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4 @settitle Semi-gnus 6.9.04 Manual
9 @c * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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264 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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273 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
275 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
276 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
277 are preserved on all copies.
279 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
280 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
281 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
282 permission notice identical to this one.
284 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
285 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
294 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
296 Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
298 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
299 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
300 are preserved on all copies.
303 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
304 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
305 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
306 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
309 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
310 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
311 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
312 permission notice identical to this one.
314 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
315 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
321 @title Semi-gnus 6.9.04 Manual
323 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
326 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
327 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
329 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
330 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
331 are preserved on all copies.
333 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
334 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
335 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
336 permission notice identical to this one.
338 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
339 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
348 @top The gnus Newsreader
352 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
353 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
354 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
357 Semi-gnus provides MIME features based on SEMI API. So Semi-gnus
358 supports your right to read strange messages including big images or
359 other various kinds of formats. Semi-gnus also supports
360 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
361 API. So Semi-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
362 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
364 This manual corresponds to Semi-gnus 6.9.04.
375 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
376 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
378 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
379 being accused of plagiarism:
381 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
382 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
383 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
384 even read news with it!
386 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
387 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
388 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
389 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
390 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
397 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
398 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
399 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
400 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
401 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
402 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
403 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
404 * Various:: General purpose settings.
405 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
406 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
407 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
408 * Key Index:: Key Index.
412 @chapter Starting gnus
417 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
418 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
421 @findex gnus-other-frame
422 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
423 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
424 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
426 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
427 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
428 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
430 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
431 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
434 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
435 * The First Time:: What does gnus do the first time you start it?
436 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
437 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one gnus active at a time.
438 * Fetching a Group:: Starting gnus just to read a group.
439 * New Groups:: What is gnus supposed to do with new groups?
440 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
441 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
442 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
443 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
444 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
448 @node Finding the News
449 @section Finding the News
452 @vindex gnus-select-method
454 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
455 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
456 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
457 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are foreign
460 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
461 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
464 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
467 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
470 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
473 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
474 certainly be much faster.
476 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
478 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
479 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
480 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
481 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
482 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
483 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an
484 @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
486 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
487 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
488 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
489 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
491 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
492 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
493 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
494 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
495 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
496 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
498 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
500 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
501 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
502 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
503 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
504 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
505 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
507 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
509 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
510 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
511 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
512 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
513 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
514 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
517 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
518 would typically set this variable to
521 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
526 @section The First Time
527 @cindex first time usage
529 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
530 be subscribed by default.
532 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
533 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
534 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
535 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
538 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
539 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
540 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
542 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
543 help you with most common problems.
545 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
546 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
550 @node The Server is Down
551 @section The Server is Down
552 @cindex server errors
554 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
555 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
556 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
558 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
559 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
560 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
561 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
562 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
563 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
564 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
566 @findex gnus-no-server
567 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
569 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
570 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
571 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
572 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
573 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
574 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
579 @section Slave Gnusae
582 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
583 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if
584 you are using the two different gnusae to read from two different
585 servers), that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
587 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
590 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
591 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and @dfn{slaves}.
592 (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have taken out a
593 copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in conjunction
594 with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to me. Usage of
595 the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer Applications})
596 will be much more expensive, of course.)
598 Anyways, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
599 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
600 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
601 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
602 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
603 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
604 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
605 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
607 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
608 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
611 @node Fetching a Group
612 @section Fetching a Group
613 @cindex fetching a group
615 @findex gnus-fetch-group
616 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
617 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
618 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
619 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
620 It takes the group name as a parameter.
628 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
629 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
630 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
631 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
632 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
633 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
634 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
635 @code{always}, then gnus will query the backends for new groups even
636 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
639 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
640 * Subscription Methods:: What gnus should do with new groups.
641 * Filtering New Groups:: Making gnus ignore certain new groups.
645 @node Checking New Groups
646 @subsection Checking New Groups
648 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
649 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
650 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
651 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
652 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
653 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
654 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
655 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
656 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
657 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
659 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
660 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
661 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
662 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
663 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't work.
664 I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server supports
665 @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't. You could
666 @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see whether it lists
667 @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If it does, then it
668 might work. (But there are servers that lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} without
669 supporting the function properly.)
671 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
672 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
673 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
674 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
675 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
676 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
679 @node Subscription Methods
680 @subsection Subscription Methods
682 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
683 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
684 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
686 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
687 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
689 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
693 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
694 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
695 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
696 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
697 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
699 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
700 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
701 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
702 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
704 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
705 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
706 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
708 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
709 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
710 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
711 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
712 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
713 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into it's
714 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
715 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
716 up. Or something like that.
718 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
719 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
720 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask you
721 about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe to
722 will be subscribed hierarchically.
724 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
725 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
730 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
731 A closely related variable is
732 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
733 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
734 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
735 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
738 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
739 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
740 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
741 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
744 @node Filtering New Groups
745 @subsection Filtering New Groups
747 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
748 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
749 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
752 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
755 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
756 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
757 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
758 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
759 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
760 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
761 subscribing these groups.
762 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
763 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
765 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
766 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
767 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
768 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
769 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
770 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
771 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
772 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
774 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
775 Yet another variable that meddles here is
776 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
777 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
778 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
779 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
780 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
781 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
782 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
783 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
785 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
786 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
789 @node Changing Servers
790 @section Changing Servers
791 @cindex changing servers
793 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
794 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
795 very flaky and you want to use another.
797 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
798 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
802 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
803 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
804 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
805 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
808 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
809 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
810 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
811 functions more than absolutely necessary.
813 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
814 @findex gnus-change-server
815 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
816 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
817 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
818 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
819 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
821 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
822 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
823 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
824 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
825 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
827 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
828 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
829 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
830 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
831 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
832 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
836 @section Startup Files
837 @cindex startup files
842 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
843 information is traditionally stored in this file.
845 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{GNUS}. In addition to
846 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
847 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
848 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
849 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{GNUS} would read whichever one of these
850 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
851 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
853 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
854 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
855 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
856 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
857 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
858 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
860 In addition, gnus does not change anything. Hail comrade Lars!
862 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
863 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
864 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
865 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
866 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
867 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
869 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
870 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
871 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
872 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
873 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
874 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
875 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
876 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
877 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
878 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
879 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
880 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
882 @vindex gnus-startup-file
883 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
884 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
885 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
887 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
888 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
889 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
890 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
891 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
892 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
893 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
894 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
895 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
896 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
899 (defun turn-off-backup ()
900 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
902 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
903 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
906 @vindex gnus-init-file
907 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
908 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
909 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
910 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
911 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
912 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
913 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
914 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
915 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
924 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
925 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
926 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
927 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
928 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
931 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
932 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file
935 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
936 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
937 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
939 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
940 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
941 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
942 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
943 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
944 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
946 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
947 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
948 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
951 @node The Active File
952 @section The Active File
954 @cindex ignored groups
956 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
957 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
958 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
960 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
961 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
962 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
963 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
964 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
965 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
966 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
969 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
970 @c if you set it to anything else.
972 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
974 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
975 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
976 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
978 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
979 you actually subscribe to.
981 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
982 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
983 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
984 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
986 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
987 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
988 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
989 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
990 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
991 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
993 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
994 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
995 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
996 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
997 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
998 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1000 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1001 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1003 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1004 secondary select methods.
1007 @node Startup Variables
1008 @section Startup Variables
1012 @item gnus-load-hook
1013 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1014 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1015 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1016 times you start gnus.
1018 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1019 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1020 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1022 @item gnus-startup-hook
1023 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1024 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1026 @item gnus-started-hook
1027 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1028 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1031 @item gnus-started-hook
1032 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1033 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1034 generating the group buffer.
1036 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1037 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1038 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1039 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1040 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1041 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1042 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1043 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1045 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1046 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1047 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1048 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1049 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1050 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1052 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1053 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1054 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1056 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1057 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1058 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1060 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1061 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1062 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1063 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1068 @node The Group Buffer
1069 @chapter The Group Buffer
1070 @cindex group buffer
1072 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1073 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1074 long as gnus is active.
1078 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1079 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1080 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1081 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1082 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1083 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1084 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1085 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1091 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1092 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1093 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1094 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1095 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1096 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1097 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1098 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1099 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1100 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1101 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1102 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1103 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1104 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1105 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1106 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1107 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1111 @node Group Buffer Format
1112 @section Group Buffer Format
1115 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1116 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1117 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1121 @node Group Line Specification
1122 @subsection Group Line Specification
1123 @cindex group buffer format
1125 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1126 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1128 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1131 25: news.announce.newusers
1132 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1137 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1138 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1139 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1140 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1142 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1143 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1144 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1145 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1146 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1147 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1149 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1151 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1152 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1153 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1154 never examined by gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1157 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1158 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1159 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1161 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1166 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1169 Whether the group is subscribed.
1172 Level of subscribedness.
1175 Number of unread articles.
1178 Number of dormant articles.
1181 Number of ticked articles.
1184 Number of read articles.
1187 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1188 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1191 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1194 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1203 Newsgroup description.
1206 @samp{m} if moderated.
1209 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1218 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1222 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1225 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1226 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1227 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1228 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1229 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.emacs.gnus}.
1232 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1234 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1238 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1242 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1243 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1244 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1245 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1246 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1247 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1252 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1253 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1254 group, or a bogus native group.
1257 @node Group Modeline Specification
1258 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1259 @cindex group modeline
1261 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1262 The mode line can be changed by setting
1263 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1264 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1268 The native news server.
1270 The native select method.
1274 @node Group Highlighting
1275 @subsection Group Highlighting
1276 @cindex highlighting
1277 @cindex group highlighting
1279 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1280 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1281 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1282 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1283 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1285 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1289 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-1
1290 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))))
1291 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-2
1292 '((t (:foreground "SeaGreen" :bold t))))
1293 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-3
1294 '((t (:foreground "SpringGreen" :bold t))))
1295 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-4
1296 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))))
1297 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-5
1298 '((t (:foreground "SkyBlue" :bold t))))
1300 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1301 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1302 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1303 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1304 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1305 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1308 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1310 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1317 The number of unread articles in the group.
1321 Whether the group is a mail group.
1323 The level of the group.
1325 The score of the group.
1327 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1329 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1330 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1332 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1333 topic being inserted.
1336 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1337 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1338 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1340 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1341 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1342 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1343 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1344 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1347 @node Group Maneuvering
1348 @section Group Maneuvering
1349 @cindex group movement
1351 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1352 expected, hopefully.
1358 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1359 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1360 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1366 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1367 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1368 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1372 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1373 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1377 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1378 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1382 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1383 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1384 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1388 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1389 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1390 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1393 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1399 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1400 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1401 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1406 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1407 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1408 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1412 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1413 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1414 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1417 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1418 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1419 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1420 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1424 @node Selecting a Group
1425 @section Selecting a Group
1426 @cindex group selection
1431 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1432 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1433 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1434 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1435 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1436 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1437 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1438 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1439 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1440 negative, gnus fetches the @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1444 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1445 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1446 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1447 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1448 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1452 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1453 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1454 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1455 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1456 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1457 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1458 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1459 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1460 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1461 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1464 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1465 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1466 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1467 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1468 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1471 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1472 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1473 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1474 doing any processing of its contents
1475 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1476 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1477 manner will have no permanent effects.
1481 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1482 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
1483 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1484 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
1485 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1486 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1487 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1488 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1491 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1492 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1493 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1494 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1499 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1500 full summary buffer.
1503 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1506 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
1510 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1511 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1512 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1516 @node Subscription Commands
1517 @section Subscription Commands
1518 @cindex subscription
1526 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1527 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
1528 Toggle subscription to the current group
1529 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1535 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1536 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1537 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1538 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1544 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1545 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
1546 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1552 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1553 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1556 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1557 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1558 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1559 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1560 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1566 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1567 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1571 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1572 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1575 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1576 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1577 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1578 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1579 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1580 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1581 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1582 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1583 @file{.newsrc} file.
1587 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1597 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1598 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1599 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
1600 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1601 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1602 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group
1603 from the group buffer.
1607 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1608 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1609 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1613 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1614 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1615 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1617 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1618 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1619 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1620 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1621 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1622 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1629 @section Group Levels
1633 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1634 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1635 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1636 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1637 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1639 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1645 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1646 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1647 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1648 prompted for a level.
1651 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1652 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1653 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1654 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1655 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
1656 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1657 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1658 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1659 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1660 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
1661 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
1662 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
1663 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
1664 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
1665 reasons of efficiency.
1667 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1668 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1670 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1671 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1672 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1674 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1675 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1676 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1677 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1678 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1679 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1680 relevant valid ranges.
1682 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1683 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1684 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
1685 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1686 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1687 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1690 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1691 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1692 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1695 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1696 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1697 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1698 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1701 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1702 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1703 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1704 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1706 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1707 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
1708 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
1709 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
1710 to 5. The default is 6.
1714 @section Group Score
1719 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1720 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1721 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1724 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1725 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1726 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1727 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1728 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1729 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1730 part and the score is the least significant part.))
1732 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1733 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1734 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1735 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1736 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1737 action after each summary exit, you can add
1738 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1739 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1740 slow things down somewhat.
1743 @node Marking Groups
1744 @section Marking Groups
1745 @cindex marking groups
1747 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1748 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1749 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1750 bidding on those groups.
1752 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1753 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1754 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1762 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1763 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1769 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1770 Remove the mark from the current group
1771 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1775 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1776 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1780 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1781 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1785 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1786 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1790 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1791 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1792 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1795 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1797 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1798 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1799 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1800 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1801 the command to be executed.
