209 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
28210 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
28213 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
28216 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
28217 is slightly tricky:
28220 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
28226 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
28229 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
28235 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
28242 and is equal to the previous range.
28244 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
28245 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
28246 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
28250 range = simple-range / normal-range
28251 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
28252 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
28253 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
28254 number *[ " " contents ]
28257 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
28258 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
28259 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
28260 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
28261 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
28266 @subsection Group Info
28268 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
28269 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
28270 describes the group.
28272 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
28273 second is a more complex one:
28276 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
28278 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
28279 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
28281 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
28284 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
28285 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
28286 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
28287 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
28288 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
28289 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
28290 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
28291 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
28292 this section is about.
28294 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
28295 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
28296 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
28298 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
28301 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
28302 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
28303 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28304 group = quote <string> quote
28305 ralevel = rank / level
28306 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
28307 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
28308 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
28310 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
28311 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
28312 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
28313 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
28316 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
28317 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
28320 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
28321 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
28324 @item gnus-info-group
28325 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
28326 @findex gnus-info-group
28327 @findex gnus-info-set-group
28328 Get/set the group name.
28330 @item gnus-info-rank
28331 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
28332 @findex gnus-info-rank
28333 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
28334 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
28336 @item gnus-info-level
28337 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
28338 @findex gnus-info-level
28339 @findex gnus-info-set-level
28340 Get/set the group level.
28342 @item gnus-info-score
28343 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
28344 @findex gnus-info-score
28345 @findex gnus-info-set-score
28346 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
28348 @item gnus-info-read
28349 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
28350 @findex gnus-info-read
28351 @findex gnus-info-set-read
28352 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
28354 @item gnus-info-marks
28355 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
28356 @findex gnus-info-marks
28357 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
28358 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
28360 @item gnus-info-method
28361 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
28362 @findex gnus-info-method
28363 @findex gnus-info-set-method
28364 Get/set the group select method.
28366 @item gnus-info-params
28367 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
28368 @findex gnus-info-params
28369 @findex gnus-info-set-params
28370 Get/set the group parameters.
28373 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
28374 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
28376 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
28377 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
28378 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
28379 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
28382 @node Extended Interactive
28383 @subsection Extended Interactive
28384 @cindex interactive
28385 @findex gnus-interactive
28387 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
28388 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
28389 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
28392 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
28393 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
28398 The best thing to do would have been to implement
28399 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
28400 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
28401 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
28402 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
28403 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
28404 @code{interactive}.
28406 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
28411 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
28412 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
28416 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
28417 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
28418 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
28421 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
28425 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
28429 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
28435 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
28436 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
28440 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
28441 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
28442 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
28444 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
28445 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
28446 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
28447 Gnus, that's very useful.
28449 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
28450 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
28451 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
28452 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
28453 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
28454 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
28455 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
28456 following function:
28459 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
28463 (,function ,@@args))
28467 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
28468 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
28469 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
28472 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
28473 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
28474 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
28476 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
28477 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
28478 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
28481 @node Various File Formats
28482 @subsection Various File Formats
28485 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
28486 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
28490 @node Active File Format
28491 @subsubsection Active File Format
28493 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
28494 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
28497 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
28500 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
28501 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
28502 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
28503 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
28504 no.general 1000 900 y
28507 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
28510 active = *group-line
28511 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
28512 group = <non-white-space string>
28514 high-number = <non-negative integer>
28515 low-number = <positive integer>
28516 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
28519 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
28520 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
28523 @node Newsgroups File Format
28524 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
28526 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
28527 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
28528 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
28531 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
28532 Here's the definition:
28536 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
28537 group = <non-white-space string>
28539 description = <string>
28544 @node Emacs for Heathens
28545 @section Emacs for Heathens
28547 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
28548 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
28549 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
28550 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
28551 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
28552 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
28553 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
28557 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
28558 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
28563 @subsection Keystrokes
28567 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
28570 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
28573 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
28574 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
28575 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
28576 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
28577 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
28578 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
28580 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
28581 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
28582 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
28583 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
28584 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
28585 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
28586 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
28588 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
28589 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
28590 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
28591 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
28592 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
28593 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
28594 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
28596 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
28597 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
28598 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
28599 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
28600 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
28606 @subsection Emacs Lisp
28608 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
28609 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
28610 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
28611 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
28613 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
28614 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
28615 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
28616 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
28617 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
28618 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
28619 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
28622 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
28623 write the following:
28626 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
28629 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
28630 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
28631 you can go and fill your @file{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
28634 If you have put that thing in your @file{.emacs} file, it will be read
28635 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
28636 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
28637 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
28638 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
28640 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
28641 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
28642 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
28646 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
28650 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
28653 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
28654 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
28657 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
28660 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
28661 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
28664 @include gnus-faq.texi
28684 @c Local Variables:
28686 @c coding: iso-8859-1