1804 @node Foreign Groups
1805 @section Foreign Groups
1806 @cindex foreign groups
1808 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1809 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1810 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1811 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1818 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1819 @cindex making groups
1820 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1821 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1822 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1826 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1827 @cindex renaming groups
1828 Rename the current group to something else
1829 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
1830 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1836 @findex gnus-group-customize
1837 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
1841 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1842 @cindex renaming groups
1843 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1844 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1848 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1849 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1850 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1854 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1855 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1856 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1860 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1862 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1863 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1868 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1869 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1873 @cindex (ding) archive
1874 @cindex archive group
1875 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1876 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1877 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1878 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1879 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1880 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1881 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1885 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1887 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1888 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1889 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1890 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1894 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1896 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
1897 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1898 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1902 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1903 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1905 Make a group based on some file or other
1906 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1907 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1908 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1909 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
1910 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, and @code{forward}. If you run
1911 this command without a prefix, gnus will guess at the file type.
1912 @xref{Document Groups}.
1916 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
1917 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
1918 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
1919 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
1923 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1928 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1929 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1930 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1931 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
1932 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1933 @xref{Web Searches}.
1935 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
1936 to a particular group by using a match string like
1937 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
1940 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1941 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1942 This function will delete the current group
1943 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1944 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1945 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1946 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
1947 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
1951 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1952 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1953 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1957 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1958 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1959 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1962 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1965 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1966 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1967 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1968 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1969 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
1970 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
1974 @node Group Parameters
1975 @section Group Parameters
1976 @cindex group parameters
1978 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
1979 Here's an example group parameter list:
1982 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
1986 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing
1987 before the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value.
1988 All the parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs,
1989 which are not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
1991 The following group parameters can be used:
1996 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
1999 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2002 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2003 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2004 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2005 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2006 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2008 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2009 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2010 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2011 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2012 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2013 list address instead.
2017 Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
2020 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2023 It is totally ignored
2024 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2025 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2027 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2028 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2029 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2030 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2031 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2033 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2034 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2035 sending the message.
2039 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2040 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2041 of whether it has any unread articles.
2043 @item broken-reply-to
2044 @cindex broken-reply-to
2045 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2046 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2047 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2048 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2049 broken behavior. So there!
2053 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2054 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2058 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2059 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2060 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2065 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2066 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2067 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2068 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2069 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2070 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2071 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2075 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2076 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2077 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2080 @cindex total-expire
2081 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2082 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2083 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2084 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2089 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2090 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2091 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2092 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2093 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2094 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2097 @cindex score file group parameter
2098 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2099 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2100 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2103 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2104 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2105 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2106 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2109 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2110 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2111 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2112 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2115 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2116 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2120 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2123 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2128 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2129 arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by gnus,
2130 but provide a place for you to store information on particular groups.
2132 @item @var{(variable form)}
2133 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2134 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2135 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2136 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2137 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2138 @code{eval}ed there.
2140 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2141 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2142 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2143 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2144 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2148 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2149 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2153 @node Listing Groups
2154 @section Listing Groups
2155 @cindex group listing
2157 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2165 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2166 List all groups that have unread articles
2167 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2168 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2169 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2170 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2177 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2178 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2179 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2180 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2181 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2182 unsubscribed groups).
2186 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2187 List all unread groups on a specific level
2188 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2189 with no unread articles.
2193 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2194 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2195 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2196 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2201 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2202 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2206 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2207 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2208 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2212 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2213 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2217 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2218 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2219 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2220 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2221 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2222 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2223 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2224 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2228 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2229 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2230 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2234 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2235 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2236 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2240 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2241 @cindex visible group parameter
2242 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2243 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2244 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2245 get the same effect.
2247 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2248 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2249 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2250 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2251 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2254 @node Sorting Groups
2255 @section Sorting Groups
2256 @cindex sorting groups
2258 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2259 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2260 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2261 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2262 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2263 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2268 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2269 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2270 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2272 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2273 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2274 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2276 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2277 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2278 Sort by group level.
2280 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2281 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2282 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2284 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2285 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2286 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2287 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2289 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2290 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2291 Sort by number of unread articles.
2293 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2294 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2295 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2300 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2301 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2305 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2306 some sorting criteria:
2310 @kindex G S a (Group)
2311 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2312 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2313 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2316 @kindex G S u (Group)
2317 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2318 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2319 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2322 @kindex G S l (Group)
2323 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2324 Sort the group buffer by group level
2325 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2328 @kindex G S v (Group)
2329 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2330 Sort the group buffer by group score
2331 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2334 @kindex G S r (Group)
2335 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2336 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2337 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2340 @kindex G S m (Group)
2341 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2342 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2343 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2347 When given a prefix, all these commands will sort in reverse order.
2349 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2353 @kindex G P a (Group)
2354 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2355 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2356 group name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2359 @kindex G P u (Group)
2360 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2361 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by the number of
2362 unread articles (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2365 @kindex G P l (Group)
2366 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2367 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group level
2368 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2371 @kindex G P v (Group)
2372 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2373 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group score
2374 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2377 @kindex G P r (Group)
2378 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2379 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group rank
2380 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2383 @kindex G P m (Group)
2384 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2385 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2386 backend name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2392 @node Group Maintenance
2393 @section Group Maintenance
2394 @cindex bogus groups
2399 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2400 Find bogus groups and delete them
2401 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2405 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2406 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2407 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2408 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
2409 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
2413 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2414 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2415 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2416 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2419 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2420 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2421 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2422 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2427 @node Browse Foreign Server
2428 @section Browse Foreign Server
2429 @cindex foreign servers
2430 @cindex browsing servers
2435 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2436 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2437 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2438 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2441 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2442 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2443 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2444 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2446 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2451 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2452 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2456 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2457 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2460 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2461 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2462 Enter the current group and display the first article
2463 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2466 @kindex RET (Browse)
2467 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2468 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2472 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2473 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2474 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2480 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2481 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2485 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2486 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2487 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2492 @section Exiting gnus
2493 @cindex exiting gnus
2495 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
2500 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2501 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit
2502 gnus, but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure
2503 why this is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2507 @findex gnus-group-exit
2508 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
2509 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2513 @findex gnus-group-quit
2514 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files
2515 (@code{gnus-group-quit}). The dribble file will be saved, though
2516 (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2519 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2520 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2521 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
2522 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
2523 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2528 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2529 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2530 trying to customize meta-variables.
2535 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2536 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2537 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2543 @section Group Topics
2546 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2547 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2548 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2549 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2550 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2551 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2555 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
2556 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
2567 2: alt.religion.emacs
2570 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2572 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2573 13: comp.sources.unix
2576 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2578 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2579 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2580 is a toggling command.)
2582 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2583 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2584 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2585 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2588 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2589 the hook for the group mode:
2592 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2596 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2597 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2598 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2599 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2600 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2604 @node Topic Variables
2605 @subsection Topic Variables
2606 @cindex topic variables
2608 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2609 really neat, I think.
2611 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2612 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2613 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2626 Number of groups in the topic.
2628 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2630 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2633 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2634 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2635 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2638 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2639 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2641 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2642 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2643 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2646 @node Topic Commands
2647 @subsection Topic Commands
2648 @cindex topic commands
2650 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2651 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2652 definitions slightly.
2658 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2659 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2660 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2664 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2665 Move the current group to some other topic
2666 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2667 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2671 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2672 Copy the current group to some other topic
2673 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2674 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2678 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2679 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2680 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
2681 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
2682 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
2683 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
2684 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
2687 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2688 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2692 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2693 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2694 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2698 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2699 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2700 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2704 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
2705 Toggle hiding empty topics
2706 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
2710 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2711 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2712 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2715 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2716 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2717 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2718 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2722 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2724 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2725 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2726 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2727 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2728 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2729 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2733 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2735 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2736 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2737 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2738 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2741 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
2742 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
2743 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2744 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
2748 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2749 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2750 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2754 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2755 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2756 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2761 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2762 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2765 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2766 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2767 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2771 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2772 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2773 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2777 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2778 @cindex group parameters
2779 @cindex topic parameters
2781 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2782 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2788 @subsection Topic Sorting
2789 @cindex topic sorting
2791 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2797 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2798 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2799 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2800 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2803 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2804 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2805 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2806 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2809 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2810 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2811 Sort the current topic by group level
2812 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2815 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2816 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2817 Sort the current topic by group score
2818 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2821 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2822 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2823 Sort the current topic by group rank
2824 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2827 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2828 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2829 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2830 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2834 @xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
2837 @node Topic Topology
2838 @subsection Topic Topology
2839 @cindex topic topology
2842 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2848 2: alt.religion.emacs
2851 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2853 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2854 13: comp.sources.unix
2857 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2858 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2859 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
2864 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2865 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2869 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2870 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2871 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2872 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2873 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2874 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2876 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2877 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2878 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2881 @node Topic Parameters
2882 @subsection Topic Parameters
2883 @cindex topic parameters
2885 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2886 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
2887 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2889 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2890 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2891 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2892 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2898 2: alt.religion.emacs
2902 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2904 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2905 13: comp.sources.unix
2909 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
2910 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
2911 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
2912 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
2913 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
2914 . "religion.SCORE")}.
2916 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2917 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2918 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2919 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
2920 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
2922 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
2923 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
2924 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
2925 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
2926 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
2927 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
2928 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
2929 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
2932 @node Misc Group Stuff
2933 @section Misc Group Stuff
2936 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2937 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and gnus.
2938 * Group Timestamp:: Making gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
2939 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the gnus files.
2946 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
2947 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
2948 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
2952 @findex gnus-group-post-news
2953 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
2954 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
2958 @findex gnus-group-mail
2959 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
2963 Variables for the group buffer:
2967 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
2968 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
2969 is called after the group buffer has been
2972 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
2973 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2974 is called after the group buffer is
2975 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
2978 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
2979 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2980 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
2981 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
2983 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2984 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2985 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
2986 whether they are empty or not.
2991 @node Scanning New Messages
2992 @subsection Scanning New Messages
2993 @cindex new messages
2994 @cindex scanning new news
3000 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3001 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3002 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3003 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3004 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3005 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3010 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3011 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3012 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3013 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3014 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3015 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3016 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3018 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3019 @cindex activating groups
3021 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3022 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3027 @findex gnus-group-restart
3028 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3029 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3030 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
3034 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3035 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3037 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3038 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3042 @node Group Information
3043 @subsection Group Information
3044 @cindex group information
3045 @cindex information on groups
3052 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3053 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3056 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3057 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3058 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3059 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3060 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3061 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3062 for fetching the file.
3064 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
3065 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3069 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3071 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3072 @cindex describing groups
3073 @cindex group description
3074 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3075 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3076 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3080 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3081 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3082 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3089 @findex gnus-version
3090 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3094 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3095 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3098 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3101 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3102 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3106 @node Group Timestamp
3107 @subsection Group Timestamp
3109 @cindex group timestamps
3111 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
3112 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3113 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3116 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3119 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3121 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3122 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3125 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3126 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3129 This will result in lines looking like:
3132 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3133 0: custom 19961002T012713
3136 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3137 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3141 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3142 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3147 @subsection File Commands
3148 @cindex file commands
3154 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3155 @vindex gnus-init-file
3156 @cindex reading init file
3157 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3158 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3162 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3163 @cindex saving .newsrc
3164 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3165 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3166 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3169 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3170 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3171 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3176 @node The Summary Buffer
3177 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3178 @cindex summary buffer
3180 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3181 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3183 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3184 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3186 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3189 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3190 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3191 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3192 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3193 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3194 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
3195 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3196 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3197 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3198 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3199 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3200 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3201 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3202 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3203 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3204 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3205 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3206 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3207 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3208 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3209 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3210 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3211 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3212 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3213 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3214 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3215 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3219 @node Summary Buffer Format
3220 @section Summary Buffer Format
3221 @cindex summary buffer format
3225 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3226 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3227 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3233 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3234 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3235 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3238 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3239 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3240 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3241 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3242 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3243 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
3244 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3245 fast, and too simplistic solution;
3246 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
3247 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
3248 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
3249 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
3250 other function instead.
3252 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3253 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3254 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3255 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3258 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3259 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3261 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3262 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3263 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3264 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3265 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3267 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3269 The following format specification characters are understood:
3277 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3278 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3279 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3281 Full @code{From} header.
3283 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3285 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3286 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3287 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3288 may be more thorough.
3290 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3293 Number of lines in the article.
3295 Number of characters in the article.
3297 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3299 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3300 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3302 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3303 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3305 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3306 for adopted articles.
3308 One space for each thread level.
3310 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3315 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3316 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3320 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3322 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3323 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3324 default level. If the difference between
3325 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3326 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3334 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3336 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3342 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3343 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3345 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3346 article has any children.
3352 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3353 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3354 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3355 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3356 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3357 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3360 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3361 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
3362 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3363 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3364 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3365 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3367 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3368 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3370 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
3373 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3374 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3376 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3377 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
3378 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
3379 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3381 Here are the elements you can play with:
3387 Unprefixed group name.
3389 Current article number.
3391 Current article score.
3395 Number of unread articles in this group.
3397 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
3400 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3401 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3402 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3403 and no unselected ones.
3405 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3406 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3408 Subject of the current article.
3410 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
3412 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
3414 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3416 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3418 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3420 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3424 @node Summary Highlighting
3425 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3429 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3430 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3431 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3432 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3433 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3435 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3436 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3437 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3438 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3440 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3441 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3442 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
3443 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3445 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3446 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3447 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3448 list where the elements are of the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
3449 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
3450 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
3452 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3453 ((> score default) . bold))
3455 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3456 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
3460 @node Summary Maneuvering
3461 @section Summary Maneuvering
3462 @cindex summary movement
3464 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3465 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3467 None of these commands select articles.
3472 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3473 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3474 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3475 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3476 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3480 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3481 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3482 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3483 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3484 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3489 @kindex G j (Summary)
3490 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3491 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
3492 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3495 @kindex G g (Summary)
3496 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3497 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
3498 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3501 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3502 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3503 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3504 to the group buffer.
3506 Variables related to summary movement:
3510 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3511 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3512 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
3513 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
3514 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
3515 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
3516 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
3517 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
3518 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
3519 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
3520 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
3521 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
3522 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
3523 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
3525 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3526 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3527 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3528 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3529 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3530 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
3531 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
3533 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3535 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3536 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3537 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3538 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3539 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3541 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3542 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3543 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3544 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3545 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3546 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3547 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3548 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3554 @node Choosing Articles
3555 @section Choosing Articles
3556 @cindex selecting articles
3559 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3560 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3564 @node Choosing Commands
3565 @subsection Choosing Commands
3567 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3568 and they all select and display an article.
3572 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3573 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3574 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3575 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3580 @kindex G n (Summary)
3581 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3582 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
3583 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3588 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3589 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
3590 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3595 @kindex G N (Summary)
3596 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3597 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3602 @kindex G P (Summary)
3603 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3604 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3607 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3608 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3609 Go to the next article with the same subject
3610 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3613 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3614 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3615 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3616 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3620 @kindex G f (Summary)
3622 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3623 Go to the first unread article
3624 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3628 @kindex G b (Summary)
3630 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3631 Go to the article with the highest score
3632 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3637 @kindex G l (Summary)
3638 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3639 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3642 @kindex G o (Summary)
3643 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3645 @cindex article history
3646 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3647 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3648 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3649 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
3650 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
3651 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
3655 @node Choosing Variables
3656 @subsection Choosing Variables
3658 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3661 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3662 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3663 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3664 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3665 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3666 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3668 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3669 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3670 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3671 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3673 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3674 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3675 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3676 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3677 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3678 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3679 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3680 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3681 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3682 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3683 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3684 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3685 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3686 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3691 @node Paging the Article
3692 @section Scrolling the Article
3693 @cindex article scrolling
3698 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3699 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3700 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3701 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3702 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3705 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3706 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3707 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3710 @kindex RET (Summary)
3711 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3712 Scroll the current article one line forward
3713 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3716 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
3717 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
3718 Scroll the current article one line backward
3719 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
3723 @kindex A g (Summary)
3725 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3726 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3727 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3728 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3729 the way it came from the server.
3734 @kindex A < (Summary)
3735 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3736 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3737 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3742 @kindex A > (Summary)
3743 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3744 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3748 @kindex A s (Summary)
3750 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3751 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3752 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3756 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
3757 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
3762 @node Reply Followup and Post
3763 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3766 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3767 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3771 @node Summary Mail Commands
3772 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3774 @cindex composing mail
3776 Commands for composing a mail message:
3782 @kindex S r (Summary)
3784 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3785 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
3786 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
3787 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3788 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3793 @kindex S R (Summary)
3794 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3795 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
3796 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3797 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3798 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3801 @kindex S w (Summary)
3802 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
3803 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
3804 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
3805 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
3806 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
3809 @kindex S W (Summary)
3810 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
3811 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
3812 message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This command uses
3813 the process/prefix convention.
3816 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3817 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3818 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
3819 Forward the current article to some other person
3820 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3821 headers of the forwarded article.
3826 @kindex S m (Summary)
3827 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3828 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
3829 Send a mail to some other person
3830 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3833 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3834 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3835 @cindex bouncing mail
3836 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3837 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3838 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3839 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3840 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3841 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
3842 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3843 very well fail, though.
3846 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3847 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3848 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3849 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3850 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
3851 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
3852 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
3853 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
3854 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
3855 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
3857 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
3858 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
3859 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
3860 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
3861 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung mu
\e,A_
\e(B sein!
3863 This command understands the process/prefix convention
3864 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3867 @kindex S O m (Summary)
3868 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
3869 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
3870 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
3871 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3874 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
3875 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
3876 @cindex crossposting
3877 @cindex excessive crossposting
3878 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
3879 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
3881 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
3882 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
3883 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
3884 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
3885 command understands the process/prefix convention
3886 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
3890 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
3893 @node Summary Post Commands
3894 @subsection Summary Post Commands
3896 @cindex composing news
3898 Commands for posting a news article:
3904 @kindex S p (Summary)
3905 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
3906 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
3907 Post an article to the current group
3908 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
3913 @kindex S f (Summary)
3914 @findex gnus-summary-followup
3915 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
3916 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
3920 @kindex S F (Summary)
3922 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
3923 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
3924 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
3925 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
3926 process/prefix convention.
3929 @kindex S n (Summary)
3930 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
3931 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
3932 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
3935 @kindex S N (Summary)
3936 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
3937 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
3938 message through mail and include the original message
3939 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
3940 the process/prefix convention.
3943 @kindex S o p (Summary)
3944 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
3945 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
3946 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3947 headers of the forwarded article.
3950 @kindex S O p (Summary)
3951 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
3953 @cindex making digests
3954 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
3955 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
3956 process/prefix convention.
3959 @kindex S u (Summary)
3960 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
3961 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
3962 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
3963 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
3966 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
3969 @node Canceling and Superseding
3970 @section Canceling Articles
3971 @cindex canceling articles
3972 @cindex superseding articles
3974 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
3975 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
3977 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
3979 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
3981 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
3982 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
3983 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
3984 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
3985 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
3986 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3988 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
3989 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
3992 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
3993 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
3994 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
3996 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
3997 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
3998 your original article.
4000 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4002 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4003 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4004 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4007 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4008 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4009 have posted almost the same article twice.
4011 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4012 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4013 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4014 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4015 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4016 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4017 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4018 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4019 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4020 canceled/superseded.
4022 Just remember, kids: There is no `c' in `supersede'.
4025 @node Marking Articles
4026 @section Marking Articles
4027 @cindex article marking
4028 @cindex article ticking
4031 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4033 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4034 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4035 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4037 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4040 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4041 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4042 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4046 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4050 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4051 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4055 @node Unread Articles
4056 @subsection Unread Articles
4058 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4063 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4064 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4066 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4067 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4068 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4069 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4070 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4074 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4075 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4077 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4078 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4079 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4082 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4083 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4085 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4090 @subsection Read Articles
4091 @cindex expirable mark
4093 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4098 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4099 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4100 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4103 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4104 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4107 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4108 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4109 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4112 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4113 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4116 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4117 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4120 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4121 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4124 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4125 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4128 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4129 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4132 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4133 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4136 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4137 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4141 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4142 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4143 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4147 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4148 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4150 One more special mark, though:
4154 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4155 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4157 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4158 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4159 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4160 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at any time.
4165 @subsection Other Marks
4166 @cindex process mark
4169 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4175 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4176 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4177 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4178 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4179 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}
4182 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4183 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4184 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4185 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4188 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4189 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4190 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}
4193 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4194 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4195 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4196 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4199 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4200 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4201 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4202 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4203 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4206 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4207 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4208 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4209 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4210 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4211 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4215 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4216 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4217 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4219 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4220 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4221 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4225 @subsection Setting Marks
4226 @cindex setting marks
4228 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4233 @kindex M c (Summary)
4234 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4235 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4236 @cindex mark as unread
4237 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4238 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4244 @kindex M t (Summary)
4245 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4246 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4247 @xref{Article Caching}
4252 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4253 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4254 Mark the current article as dormant
4255 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}
4259 @kindex M d (Summary)
4261 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4262 Mark the current article as read
4263 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4267 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4268 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4269 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
4274 @kindex M k (Summary)
4275 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
4276 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
4277 and then select the next unread article
4278 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
4282 @kindex M K (Summary)
4283 @kindex C-k (Summary)
4284 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
4285 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
4286 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4289 @kindex M C (Summary)
4290 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4291 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
4292 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4295 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4296 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4297 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4298 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4301 @kindex M H (Summary)
4302 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4303 Catchup the current group to point
4304 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4307 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4308 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4309 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4310 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
4313 @kindex M V k (Summary)
4314 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
4315 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
4316 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
4320 @kindex M e (Summary)
4322 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
4323 Mark the current article as expirable
4324 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
4327 @kindex M b (Summary)
4328 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
4329 Set a bookmark in the current article
4330 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
4333 @kindex M B (Summary)
4334 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
4335 Remove the bookmark from the current article
4336 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
4339 @kindex M V c (Summary)
4340 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
4341 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
4342 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4345 @kindex M V u (Summary)
4346 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
4347 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
4348 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
4351 @kindex M V m (Summary)
4352 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
4353 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
4354 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
4355 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4358 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
4359 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
4360 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
4361 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
4362 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
4363 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
4364 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
4365 The default is @code{t}.
4368 @node Setting Process Marks
4369 @subsection Setting Process Marks
4370 @cindex setting process marks
4377 @kindex M P p (Summary)
4378 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
4379 Mark the current article with the process mark
4380 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
4381 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
4385 @kindex M P u (Summary)
4386 @kindex M-# (Summary)
4387 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
4388 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
4391 @kindex M P U (Summary)
4392 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
4393 Remove the process mark from all articles
4394 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
4397 @kindex M P i (Summary)
4398 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
4399 Invert the list of process marked articles
4400 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
4403 @kindex M P R (Summary)
4404 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
4405 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
4406 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
4409 @kindex M P r (Summary)
4410 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
4411 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
4414 @kindex M P t (Summary)
4415 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4416 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4417 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4420 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4421 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4422 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4423 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4426 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4427 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4428 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4429 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4432 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4433 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4434 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4437 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4438 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4439 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4440 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4443 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4444 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4445 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4448 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4449 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4450 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4451 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4454 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4455 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4456 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4457 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4460 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4461 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4462 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4463 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4466 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4467 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4468 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4469 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4478 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4479 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4480 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4483 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
4484 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
4485 additional articles.
4491 @kindex / / (Summary)
4492 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4493 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4494 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4497 @kindex / a (Summary)
4498 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4499 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4500 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4504 @kindex / u (Summary)
4506 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4507 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
4508 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4509 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4510 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4513 @kindex / m (Summary)
4514 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4515 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
4516 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4519 @kindex / t (Summary)
4520 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
4521 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
4522 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}). If given a prefix, limit to
4523 articles younger than that number of days.
4526 @kindex / n (Summary)
4527 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4528 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4529 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4530 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4533 @kindex / w (Summary)
4534 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4535 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4536 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4540 @kindex / v (Summary)
4541 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4542 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4543 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4547 @kindex M S (Summary)
4548 @kindex / E (Summary)
4549 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4550 Include all expunged articles in the limit
4551 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4554 @kindex / D (Summary)
4555 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4556 Include all dormant articles in the limit
4557 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4560 @kindex / * (Summary)
4561 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
4562 Include all cached articles in the limit
4563 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
4566 @kindex / d (Summary)
4567 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4568 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
4569 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4572 @kindex / T (Summary)
4573 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
4574 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
4577 @kindex / c (Summary)
4578 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4579 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
4580 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4583 @kindex / C (Summary)
4584 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4585 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4586 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4587 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4595 @cindex article threading
4597 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
4598 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
4599 hierarchical fashion.
4601 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
4602 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
4603 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
4604 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
4605 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
4606 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
4607 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
4609 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
4613 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
4616 A tree-like article structure.
4619 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
4622 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
4623 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
4624 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
4625 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
4626 called loose threads.
4628 @item thread gathering
4629 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
4631 @item sparse threads
4632 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
4633 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
4639 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4640 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4644 @node Customizing Threading
4645 @subsection Customizing Threading
4646 @cindex customizing threading
4649 * Loose Threads:: How gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
4650 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
4651 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
4652 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
4657 @subsubsection Loose Threads
4660 @cindex loose threads
4663 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4664 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4665 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4666 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4667 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4668 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4670 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
4671 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
4672 There are four possible values:
4676 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
4677 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
4678 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4679 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4680 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4685 @cindex adopting articles
4690 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4691 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4692 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4693 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4696 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4697 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4698 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4699 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4700 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4701 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4702 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4705 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4706 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4707 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4711 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4712 display them after one another.
4715 Don't gather loose threads.
4718 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4719 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4720 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4721 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
4722 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4723 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4724 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
4725 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
4726 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4727 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
4728 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4730 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4731 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
4732 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
4735 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4736 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4737 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4738 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4739 simplification is used.
4741 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4742 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4743 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4744 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4746 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4748 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4754 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4755 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4756 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4757 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4762 (mapconcat 'identity
4763 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4765 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4768 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4771 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4772 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4773 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
4774 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
4775 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
4776 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
4778 Useful functions to put in this list include:
4781 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
4782 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
4783 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
4785 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4786 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4789 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
4790 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
4791 Remove excessive whitespace.
4794 You may also write your own functions, of course.
4797 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4798 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4799 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
4800 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
4801 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
4802 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
4803 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
4804 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
4806 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4807 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4808 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
4809 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
4810 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
4811 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
4812 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
4813 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
4814 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
4818 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4819 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4820 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
4821 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
4823 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4824 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4825 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
4828 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
4832 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4833 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
4839 @node Filling In Threads
4840 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
4843 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
4844 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
4845 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
4846 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
4847 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
4848 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
4849 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
4850 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
4851 old headers only works if the backend you are using carries overview
4852 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
4853 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
4854 expired by the server, there's not much gnus can do about that.
4856 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
4857 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
4858 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
4860 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
4861 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
4862 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
4863 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
4864 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
4865 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
4866 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
4867 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
4868 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
4869 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
4870 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
4871 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
4872 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
4873 @code{nil} by default.
4878 @node More Threading
4879 @subsubsection More Threading
4882 @item gnus-show-threads
4883 @vindex gnus-show-threads
4884 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
4885 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
4886 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
4887 slower and more awkward.
4889 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4890 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4891 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
4894 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
4895 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
4896 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
4897 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
4898 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
4899 threads are expunged.
4901 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
4902 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
4903 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
4906 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4907 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4908 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
4909 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
4910 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
4913 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
4914 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
4915 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
4921 @node Low-Level Threading
4922 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
4926 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
4927 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
4928 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
4929 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
4930 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
4931 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
4933 @item gnus-alter-header-function
4934 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
4935 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
4936 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
4937 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
4938 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
4939 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
4940 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
4941 meaningful. Here's one example:
4944 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
4946 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
4947 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
4949 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
4951 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
4958 @node Thread Commands
4959 @subsection Thread Commands
4960 @cindex thread commands
4966 @kindex T k (Summary)
4967 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
4968 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
4969 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
4970 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
4971 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
4976 @kindex T l (Summary)
4977 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
4978 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
4979 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
4980 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
4983 @kindex T i (Summary)
4984 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
4985 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
4986 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
4989 @kindex T # (Summary)
4990 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4991 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
4992 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4995 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
4996 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4997 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
4998 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5001 @kindex T T (Summary)
5002 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5003 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5006 @kindex T s (Summary)
5007 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5008 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5009 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5012 @kindex T h (Summary)
5013 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5014 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5017 @kindex T S (Summary)
5018 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5019 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5022 @kindex T H (Summary)
5023 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5024 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5027 @kindex T t (Summary)
5028 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5029 Re-thread the current article's thread
5030 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5031 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5034 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5035 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5036 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5037 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5041 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5042 understand the numeric prefix.
5047 @kindex T n (Summary)
5048 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5049 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5052 @kindex T p (Summary)
5053 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5054 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5057 @kindex T d (Summary)
5058 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5059 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5062 @kindex T u (Summary)
5063 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5064 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5067 @kindex T o (Summary)
5068 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5069 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5072 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5073 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5074 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5075 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5076 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5077 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5078 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5079 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5080 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5081 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5082 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5083 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5090 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5091 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5092 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5093 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5094 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5095 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5096 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5097 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5098 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which is a list of functions.
5099 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5100 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5101 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5102 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5103 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5105 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5106 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5107 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. If you use
5108 more than one function, the primary sort key should be the last function
5109 in the list. You should probably always include
5110 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5111 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5112 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5113 ascending article order.
5115 If you would like to sort by score, then by subject, and finally by
5116 number, you could do something like:
5119 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5120 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5121 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5122 gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score))
5125 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5126 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5127 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5128 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5129 which the articles arrived.
5131 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
5135 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5137 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
5138 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5141 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5142 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5143 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5144 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5147 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5148 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5149 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5150 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5151 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5152 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5153 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5154 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5155 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5156 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5157 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5158 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5159 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5161 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5165 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5166 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5167 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5172 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5173 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5174 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5175 @cindex article pre-fetch
5178 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5179 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5180 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5181 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5182 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5184 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5185 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
5187 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
5188 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
5189 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
5190 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
5191 connection is blocked.
5193 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
5194 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
5195 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
5196 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
5198 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
5199 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
5200 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
5201 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
5204 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
5207 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
5208 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
5209 happen automatically.
5211 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
5212 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
5213 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
5214 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
5215 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
5216 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
5217 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
5219 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
5220 @findex gnus-async-read-p
5221 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
5222 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
5223 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
5224 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
5225 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
5226 data structure as the only parameter.
5228 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
5229 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
5232 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
5233 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
5234 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
5235 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
5238 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
5241 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
5242 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much. It's
5243 probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
5245 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
5246 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
5247 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
5248 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
5252 Remove articles when they are read.
5255 Remove articles when exiting the group.
5258 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
5260 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
5261 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
5262 @c from the next group.
5265 @node Article Caching
5266 @section Article Caching
5267 @cindex article caching
5270 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
5271 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
5272 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
5273 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
5274 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
5276 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
5278 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5279 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
5280 @vindex gnus-use-cache
5281 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
5282 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
5283 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
5284 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
5285 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
5287 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
5288 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
5289 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
5290 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
5291 as dormant, and don't worry.
5293 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
5295 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
5296 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
5297 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
5298 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
5299 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
5300 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
5301 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
5302 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
5303 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
5304 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
5306 @findex gnus-jog-cache
5307 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
5308 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
5309 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
5310 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
5311 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
5312 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
5313 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
5314 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
5315 not then be downloaded by this command.
5317 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
5318 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
5319 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
5320 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
5321 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
5322 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
5324 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
5325 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
5326 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
5327 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
5328 variables, the group is not cached.
5330 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
5331 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
5332 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
5333 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
5334 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
5335 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
5336 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
5337 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
5338 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
5342 @node Persistent Articles
5343 @section Persistent Articles
5344 @cindex persistent articles
5346 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
5347 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
5348 useful in my opinion.
5350 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
5351 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
5352 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
5353 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
5354 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
5355 the expiry going on at the news server.
5357 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
5358 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
5359 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
5365 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
5366 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
5369 @kindex M-* (Summary)
5370 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
5371 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
5372 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
5376 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
5378 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
5379 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
5380 interested in persistent articles:
5383 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
5387 @node Article Backlog
5388 @section Article Backlog
5390 @cindex article backlog
5392 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
5393 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
5394 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
5395 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
5396 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
5397 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
5398 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
5399 increase memory usage some.
5401 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
5402 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
5403 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
5404 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
5405 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
5406 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
5407 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
5409 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
5412 @node Saving Articles
5413 @section Saving Articles
5414 @cindex saving articles
5416 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
5417 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
5418 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
5419 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
5420 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
5422 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
5423 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
5424 unwanted headers before saving the article.
5426 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
5427 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
5428 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
5429 deleted before saving.
5435 @kindex O o (Summary)
5437 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
5438 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
5439 Save the current article using the default article saver
5440 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
5443 @kindex O m (Summary)
5444 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
5445 Save the current article in mail format
5446 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
5449 @kindex O r (Summary)
5450 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
5451 Save the current article in rmail format
5452 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
5455 @kindex O f (Summary)
5456 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
5457 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
5458 Save the current article in plain file format
5459 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
5462 @kindex O F (Summary)
5463 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
5464 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
5465 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
5468 @kindex O b (Summary)
5469 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
5470 Save the current article body in plain file format
5471 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
5474 @kindex O h (Summary)
5475 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
5476 Save the current article in mh folder format
5477 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
5480 @kindex O v (Summary)
5481 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
5482 Save the current article in a VM folder
5483 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
5486 @kindex O p (Summary)
5487 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
5488 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
5489 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
5492 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
5493 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
5494 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
5495 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
5496 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
5497 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
5498 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
5499 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
5500 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
5501 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
5502 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
5503 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
5507 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
5508 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
5509 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
5510 functions below, or you can create your own.
5514 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5515 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5516 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
5517 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5518 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
5519 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5520 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5522 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5523 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5524 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
5525 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
5526 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5527 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5529 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
5530 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
5531 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
5532 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5533 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
5534 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5535 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5537 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5538 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5539 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
5540 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5541 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5543 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5544 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5545 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
5546 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
5547 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
5550 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
5551 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
5552 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
5553 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
5554 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
5556 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5557 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5558 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
5559 reader to use this setting.
5562 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
5563 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
5564 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
5565 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
5568 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
5569 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
5570 available functions that generate names:
5574 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
5575 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
5576 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5578 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
5579 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5580 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5582 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
5583 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
5584 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5586 @item gnus-plain-save-name
5587 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5588 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5591 @vindex gnus-split-methods
5592 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp
5593 into the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would
5594 like to save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and
5595 articles related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable
5599 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
5600 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
5601 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
5602 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
5605 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
5606 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
5607 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5608 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5609 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5610 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5611 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5612 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5613 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5615 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5616 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5617 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5618 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5620 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5621 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5622 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file name.
5624 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
5625 lots of mail groups called things like
5626 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
5627 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
5628 following will do just that:
5631 (defun my-save-name (group)
5632 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
5633 (substring group (match-end 0))))
5635 (setq gnus-split-methods
5636 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
5641 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5642 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5643 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5644 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5645 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5646 all the files in the top level directory
5647 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5648 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5649 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5650 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5652 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5653 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5654 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5655 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5656 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5659 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5663 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5664 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5667 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5668 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5669 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5670 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5673 @node Decoding Articles
5674 @section Decoding Articles
5675 @cindex decoding articles
5677 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5678 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5681 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5682 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
5683 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5684 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
5685 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5686 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5690 @cindex article series
5691 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5692 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5693 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5694 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5695 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5697 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5698 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5699 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5701 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
5702 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5703 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5705 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
5706 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
5707 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
5710 @node Uuencoded Articles
5711 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
5713 @cindex uuencoded articles
5718 @kindex X u (Summary)
5719 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
5720 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
5721 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
5724 @kindex X U (Summary)
5725 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
5726 Uudecodes and saves the current series
5727 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5730 @kindex X v u (Summary)
5731 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
5732 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
5735 @kindex X v U (Summary)
5736 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
5737 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
5738 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
5742 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
5743 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
5744 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
5745 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
5746 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5748 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
5749 @sc{GNUS 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
5750 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
5751 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
5754 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
5755 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
5756 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
5757 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5758 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5759 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
5763 @node Shell Archives
5764 @subsection Shell Archives
5766 @cindex shell archives
5767 @cindex shared articles
5769 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
5770 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
5771 some commands to deal with these:
5776 @kindex X s (Summary)
5777 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
5778 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
5781 @kindex X S (Summary)
5782 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
5783 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
5786 @kindex X v s (Summary)
5787 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
5788 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
5791 @kindex X v S (Summary)
5792 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
5793 Unshars, views and saves the current series
5794 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
5798 @node PostScript Files
5799 @subsection PostScript Files
5805 @kindex X p (Summary)
5806 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
5807 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
5810 @kindex X P (Summary)
5811 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
5812 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
5813 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
5816 @kindex X v p (Summary)
5817 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
5818 View the current PostScript series
5819 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
5822 @kindex X v P (Summary)
5823 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
5824 View and save the current PostScript series
5825 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
5830 @subsection Other Files
5834 @kindex X o (Summary)
5835 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
5836 Save the current series
5837 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
5840 @kindex X b (Summary)
5841 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
5842 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
5843 doesn't really work yet.
5847 @node Decoding Variables
5848 @subsection Decoding Variables
5850 Adjective, not verb.
5853 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
5854 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
5855 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
5859 @node Rule Variables
5860 @subsubsection Rule Variables
5861 @cindex rule variables
5863 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
5864 variables are of the form
5867 (list '(regexp1 command2)
5874 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5875 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5877 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
5878 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
5881 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5882 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
5885 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5886 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5887 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
5888 user and default view rules.
5890 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5891 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5892 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
5897 @node Other Decode Variables
5898 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
5901 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5903 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5904 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
5905 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
5906 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
5907 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
5911 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
5912 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
5915 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
5916 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
5917 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
5920 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5921 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5922 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
5923 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
5924 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
5927 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5928 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5929 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
5931 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5932 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5933 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
5934 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
5935 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
5938 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5939 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5940 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
5942 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5943 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5944 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
5945 looking for files to display.
5947 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
5948 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
5949 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
5952 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5953 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5954 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
5957 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5958 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5959 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
5962 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5963 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5964 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
5967 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5968 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5969 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
5970 decoded articles as unread.
5972 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5973 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5974 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
5975 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
5977 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
5978 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
5979 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
5981 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5982 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5984 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
5985 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
5986 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
5987 @code{metamail} for viewing.
5989 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5990 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5991 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
5992 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
5993 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
5994 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
5995 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
5996 simply dropped them.
6001 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6002 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6006 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6007 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6008 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6009 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6010 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6011 for you when you post the article.
6013 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6014 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6015 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6016 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6018 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6019 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6020 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6021 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6022 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6023 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6024 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6026 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6027 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6028 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6029 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6030 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6031 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6032 Default is @code{t}.
6038 @subsection Viewing Files
6039 @cindex viewing files
6040 @cindex pseudo-articles
6042 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
6043 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6044 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6045 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
6046 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6047 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6048 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6050 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6051 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6052 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6053 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6055 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6056 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6057 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6059 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6060 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6061 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6062 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6063 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6065 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6066 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6067 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6068 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6069 a list of parameters to that command.
6071 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6072 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6073 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6075 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6076 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6077 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6080 @node Article Treatment
6081 @section Article Treatment
6083 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6084 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6085 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6086 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6087 these articles easier.
6090 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6091 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6092 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6093 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6094 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6095 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6096 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6100 @node Article Highlighting
6101 @subsection Article Highlighting
6102 @cindex highlighting
6104 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6105 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6110 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6111 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6112 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6113 Do much highlighting of the current article
6114 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
6115 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
6117 Most users would prefer using @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight} in
6118 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}) instead.
6119 This is a bit less agressive---it highlights only the headers, the
6120 signature and adds buttons.
6123 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6124 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6125 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6126 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6127 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6128 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
6129 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6130 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6131 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6132 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6133 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
6136 @kindex W H c (Summary)
6137 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
6138 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
6140 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
6143 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6145 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6146 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
6147 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
6149 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6150 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6151 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6153 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6154 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6155 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6157 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6158 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6159 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
6160 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
6161 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
6162 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
6164 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6165 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6166 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6168 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6169 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6170 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6172 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6173 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6174 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6175 that it's a citation.
6177 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6178 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6179 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6181 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6182 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6183 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6185 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6186 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6187 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6188 cited text belonging to the attribution.
6194 @kindex W H s (Summary)
6195 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6196 @vindex gnus-signature-face
6197 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
6198 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
6199 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
6200 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
6201 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
6206 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to highlight articles automatically.
6209 @node Article Fontisizing
6210 @subsection Article Fontisizing
6212 @cindex article emphasis
6214 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
6215 @kindex W e (Summary)
6216 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
6217 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*}. Gnus can make this look nicer by
6218 running the article through the @kbd{W e}
6219 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
6221 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
6222 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
6223 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
6224 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
6225 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
6226 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
6227 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
6228 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
6232 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
6233 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
6234 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
6237 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
6238 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
6239 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
6240 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
6241 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
6242 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
6243 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
6244 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
6245 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
6246 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
6247 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
6248 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
6249 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
6251 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
6252 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
6253 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
6257 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
6260 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to fontize articles automatically.
6263 @node Article Hiding
6264 @subsection Article Hiding
6265 @cindex article hiding
6267 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
6268 too much cruft in most articles.
6273 @kindex W W a (Summary)
6274 @findex gnus-article-hide
6275 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
6276 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
6277 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
6280 @kindex W W h (Summary)
6281 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
6282 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
6286 @kindex W W b (Summary)
6287 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6288 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
6289 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
6292 @kindex W W s (Summary)
6293 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
6294 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
6298 @kindex W W p (Summary)
6299 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
6300 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6301 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
6302 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
6303 signature has been hidden.
6306 @kindex W W P (Summary)
6307 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
6308 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
6309 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
6312 @kindex W W c (Summary)
6313 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
6314 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
6315 customizing the hiding:
6319 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
6320 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
6321 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
6322 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
6323 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
6324 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
6325 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
6330 Starting point of the hidden text.
6332 Ending point of the hidden text.
6334 Number of characters in the hidden region.
6336 Number of lines of hidden text.
6339 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
6340 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
6341 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
6346 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
6347 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
6349 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
6350 following two variables:
6353 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6354 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6355 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
6356 50), hide the cited text.
6358 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6359 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6360 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
6365 @kindex W W C (Summary)
6366 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
6367 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
6368 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
6369 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
6370 in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
6374 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
6375 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
6376 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
6378 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
6379 citation customization.
6381 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to hide article elements
6385 @node Article Washing
6386 @subsection Article Washing
6388 @cindex article washing
6390 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
6391 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
6393 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
6394 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
6400 @kindex W l (Summary)
6401 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
6402 Remove page breaks from the current article
6403 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article} for page
6407 @kindex W r (Summary)
6408 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
6409 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
6410 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
6411 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
6412 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
6413 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
6415 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
6416 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
6417 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
6418 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
6421 @kindex W t (Summary)
6422 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
6423 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
6424 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
6427 @kindex W v (Summary)
6428 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
6429 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
6430 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
6433 @kindex W m (Summary)
6434 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
6435 Toggle whether to display the article as @sc{mime} message
6436 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
6439 @kindex W o (Summary)
6440 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
6441 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
6444 @kindex W d (Summary)
6445 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
6446 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}).
6449 @kindex W w (Summary)
6450 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
6451 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}). If you use this
6452 function in @code{gnus-article-display-hook}, it should be run fairly
6453 late and certainly after any highlighting.
6455 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
6459 @kindex W c (Summary)
6460 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
6461 Remove CR (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines)
6462 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
6465 @kindex W f (Summary)
6467 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
6468 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
6469 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
6470 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
6476 Look for and display any X-Face headers
6477 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
6478 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
6479 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
6480 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
6481 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
6482 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
6483 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
6484 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
6485 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
6486 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
6487 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
6488 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
6489 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
6493 @kindex W b (Summary)
6494 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
6495 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
6496 @xref{Article Buttons}
6499 @kindex W B (Summary)
6500 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
6501 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
6502 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
6505 @kindex W E l (Summary)
6506 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
6507 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
6508 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
6511 @kindex W E m (Summary)
6512 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
6513 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
6514 lines with a single empty line.
6515 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
6518 @kindex W E t (Summary)
6519 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
6520 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
6521 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
6524 @kindex W E a (Summary)
6525 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
6526 Do all the three commands above
6527 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
6530 @kindex W E A (Summary)
6531 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
6532 Remove all blank lines
6533 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
6536 @kindex W E s (Summary)
6537 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
6538 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
6539 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
6543 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to wash articles automatically.
6546 @node Article Buttons
6547 @subsection Article Buttons
6550 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
6551 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
6552 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
6553 button on these references.
6555 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
6556 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
6557 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
6562 @item gnus-button-alist
6563 @vindex gnus-button-alist
6564 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
6567 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6573 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
6574 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
6575 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
6578 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
6579 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
6580 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
6583 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
6584 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
6585 avoid false matches.
6588 This function will be called when you click on this button.
6591 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
6592 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
6596 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
6599 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
6602 @item gnus-header-button-alist
6603 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
6604 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
6605 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
6606 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
6609 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6612 @var{HEADER} is a regular expression.
6614 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
6615 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
6616 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
6617 default values of the variables above.
6619 @item gnus-article-button-face
6620 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
6621 Face used on buttons.
6623 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
6624 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
6625 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
6629 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to buttonize articles automatically.
6633 @subsection Article Date
6635 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
6636 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
6637 when the article was sent.
6642 @kindex W T u (Summary)
6643 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
6644 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
6645 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
6648 @kindex W T i (Summary)
6649 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
6651 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
6652 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
6655 @kindex W T l (Summary)
6656 @findex gnus-article-date-local
6657 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
6660 @kindex W T s (Summary)
6661 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
6662 @findex gnus-article-date-user
6663 @findex format-time-string
6664 Display the date using a user-defined format
6665 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
6666 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
6667 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
6668 for a list of possible format specs.
6671 @kindex W T e (Summary)
6672 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
6673 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
6674 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
6675 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
6676 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). If you want to have this line
6677 updated continually, you can put
6680 (gnus-start-date-timer)
6683 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
6684 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
6688 @kindex W T o (Summary)
6689 @findex gnus-article-date-original
6690 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
6691 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
6692 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
6693 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
6694 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
6698 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to display the date in your
6699 preferred format automatically.
6702 @node Article Signature
6703 @subsection Article Signature
6705 @cindex article signature
6707 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6708 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
6709 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
6710 that says what is to be considered a signature is
6711 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
6712 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
6713 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
6714 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
6715 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
6718 (setq gnus-signature-separator
6719 '("^-- $" ; The standard
6720 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
6721 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
6722 ; line of dashes. Shame!
6723 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
6724 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
6725 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
6728 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
6731 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
6732 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
6737 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
6740 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
6743 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
6744 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
6746 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
6747 in question is not a signature.
6750 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
6751 listed above. Here's an example:
6754 (setq gnus-signature-limit
6755 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
6758 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
6759 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
6760 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
6761 signature after all.
6764 @node Article Commands
6765 @section Article Commands
6772 @kindex A P (Summary)
6773 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
6774 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
6775 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
6776 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
6777 run just before printing the buffer.
6782 @node Summary Sorting
6783 @section Summary Sorting
6784 @cindex summary sorting
6786 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
6787 can't really see why you'd want that.
6792 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
6793 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
6794 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
6797 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
6798 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
6799 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
6802 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
6803 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
6804 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
6807 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
6808 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
6809 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
6812 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
6813 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
6814 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
6817 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
6818 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
6819 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
6822 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
6823 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
6824 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
6825 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
6826 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
6830 @node Finding the Parent
6831 @section Finding the Parent
6832 @cindex parent articles
6833 @cindex referring articles
6838 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
6839 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
6840 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
6841 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
6842 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
6843 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
6844 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
6845 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
6846 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
6848 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
6849 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
6850 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
6851 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
6852 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
6856 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
6857 @kindex A R (Summary)
6858 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
6859 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
6862 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
6863 @kindex A T (Summary)
6864 Display the full thread where the current article appears
6865 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
6866 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
6867 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
6868 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
6869 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
6870 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
6872 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
6873 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
6874 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
6875 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
6876 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
6877 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
6880 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
6881 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
6883 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
6884 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
6885 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
6886 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
6887 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
6888 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
6889 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
6892 The current select method will be used when fetching by
6893 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
6894 by giving this command a prefix.
6896 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
6897 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
6898 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
6899 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
6900 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
6901 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
6904 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
6905 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
6906 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
6907 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
6908 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
6909 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
6912 @node Alternative Approaches
6913 @section Alternative Approaches
6915 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
6916 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
6919 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
6920 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
6925 @subsection Pick and Read
6926 @cindex pick and read
6928 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
6929 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
6930 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
6931 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
6933 @findex gnus-pick-mode
6934 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
6935 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
6936 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
6937 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
6938 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
6940 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
6945 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
6946 Pick the article or thread on the current line
6947 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
6948 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
6949 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
6950 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
6951 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
6952 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
6955 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
6956 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
6957 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
6958 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
6962 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
6963 Unpick the thread or article
6964 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
6965 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
6966 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
6967 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
6968 the thread or article at that line.
6972 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
6973 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
6974 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
6975 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
6976 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
6977 will still be visible when you are reading.
6981 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
6982 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
6983 which is mapped to the same function
6984 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
6986 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
6989 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
6992 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
6993 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
6995 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
6996 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
6997 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
6999 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
7000 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
7001 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
7002 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
7003 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
7004 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
7005 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
7009 @subsection Binary Groups
7010 @cindex binary groups
7012 @findex gnus-binary-mode
7013 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
7014 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
7015 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
7016 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
7017 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
7018 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
7021 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
7022 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
7023 command, when you have turned on this mode
7024 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
7026 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
7027 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
7031 @section Tree Display
7034 @vindex gnus-use-trees
7035 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
7036 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
7037 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
7040 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
7043 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
7044 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
7045 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
7047 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
7048 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
7049 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
7050 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
7051 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
7053 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
7054 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
7055 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
7056 default is @code{modeline}.
7058 @item gnus-tree-line-format
7059 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
7060 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
7061 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
7062 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
7063 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
7064 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
7070 The name of the poster.
7072 The @code{From} header.
7074 The number of the article.
7076 The opening bracket.
7078 The closing bracket.
7083 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
7085 Variables related to the display are:
7088 @item gnus-tree-brackets
7089 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
7090 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
7091 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
7092 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
7093 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
7095 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7096 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7097 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
7098 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
7102 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
7103 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
7104 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
7105 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
7106 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
7107 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
7108 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
7109 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
7110 other windows displayed next to it.
7112 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
7113 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
7114 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7115 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
7116 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
7117 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
7118 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
7122 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
7125 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
7135 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
7139 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
7140 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
7142 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
7144 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
7149 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
7150 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
7151 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
7154 (setq gnus-use-trees t
7155 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7156 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
7157 (gnus-add-configuration
7161 (summary 0.75 point)
7166 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
7169 @node Mail Group Commands
7170 @section Mail Group Commands
7171 @cindex mail group commands
7173 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
7174 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
7176 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
7177 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7182 @kindex B e (Summary)
7183 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
7184 Expire all expirable articles in the group
7185 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
7188 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
7189 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
7190 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
7191 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
7192 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
7193 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
7196 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
7197 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
7198 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
7199 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
7200 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
7201 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
7204 @kindex B m (Summary)
7206 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
7207 Move the article from one mail group to another
7208 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
7211 @kindex B c (Summary)
7213 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
7214 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
7215 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
7216 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
7219 @kindex B B (Summary)
7220 @cindex crosspost mail
7221 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
7222 Crosspost the current article to some other group
7223 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
7224 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
7225 be properly updated.
7228 @kindex B i (Summary)
7229 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
7230 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
7231 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
7232 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
7235 @kindex B r (Summary)
7236 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
7237 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
7238 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
7239 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
7240 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
7244 @kindex B w (Summary)
7246 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
7247 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
7248 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
7249 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
7250 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
7251 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
7254 @kindex B q (Summary)
7255 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
7256 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
7257 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
7258 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
7261 @kindex B t (Summary)
7262 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
7263 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
7264 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
7267 @kindex B p (Summary)
7268 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
7269 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
7270 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
7271 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
7272 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
7273 article from your news server (or rather, from
7274 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
7275 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
7276 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
7277 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
7278 just not have arrived yet.
7282 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
7283 @cindex moving articles
7284 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
7285 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
7286 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
7287 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
7288 suggestions you find reasonable.
7291 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
7292 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
7293 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
7294 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
7298 @node Various Summary Stuff
7299 @section Various Summary Stuff
7302 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
7303 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
7304 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
7305 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
7309 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
7310 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
7311 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
7313 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
7314 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
7315 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
7316 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
7317 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
7318 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
7321 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7322 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7323 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
7324 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
7325 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
7327 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7328 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7329 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
7330 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
7331 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
7332 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
7333 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
7334 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
7335 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
7336 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
7341 @node Summary Group Information
7342 @subsection Summary Group Information
7347 @kindex H f (Summary)
7348 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
7349 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
7350 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
7351 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
7352 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
7353 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
7354 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
7355 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
7356 be used for fetching the file.
7359 @kindex H d (Summary)
7360 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
7361 Give a brief description of the current group
7362 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
7363 rereading the description from the server.
7366 @kindex H h (Summary)
7367 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
7368 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
7369 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
7372 @kindex H i (Summary)
7373 @findex gnus-info-find-node
7374 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
7378 @node Searching for Articles
7379 @subsection Searching for Articles
7384 @kindex M-s (Summary)
7385 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
7386 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
7387 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
7390 @kindex M-r (Summary)
7391 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
7392 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
7393 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
7397 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
7398 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
7399 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
7400 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
7404 @kindex M-& (Summary)
7405 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
7406 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
7407 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
7410 @node Summary Generation Commands
7411 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
7416 @kindex Y g (Summary)
7417 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
7418 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
7421 @kindex Y c (Summary)
7422 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
7423 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
7424 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
7429 @node Really Various Summary Commands
7430 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
7435 @kindex C-d (Summary)
7436 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
7437 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
7438 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
7439 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
7440 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
7441 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
7442 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
7443 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
7447 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
7448 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
7449 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
7450 several documents into one biiig group
7451 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
7452 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
7453 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
7454 command understands the process/prefix convention
7455 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7458 @kindex C-t (Summary)
7459 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
7460 Toggle truncation of summary lines
7461 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
7462 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
7463 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
7467 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
7468 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
7469 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
7472 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
7473 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
7474 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
7475 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
7480 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
7481 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
7482 @cindex summary exit
7483 @cindex exiting groups
7485 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
7486 group and return you to the group buffer.
7492 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
7494 @findex gnus-summary-exit
7495 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
7496 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
7497 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
7498 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
7499 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
7500 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
7501 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
7502 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
7503 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
7504 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
7508 @kindex Z E (Summary)
7510 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
7511 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
7512 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
7516 @kindex Z c (Summary)
7518 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
7519 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
7520 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
7521 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
7524 @kindex Z C (Summary)
7525 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
7526 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
7527 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
7530 @kindex Z n (Summary)
7531 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
7532 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
7533 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
7536 @kindex Z R (Summary)
7537 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
7538 Exit this group, and then enter it again
7539 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
7540 all articles, both read and unread.
7544 @kindex Z G (Summary)
7545 @kindex M-g (Summary)
7546 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
7547 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
7548 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
7549 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
7550 articles, both read and unread.
7553 @kindex Z N (Summary)
7554 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
7555 Exit the group and go to the next group
7556 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
7559 @kindex Z P (Summary)
7560 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
7561 Exit the group and go to the previous group
7562 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
7565 @kindex Z s (Summary)
7566 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
7567 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
7568 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
7569 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
7570 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
7573 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
7574 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
7577 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
7578 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
7579 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
7580 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
7581 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
7582 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
7583 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
7584 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
7585 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
7586 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
7587 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
7588 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
7590 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
7592 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
7593 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
7594 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
7595 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
7596 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
7597 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
7598 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
7599 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
7600 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
7603 @node Crosspost Handling
7604 @section Crosspost Handling
7608 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
7609 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
7610 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
7611 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
7612 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
7613 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
7616 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
7617 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
7618 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
7619 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
7620 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
7622 @cindex cross-posting
7625 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
7626 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
7627 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
7628 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
7629 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
7630 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
7631 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
7632 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
7633 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
7634 the cross reference mechanism.
7636 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
7637 @cindex overview.fmt
7638 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
7639 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
7640 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
7641 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
7642 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
7643 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
7646 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
7647 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
7648 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
7653 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
7656 @node Duplicate Suppression
7657 @section Duplicate Suppression
7659 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
7660 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
7661 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
7662 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various reasons.
7666 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
7667 is evil and not very common.
7670 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
7671 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
7674 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
7675 different @sc{nntp} servers.
7678 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
7681 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
7682 well, but these four are the most common situations.
7684 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
7685 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
7686 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
7687 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
7688 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
7689 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
7690 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
7693 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
7694 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
7695 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
7696 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
7697 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
7701 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
7702 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
7703 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
7705 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
7706 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
7707 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
7708 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
7709 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
7710 session are suppressed.
7712 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
7713 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
7714 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
7715 suppression list. The default is 10000.
7717 @item gnus-duplicate-file
7718 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
7719 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
7720 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
7723 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
7724 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
7725 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
7726 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
7727 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
7728 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
7729 to you to figure out, I think.
7732 @node The Article Buffer
7733 @chapter The Article Buffer
7734 @cindex article buffer
7736 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
7737 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
7738 tell gnus otherwise.
7741 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
7742 * Using MIME:: Pushing to mime articles as @sc{mime} messages.
7743 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
7744 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
7745 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
7749 @node Hiding Headers
7750 @section Hiding Headers
7751 @cindex hiding headers
7752 @cindex deleting headers
7754 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
7755 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
7757 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
7758 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
7759 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
7760 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
7761 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
7762 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
7763 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
7764 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
7765 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
7767 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
7771 @item gnus-visible-headers
7772 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
7773 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
7774 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
7775 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
7777 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
7778 the article and the subject, you'd say:
7781 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
7784 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
7787 @item gnus-ignored-headers
7788 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
7789 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
7790 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
7791 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
7792 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
7794 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
7795 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
7798 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
7801 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
7804 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
7805 variable will have no effect.
7809 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
7810 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
7811 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
7812 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
7813 the headers are to be displayed.
7815 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
7816 and then the subject, you might say something like:
7819 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
7822 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
7823 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed
7826 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7827 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7828 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
7829 You can hide further boring headers by entering
7830 @code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers} into
7831 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}. What this function does depends on
7832 the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a list, but this
7833 list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is lists various
7834 @dfn{boring conditions} that gnus can check and remove from sight.
7836 These conditions are:
7839 Remove all empty headers.
7841 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
7842 @code{Newsgroups} header.
7844 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
7847 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
7850 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
7853 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
7855 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
7858 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
7861 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
7862 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
7865 This is also the default value for this variable.
7869 @section Using @sc{mime}
7872 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
7873 while people stand around yawning.
7875 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
7876 while all newsreaders die of fear.
7878 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
7879 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
7880 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
7882 @vindex gnus-show-mime
7883 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
7884 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
7885 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
7886 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
7887 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
7888 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
7889 calls the SEMI MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
7890 information on SEMI MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is not
7891 existed yet, sorry).
7893 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
7894 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
7895 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
7896 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
7897 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
7898 buffer. These can't be avoided.
7900 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
7901 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
7902 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
7903 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
7904 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
7905 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
7906 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
7907 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
7908 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
7911 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
7913 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
7914 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
7915 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
7916 buffer when there are nobody else.
7919 @node Customizing Articles
7920 @section Customizing Articles
7921 @cindex article customization
7923 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7924 The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
7925 been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
7926 treatment of the article before it is displayed.
7928 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7929 @findex gnus-article-maybe-hide-headers
7930 By default this hook just contains
7931 @code{gnus-article-maybe-hide-headers},
7932 @code{gnus-hide-boring-headers}, @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike},
7933 and @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight} (and under XEmacs,
7934 @code{gnus-article-display-x-face}), but there are thousands, nay
7935 millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
7936 functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
7937 @pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
7938 Date}. Note that the order of functions in this hook might affect
7939 things, so you may have to fiddle a bit to get the desired results.
7941 You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
7942 from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
7943 There is no information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can
7944 change everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead
7945 make them invisible if you want to make them go away.
7948 @node Article Keymap
7949 @section Article Keymap
7951 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
7952 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
7953 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
7954 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
7957 A few additional keystrokes are available:
7962 @kindex SPACE (Article)
7963 @findex gnus-article-next-page
7964 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
7967 @kindex DEL (Article)
7968 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
7969 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
7972 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
7973 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
7974 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
7975 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
7976 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
7979 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
7980 @findex gnus-article-mail
7981 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
7982 given a prefix, include the mail.
7986 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
7987 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
7988 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
7992 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
7993 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
7994 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
7997 @kindex TAB (Article)
7998 @findex gnus-article-next-button
7999 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
8000 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
8003 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
8004 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
8005 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
8011 @section Misc Article
8015 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
8016 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
8017 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
8018 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
8021 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
8022 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
8023 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
8024 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
8025 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
8026 the contents of the article buffer.
8028 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
8029 @item gnus-article-display-hook
8030 This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article, and is
8031 intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing highlights,
8032 hiding headers, and the like.
8034 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
8035 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
8036 Hook called in article mode buffers.
8038 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
8039 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
8040 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
8041 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
8043 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
8044 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
8045 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
8046 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
8047 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with one
8052 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
8053 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
8057 @vindex gnus-break-pages
8059 @item gnus-break-pages
8060 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
8061 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
8062 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
8063 paging will not be done.
8065 @item gnus-page-delimiter
8066 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
8067 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
8072 @node Composing Messages
8073 @chapter Composing Messages
8074 @cindex composing messages
8077 @cindex sending mail
8082 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
8083 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
8084 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
8085 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
8086 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
8087 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
8088 to make gnus try to post using the foreign server.
8091 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
8092 * Post:: Posting and following up.
8093 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
8094 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
8095 * Archived Messages:: Where gnus stores the messages you've sent.
8096 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
8097 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
8098 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
8101 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
8102 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
8108 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
8111 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
8112 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
8113 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
8114 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
8116 @item gnus-add-to-list
8117 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
8118 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
8119 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
8127 Variables for composing news articles:
8130 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8131 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8132 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
8133 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
8134 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
8135 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
8136 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
8137 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
8138 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want gnus to keep a history
8141 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8142 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8143 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
8144 file. It is 1000 by default.
8149 @node Posting Server
8150 @section Posting Server
8152 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
8153 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
8155 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
8157 @vindex gnus-post-method
8159 It can be quite complicated. Normally, gnus will use the same native
8160 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
8161 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
8162 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
8163 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
8166 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
8169 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
8170 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
8171 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
8172 the ``current'' server for posting.
8174 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
8175 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
8177 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
8178 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
8181 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
8182 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
8183 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
8188 @section Mail and Post
8190 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
8194 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
8195 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
8196 @cindex mailing lists
8198 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
8199 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
8200 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
8201 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
8202 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
8203 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
8204 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
8205 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
8206 still a pain, though.
8210 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
8211 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
8212 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
8215 @findex ispell-message
8217 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
8221 @node Archived Messages
8222 @section Archived Messages
8223 @cindex archived messages
8224 @cindex sent messages
8226 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
8227 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
8228 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
8229 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
8232 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
8233 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
8234 use to store sent messages. The default is:
8238 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
8239 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
8240 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
8241 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
8244 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
8245 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
8246 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
8247 directory chosen, you could say something like:
8250 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
8251 '(nnfolder "archive"
8252 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
8253 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
8254 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
8257 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
8259 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
8260 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
8261 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
8263 This variable can be used to do the following:
8267 Messages will be saved in that group.
8268 @item a list of strings
8269 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
8270 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
8271 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
8273 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
8278 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
8280 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
8283 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
8285 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
8288 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
8290 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8291 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
8292 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
8293 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
8298 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8299 '((if (message-news-p)
8304 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
8305 messages in one file per month:
8308 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8309 '((if (message-news-p)
8311 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
8312 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
8315 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
8316 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
8318 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
8319 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
8320 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
8321 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
8322 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
8323 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
8324 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
8325 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
8326 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
8327 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
8329 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
8330 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
8331 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
8332 this will disable archiving.
8335 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
8336 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
8337 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
8338 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
8339 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
8342 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
8343 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
8344 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
8347 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
8348 but the latter is the preferred method.
8352 @node Posting Styles
8353 @section Posting Styles
8354 @cindex posting styles
8357 All them variables, they make my head swim.
8359 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
8360 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
8361 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
8364 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
8365 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
8366 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
8367 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
8368 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
8373 (signature "Peace and happiness")
8374 (organization "What me?"))
8376 (signature "Death to everybody"))
8377 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
8378 (organization "Emacs is it")))
8381 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
8382 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
8383 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
8384 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
8385 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
8386 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
8387 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
8388 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
8390 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
8391 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
8392 If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
8393 arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
8394 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
8395 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
8398 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
8399 attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
8400 can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
8401 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
8402 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
8403 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
8406 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
8407 return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
8408 list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
8410 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
8411 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
8412 of the two dynamically bound variables @code{message-this-is-news} and
8413 @code{message-this-is-mail}.
8415 @vindex message-this-is-mail
8416 @vindex message-this-is-news
8418 So here's a new example:
8421 (setq gnus-posting-styles
8423 (signature-file "~/.signature")
8425 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
8426 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
8428 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
8429 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
8430 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
8431 (message-this-is-new
8432 (signature my-news-signature))
8433 (posting-from-work-p
8434 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
8435 (address "user@@bar.foo")
8436 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
8437 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
8439 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
8447 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
8448 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
8449 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
8450 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
8451 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
8453 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
8454 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
8455 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
8456 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
8457 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
8461 @vindex nndraft-directory
8462 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
8463 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
8464 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
8465 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
8466 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
8467 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
8469 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
8470 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
8473 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
8474 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
8475 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
8476 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
8477 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
8478 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
8479 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
8480 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
8481 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
8482 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
8483 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
8484 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
8485 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
8486 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
8488 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
8489 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
8490 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
8492 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
8494 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
8495 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
8496 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
8498 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
8501 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
8502 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
8503 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
8504 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
8505 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
8506 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
8507 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
8510 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
8511 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
8512 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
8515 @node Rejected Articles
8516 @section Rejected Articles
8517 @cindex rejected articles
8519 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
8520 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
8521 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
8522 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
8524 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
8525 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
8526 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
8527 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
8528 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
8530 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
8531 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
8532 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
8535 @node Select Methods
8536 @chapter Select Methods
8537 @cindex foreign groups
8538 @cindex select methods
8540 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
8541 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
8542 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
8543 personal mail group.
8545 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
8546 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
8547 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
8548 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
8549 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
8550 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
8552 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
8553 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
8555 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
8558 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
8559 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
8560 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
8561 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
8562 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
8564 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
8567 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
8568 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
8569 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
8570 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
8571 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
8572 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
8576 @node The Server Buffer
8577 @section The Server Buffer
8579 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
8580 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
8581 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
8582 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
8583 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
8584 backend represents a virtual server.
8586 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
8587 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
8588 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
8589 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
8591 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
8592 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
8593 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
8594 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
8595 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
8596 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
8597 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
8599 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
8600 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
8603 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
8604 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
8605 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
8606 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
8607 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
8608 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
8609 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
8612 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
8613 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
8616 @node Server Buffer Format
8617 @subsection Server Buffer Format
8618 @cindex server buffer format
8620 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
8621 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
8622 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
8623 variable, with some simple extensions:
8628 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
8631 The name of this server.
8634 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
8637 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
8640 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
8641 The mode line can also be customized by using the
8642 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
8643 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
8653 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
8656 @node Server Commands
8657 @subsection Server Commands
8658 @cindex server commands
8664 @findex gnus-server-add-server
8665 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
8669 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
8670 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
8673 @kindex SPACE (Server)
8674 @findex gnus-server-read-server
8675 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
8679 @findex gnus-server-exit
8680 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
8684 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
8685 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
8689 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
8690 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
8694 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
8695 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
8699 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
8700 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
8704 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
8705 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
8706 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
8711 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
8712 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
8713 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
8714 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
8719 @node Example Methods
8720 @subsection Example Methods
8722 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
8725 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
8728 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
8734 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
8735 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
8738 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
8739 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
8741 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
8742 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
8746 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
8749 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
8750 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
8752 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
8753 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
8754 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
8758 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
8761 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
8764 Here's the method for a public spool:
8768 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
8769 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
8772 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
8773 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
8774 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
8775 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
8776 should probably look something like this:
8780 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
8781 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
8782 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
8783 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
8784 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
8787 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
8788 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
8789 server that would look something like this:
8793 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
8794 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
8795 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
8796 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
8797 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
8798 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
8801 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
8802 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
8803 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
8804 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
8807 @node Creating a Virtual Server
8808 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
8810 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
8811 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
8813 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
8814 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
8815 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
8817 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
8819 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
8820 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
8821 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
8822 will contain the following:
8832 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
8833 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
8834 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
8837 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
8838 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
8839 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
8842 @node Server Variables
8843 @subsection Server Variables
8845 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
8846 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
8847 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
8848 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
8849 won't change the "derived" variables.
8851 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
8852 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
8853 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
8854 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
8855 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
8856 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
8857 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
8858 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
8859 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
8863 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
8864 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
8865 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
8869 @node Servers and Methods
8870 @subsection Servers and Methods
8872 Wherever you would normally use a select method
8873 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
8874 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
8875 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
8879 @node Unavailable Servers
8880 @subsection Unavailable Servers
8882 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
8883 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
8884 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
8885 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
8886 actually the case or not.
8888 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
8889 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
8890 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
8891 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
8892 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
8893 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
8894 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
8895 it will regard that server as ``down''.
8897 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
8898 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
8900 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
8901 with the following commands:
8907 @findex gnus-server-open-server
8908 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
8909 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
8913 @findex gnus-server-close-server
8914 Close the connection (if any) to the server
8915 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
8919 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
8920 Mark the current server as unreachable
8921 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
8924 @kindex M-o (Server)
8925 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
8926 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
8927 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
8930 @kindex M-c (Server)
8931 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
8932 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
8933 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
8937 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
8938 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
8939 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
8945 @section Getting News
8946 @cindex reading news
8947 @cindex news backends
8949 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
8950 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
8951 or it can read from a local spool.
8954 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
8955 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
8960 @subsection @sc{nntp}
8963 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
8964 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
8965 server as the, uhm, address.
8967 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
8968 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
8969 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
8970 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
8972 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
8973 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
8974 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
8976 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
8981 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
8982 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
8983 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
8985 @cindex authentification
8986 @cindex nntp authentification
8987 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
8988 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
8989 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
8990 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
8991 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
8992 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
8993 present in this hook.
8995 @item nntp-authinfo-function
8996 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
8997 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
8998 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
8999 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
9000 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
9001 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
9002 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
9003 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
9004 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
9005 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
9006 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
9010 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
9013 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
9014 valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
9015 @samp{default} and @samp{force}. (The latter is not a valid
9016 @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} token, which is the only way the
9017 @file{.authinfo} file format deviates from the @file{.netrc} file
9022 Here's an example file:
9025 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
9026 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
9029 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
9030 have to be first, for instance.
9032 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
9033 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
9034 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
9035 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
9036 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
9037 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
9038 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
9040 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
9041 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
9047 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
9048 previously mentioned.
9050 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
9052 @item nntp-server-action-alist
9053 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
9054 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
9055 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
9056 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
9059 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
9063 You probably don't want to do that, though.
9065 The default value is
9068 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
9069 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
9072 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
9073 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
9075 @item nntp-maximum-request
9076 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
9077 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
9078 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
9079 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
9080 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
9081 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
9082 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
9084 @item nntp-connection-timeout
9085 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
9086 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
9087 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
9088 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
9089 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
9090 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
9091 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
9092 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
9093 no timeouts are done.
9095 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
9096 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
9097 @c @cindex PPP connections
9098 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
9099 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
9100 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
9101 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
9102 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
9103 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
9104 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
9105 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
9106 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
9107 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
9109 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
9110 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
9111 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
9112 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
9115 @item nntp-server-hook
9116 @vindex nntp-server-hook
9117 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
9120 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
9121 @findex nntp-open-telnet
9122 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
9123 @item nntp-open-connection-function
9124 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
9125 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
9126 functions are supplied:
9129 @item nntp-open-network-stream
9130 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
9133 @item nntp-open-rlogin
9134 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
9135 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
9138 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
9142 @item nntp-rlogin-program
9143 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
9144 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
9145 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
9147 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
9148 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
9149 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
9151 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9152 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9153 User name on the remote system.
9157 @item nntp-open-telnet
9158 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
9159 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
9161 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
9164 @item nntp-telnet-command
9165 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
9166 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
9168 @item nntp-telnet-switches
9169 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
9170 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
9172 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
9173 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
9174 User name for log in on the remote system.
9176 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
9177 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
9178 Password to use when logging in.
9180 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
9181 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
9182 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
9185 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9186 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9187 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
9188 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
9190 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9191 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9192 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
9193 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
9194 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
9198 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
9199 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
9200 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
9201 you must have SSLay installed
9202 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
9203 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
9204 define a server as follows:
9207 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
9209 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
9211 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
9212 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
9213 (nntp-port-number "snews")
9214 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
9219 @item nntp-end-of-line
9220 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
9221 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
9222 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
9223 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
9225 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9226 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9227 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
9231 @vindex nntp-address
9232 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
9234 @item nntp-port-number
9235 @vindex nntp-port-number
9236 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
9239 @item nntp-buggy-select
9240 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
9241 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
9243 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
9244 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
9245 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
9246 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
9249 @item nntp-xover-commands
9250 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
9253 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
9254 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
9258 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
9259 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
9260 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
9261 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
9262 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
9263 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
9264 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
9265 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
9266 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
9267 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
9268 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
9270 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
9271 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
9272 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
9274 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9275 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9276 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
9277 server closes connection.
9279 @item nntp-record-commands
9280 @vindex nntp-record-commands
9281 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
9282 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
9283 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
9284 that doesn't seem to work.
9290 @subsection News Spool
9294 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
9295 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
9296 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
9299 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
9300 anything else) as the address.
9302 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
9303 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
9304 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
9305 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
9309 @item nnspool-inews-program
9310 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
9311 Program used to post an article.
9313 @item nnspool-inews-switches
9314 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
9315 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
9317 @item nnspool-spool-directory
9318 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
9319 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
9320 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
9322 @item nnspool-nov-directory
9323 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
9324 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
9325 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
9327 @item nnspool-lib-dir
9328 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
9329 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
9331 @item nnspool-active-file
9332 @vindex nnspool-active-file
9333 The path to the active file.
9335 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
9336 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
9337 The path to the group descriptions file.
9339 @item nnspool-history-file
9340 @vindex nnspool-history-file
9341 The path to the news history file.
9343 @item nnspool-active-times-file
9344 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
9345 The path to the active date file.
9347 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
9348 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
9349 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
9352 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9353 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9355 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
9356 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
9357 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
9363 @section Getting Mail
9364 @cindex reading mail
9367 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
9371 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
9372 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
9373 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
9374 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
9375 * Mail and Procmail:: Reading mail groups that procmail create.
9376 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
9377 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
9378 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
9379 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
9380 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
9381 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
9385 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
9386 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
9388 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
9389 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
9390 and things will happen automatically.
9392 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
9393 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
9396 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
9397 '((nnml "private")))
9400 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
9401 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
9402 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
9403 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
9404 like any other group.
9406 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
9409 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9410 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9411 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9415 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
9416 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
9417 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
9420 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
9421 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
9422 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
9425 @node Splitting Mail
9426 @subsection Splitting Mail
9427 @cindex splitting mail
9428 @cindex mail splitting
9430 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
9431 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
9432 to be split into groups.
9435 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9436 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9437 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9441 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
9442 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
9443 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
9444 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
9445 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
9446 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
9447 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
9450 ("list.\\1" "From:.*\\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
9453 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
9454 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
9455 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
9456 mail belongs in that group.
9458 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
9459 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
9460 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
9461 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
9462 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
9463 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
9465 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
9466 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
9467 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
9468 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
9469 thinks should carry this mail message.
9471 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
9472 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
9473 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
9474 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
9476 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
9477 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
9478 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
9479 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
9480 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
9482 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
9485 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
9486 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
9487 links. If that's the case for you, set
9488 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
9489 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
9491 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
9492 @kindex nnmail-split-history
9493 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
9494 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
9496 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
9497 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
9498 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
9499 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
9500 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
9501 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
9502 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
9503 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
9507 @node Mail Backend Variables
9508 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
9510 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
9514 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
9515 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
9516 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
9517 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
9519 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
9520 @item nnmail-spool-file
9524 @vindex nnmail-pop-password
9525 @vindex nnmail-pop-password-required
9526 The backends will look for new mail in this file. If this variable is
9527 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
9528 themselves. If you are using a POP mail server and your name is
9529 @samp{larsi}, you should set this variable to @samp{po:larsi}. If
9530 your name is not @samp{larsi}, you should probably modify that
9531 slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart & handsome
9532 devil! You can also set this variable to @code{pop}, and Gnus will try
9533 to figure out the POP mail string by itself. In any case, Gnus will
9534 call @code{movemail} which will contact the POP server named in the
9535 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable. If the POP server needs a
9536 password, you can either set @code{nnmail-pop-password-required} to
9537 @code{t} and be prompted for the password, or set
9538 @code{nnmail-pop-password} to the password itself.
9540 @code{nnmail-spool-file} can also be a list of mailboxes.
9542 Your Emacs has to have been configured with @samp{--with-pop} before
9543 compilation. This is the default, but some installations have it
9546 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
9547 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
9548 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
9549 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
9550 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
9551 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
9553 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
9554 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
9555 @item nnmail-use-procmail
9556 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will look in
9557 @code{nnmail-procmail-directory} for incoming mail. All the files in
9558 that directory that have names ending in @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix}
9559 will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
9562 @vindex nnmail-crash-box
9563 @item nnmail-crash-box
9564 When a mail backend reads a spool file, mail is first moved to this
9565 file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
9566 already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
9569 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9570 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9571 This is run in a buffer that holds all the new incoming mail, and can be
9572 used for, well, anything, really.
9574 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
9575 @item nnmail-split-hook
9576 @findex article-decode-rfc1522
9577 @findex RFC1522 decoding
9578 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
9579 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
9580 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
9581 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
9582 in the buffer will show up in any files. @code{gnus-article-decode-rfc1522}
9583 is one likely function to add to this hook.
9585 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9586 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9587 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9588 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9589 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
9590 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
9591 starting to handle the new mail) and
9592 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
9593 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
9594 default file modes the new mail files get:
9597 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9598 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
9600 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
9601 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
9604 @item nnmail-tmp-directory
9605 @vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
9606 This variable says where to move incoming mail to -- while processing
9607 it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
9608 inhabits (e.g., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
9609 it will be used instead.
9611 @item nnmail-movemail-program
9612 @vindex nnmail-movemail-program
9613 This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her home
9614 directory. The default is @samp{movemail}.
9616 This can also be a function. In that case, the function will be called
9617 with two parameters -- the name of the inbox, and the file to be moved
9620 @item nnmail-delete-incoming
9621 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
9622 @cindex incoming mail files
9623 @cindex deleting incoming files
9624 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
9625 file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{t} by
9628 @c This is @code{nil} by
9629 @c default for reasons of security.
9631 @c Since Red Gnus is an alpha release, it is to be expected to lose mail.
9632 (No Gnus release since (ding) Gnus 0.10 (or something like that) have
9633 lost mail, I think, but that's not the point. (Except certain versions
9634 of Red Gnus.)) By not deleting the Incoming* files, one can be sure not
9635 to lose mail -- if Gnus totally whacks out, one can always recover what
9638 You may delete the @file{Incoming*} files at will.
9640 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
9641 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
9642 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
9643 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
9644 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
9645 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
9646 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
9648 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
9649 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
9651 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
9653 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9654 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9655 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
9656 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
9657 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
9662 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
9663 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
9664 @cindex mail splitting
9665 @cindex fancy mail splitting
9667 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
9668 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
9669 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
9670 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
9671 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
9672 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
9674 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
9677 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
9678 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
9679 ;; from real errors.
9680 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
9682 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
9683 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
9684 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
9685 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
9686 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
9687 ;; Other mailing lists...
9688 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
9689 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
9691 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
9692 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
9696 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
9697 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
9698 the five possible split syntaxes:
9703 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
9704 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
9708 @var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, the first element of
9709 which is a string, then store the message as specified by SPLIT, if
9710 header FIELD (a regexp) contains VALUE (also a regexp).
9713 @var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9714 @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
9715 matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
9716 be stored in one or more groups.
9719 @var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9720 @code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
9723 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
9724 this message. Use with extreme caution.
9727 @var{(: function arg1 arg2 ...)}: If the split is a list, and the first
9728 element is @code{:}, then the second element will be called as a
9729 function with @var{args} given as arguments. The function should return
9733 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
9737 In these splits, @var{FIELD} must match a complete field name.
9738 @var{VALUE} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
9739 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
9740 field names or words. In other words, all @var{VALUE}'s are wrapped in
9741 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
9743 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
9744 @var{FIELD} and @var{VALUE} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
9745 are expanded as specified by the variable
9746 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
9747 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
9750 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
9751 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
9752 when all this splitting is performed.
9754 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
9755 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
9756 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
9759 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
9762 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
9763 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
9764 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
9765 groupings 1 through 9.
9768 @node Mail and Procmail
9769 @subsection Mail and Procmail
9774 Many people use @code{procmail} (or some other mail filter program or
9775 external delivery agent---@code{slocal}, @code{elm}, etc) to split
9776 incoming mail into groups. If you do that, you should set
9777 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
9778 backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
9780 If you have a combined @code{procmail}/POP/mailbox setup, you can do
9781 something like the following:
9783 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
9785 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
9786 (setq nnmail-spool-file
9787 '("/usr/spool/mail/my-name" "po:my-name"))
9790 This also means that you probably don't want to set
9791 @code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
9794 When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
9795 with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
9796 out that it carries by other means. None of the backends, except
9797 @code{nnmh}, actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
9798 exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
9799 a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
9801 This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) by hand what
9804 Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example:
9806 The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
9807 There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
9809 Go to the group buffer and type @kbd{G m}. When prompted, answer
9810 @samp{foo} for the name and @samp{nnmh} for the method. Repeat
9811 twice for the two other groups, @samp{bar} and @samp{mail.baz}. Be sure
9812 to include all your mail groups.
9814 That's it. You are now set to read your mail. An active file for this
9815 method will be created automatically.
9817 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
9818 @vindex nnmail-procmail-directory
9819 If you use @code{nnfolder} or any other backend that store more than a
9820 single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
9821 the file that Gnus sees. Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
9822 in @code{nnmail-procmail-directory}. To arrive at the file name to put
9823 the incoming mail in, append @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix} to the group
9824 name. The mail backends will read the mail from these files.
9826 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
9827 When Gnus reads a file called @file{mail.misc.spool}, this mail will be
9828 put in the @code{mail.misc}, as one would expect. However, if you want
9829 Gnus to split the mail the normal way, you could set
9830 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
9832 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
9833 If you use @code{procmail} to split things directly into an @code{nnmh}
9834 directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
9835 @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
9836 ever expiring the final article (i.e., the article with the highest
9837 article number) in a mail newsgroup. This is quite, quite important.
9839 Here's an example setup: The incoming spools are located in
9840 @file{~/incoming/} and have @samp{""} as suffixes (i.e., the incoming
9841 spool files have the same names as the equivalent groups). The
9842 @code{nnfolder} backend is to be used as the mail interface, and the
9843 @code{nnfolder} directory is @file{~/fMail/}.
9846 (setq nnfolder-directory "~/fMail/")
9847 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
9848 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/incoming/")
9849 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnfolder "")))
9850 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "")
9854 @node Incorporating Old Mail
9855 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
9857 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
9858 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
9859 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
9862 Doing so can be quite easy.
9864 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
9865 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
9866 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
9867 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
9868 your @code{nnml} groups.
9874 Go to the group buffer.
9877 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
9878 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
9881 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
9884 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
9885 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
9888 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
9889 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
9892 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
9893 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
9894 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
9895 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
9896 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
9898 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
9899 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
9900 using the new mail backend.
9904 @subsection Expiring Mail
9905 @cindex article expiry
9907 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
9908 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
9909 different approach to mail reading.
9911 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
9912 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
9913 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
9914 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
9915 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
9916 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
9919 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
9920 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
9921 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
9922 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
9923 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
9924 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
9925 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
9926 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
9928 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
9929 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
9930 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
9931 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
9932 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
9933 column in the summary buffer.
9935 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
9936 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
9937 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
9938 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
9941 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
9943 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
9944 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
9945 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
9948 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
9949 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
9950 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
9951 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
9952 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
9954 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
9955 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
9958 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
9959 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
9962 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
9963 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
9965 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
9966 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
9967 don't really mix very well.
9969 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
9970 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
9971 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
9972 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
9975 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
9976 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
9977 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
9978 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
9981 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
9983 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
9985 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
9987 ((string= group "mail.junk")
9989 ((string= group "important")
9995 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
9996 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
9998 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
9999 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
10000 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
10003 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
10004 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
10006 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
10007 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
10008 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
10009 easier for procmail users.
10011 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
10012 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
10013 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
10014 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
10015 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
10016 caution. Even more dangerous is the
10017 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
10018 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
10019 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
10020 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
10021 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
10022 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
10023 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
10026 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
10030 @subsection Washing Mail
10031 @cindex mail washing
10032 @cindex list server brain damage
10033 @cindex incoming mail treatment
10035 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
10036 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
10037 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
10038 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
10039 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
10040 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
10042 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
10043 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
10044 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
10047 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
10048 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
10049 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
10050 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
10053 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
10054 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
10055 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
10056 grand, sweeping gestures. Functions to be used include:
10059 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
10060 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
10061 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
10062 Emacs running on MS machines.
10066 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
10067 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
10068 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
10069 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
10072 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
10073 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
10074 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
10075 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
10077 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
10078 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
10079 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
10080 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
10081 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
10082 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
10083 also be a list of regexp.
10085 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
10086 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
10089 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
10090 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
10093 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
10094 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
10095 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
10099 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
10100 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
10101 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
10105 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
10106 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
10107 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
10114 @subsection Duplicates
10116 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
10117 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
10118 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
10119 @cindex duplicate mails
10120 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
10121 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
10122 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
10123 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
10124 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
10125 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
10126 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
10127 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
10128 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
10129 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
10130 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
10131 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
10132 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
10134 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
10135 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
10136 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
10137 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
10139 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
10142 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
10143 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
10147 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
10148 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
10149 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
10150 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
10151 (any mail "mail.misc")
10158 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10159 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
10164 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
10165 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
10166 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
10167 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
10168 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
10171 @node Not Reading Mail
10172 @subsection Not Reading Mail
10174 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
10175 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
10176 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
10178 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
10179 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
10181 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10182 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10183 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10184 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10185 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10186 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
10187 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
10188 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
10189 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
10190 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
10191 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
10193 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
10194 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
10198 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
10199 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
10201 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
10202 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
10203 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
10206 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
10207 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
10208 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
10209 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
10210 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
10214 @node Unix Mail Box
10215 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
10217 @cindex unix mail box
10219 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10220 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10221 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
10222 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
10223 which group it belongs in.
10225 Virtual server settings:
10228 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
10229 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10230 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
10232 @item nnmbox-active-file
10233 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10234 The name of the active file for the mail box.
10236 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
10237 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10238 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
10244 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
10248 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10249 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10250 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
10251 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
10252 article to say which group it belongs in.
10254 Virtual server settings:
10257 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
10258 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10259 The name of the rmail mbox file.
10261 @item nnbabyl-active-file
10262 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10263 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
10265 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10266 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10267 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
10272 @subsubsection Mail Spool
10274 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
10276 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
10277 format. It should be used with some caution.
10279 @vindex nnml-directory
10280 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
10281 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
10282 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
10283 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
10285 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
10288 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
10289 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
10290 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
10291 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
10292 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
10293 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
10294 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
10295 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
10297 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
10298 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
10299 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
10300 backend when it comes to reading mail.
10302 Virtual server settings:
10305 @item nnml-directory
10306 @vindex nnml-directory
10307 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
10309 @item nnml-active-file
10310 @vindex nnml-active-file
10311 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
10313 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
10314 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
10315 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
10318 @item nnml-get-new-mail
10319 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10320 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
10322 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
10323 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
10324 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
10326 @item nnml-nov-file-name
10327 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
10328 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
10330 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10331 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10332 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
10336 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
10337 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
10338 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
10339 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
10340 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
10341 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
10342 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
10347 @subsubsection MH Spool
10349 @cindex mh-e mail spool
10351 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
10352 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
10353 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
10354 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
10356 Virtual server settings:
10359 @item nnmh-directory
10360 @vindex nnmh-directory
10361 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
10363 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
10364 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10365 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
10368 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
10369 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
10370 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
10371 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
10372 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
10373 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
10374 to set this variable to @code{t}.
10379 @subsubsection Mail Folders
10381 @cindex mbox folders
10382 @cindex mail folders
10384 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
10385 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
10386 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
10389 Virtual server settings:
10392 @item nnfolder-directory
10393 @vindex nnfolder-directory
10394 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
10396 @item nnfolder-active-file
10397 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
10398 The name of the active file.
10400 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10401 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10402 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
10404 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
10405 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10406 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
10408 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
10409 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
10410 @cindex backup files
10411 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
10412 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
10413 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
10414 your @file{.emacs} file:
10417 (defun turn-off-backup ()
10418 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
10420 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
10423 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
10424 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
10425 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
10426 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
10427 extract some information from it before removing it.
10432 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
10433 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
10434 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
10435 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
10436 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
10437 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
10440 @node Other Sources
10441 @section Other Sources
10443 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
10444 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
10448 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
10449 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
10450 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
10451 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
10452 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
10453 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
10457 @node Directory Groups
10458 @subsection Directory Groups
10460 @cindex directory groups
10462 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
10463 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
10466 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
10467 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
10468 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
10469 backend to read directories. Big deal.
10471 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
10472 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
10473 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
10474 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
10475 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
10477 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
10479 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
10480 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
10481 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
10482 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
10485 @node Anything Groups
10486 @subsection Anything Groups
10489 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
10490 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
10491 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
10494 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
10495 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
10496 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
10497 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
10498 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
10499 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
10500 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
10501 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
10502 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
10503 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
10506 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
10507 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
10508 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
10509 in the article buffer, just as usual.
10511 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
10512 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
10513 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
10514 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
10516 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
10517 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
10518 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
10519 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
10520 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
10521 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
10522 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
10523 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
10528 @item nneething-map-file-directory
10529 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
10530 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
10531 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
10533 @item nneething-exclude-files
10534 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
10535 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
10536 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
10538 @item nneething-map-file
10539 @vindex nneething-map-file
10540 Name of the map files.
10544 @node Document Groups
10545 @subsection Document Groups
10547 @cindex documentation group
10550 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
10551 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
10558 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
10563 The standard Unix mbox file.
10565 @cindex MMDF mail box
10567 The MMDF mail box format.
10570 Several news articles appended into a file.
10573 @cindex rnews batch files
10574 The rnews batch transport format.
10575 @cindex forwarded messages
10578 Forwarded articles.
10581 MIME multipart messages, besides digests.
10585 @cindex MIME digest
10586 @cindex 1153 digest
10587 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
10588 @cindex RFC 341 digest
10589 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
10591 @item standard-digest
10592 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
10595 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
10598 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
10599 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
10600 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
10603 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
10604 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
10605 group. And that's it.
10607 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
10608 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
10609 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
10610 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
10611 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
10612 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
10613 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
10614 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
10615 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
10616 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
10618 Virtual server variables:
10621 @item nndoc-article-type
10622 @vindex nndoc-article-type
10623 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
10624 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
10625 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{mime-digest},
10626 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs} or
10629 @item nndoc-post-type
10630 @vindex nndoc-post-type
10631 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
10632 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
10637 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
10641 @node Document Server Internals
10642 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
10644 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
10645 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
10646 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
10647 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
10649 First, here's an example document type definition:
10653 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
10654 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
10657 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
10658 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
10659 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
10660 types can be defined with very few settings:
10663 @item first-article
10664 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
10665 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
10668 @item article-begin
10669 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
10670 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
10672 @item head-begin-function
10673 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
10676 @item nndoc-head-begin
10677 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
10680 @item nndoc-head-end
10681 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
10682 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
10684 @item body-begin-function
10685 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
10689 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
10692 @item body-end-function
10693 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
10697 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
10700 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
10701 regexp will be totally ignored.
10705 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
10706 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
10707 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
10708 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
10709 something that's palatable for Gnus:
10712 @item prepare-body-function
10713 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
10714 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
10715 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
10717 @item article-transform-function
10718 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
10719 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
10720 body of the article.
10722 @item generate-head-function
10723 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
10724 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
10725 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
10726 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
10730 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
10735 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10736 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10737 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
10738 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
10739 (head-end . "^ ?$")
10740 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
10741 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
10742 (subtype digest guess))
10745 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
10746 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
10747 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
10748 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
10749 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
10751 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
10752 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
10753 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
10754 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
10755 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
10756 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
10757 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
10758 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
10759 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
10760 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
10768 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
10769 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
10770 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
10772 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
10773 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
10774 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
10777 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
10778 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
10779 that interested in doing things properly.
10781 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
10782 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
10785 First some terminology:
10790 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
10791 get news and/or mail from.
10794 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
10795 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
10798 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
10802 @item message packets
10803 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
10804 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
10805 default, where @var{X} is a number.
10807 @item response packets
10808 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
10809 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
10810 default, where @var{X} is a number.
10820 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
10821 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
10822 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
10823 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
10826 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
10829 You put the packet in your home directory.
10832 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
10833 the native or secondary server.
10836 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
10837 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
10840 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
10844 You transfer this packet to the server.
10847 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
10850 You then repeat until you die.
10854 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
10855 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
10858 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
10859 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
10860 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
10864 @node SOUP Commands
10865 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
10867 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
10871 @kindex G s b (Group)
10872 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
10873 Pack all unread articles in the current group
10874 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
10875 process/prefix convention.
10878 @kindex G s w (Group)
10879 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
10880 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
10883 @kindex G s s (Group)
10884 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
10885 Send all replies from the replies packet
10886 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
10889 @kindex G s p (Group)
10890 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
10891 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
10894 @kindex G s r (Group)
10895 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
10896 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
10899 @kindex O s (Summary)
10900 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
10901 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
10902 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
10903 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10908 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
10913 @item gnus-soup-directory
10914 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
10915 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
10916 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
10918 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
10919 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
10920 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
10921 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
10923 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
10924 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
10925 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
10926 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
10928 @item gnus-soup-packer
10929 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
10930 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
10931 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
10933 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
10934 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
10935 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
10936 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
10938 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
10939 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
10940 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
10942 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
10943 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
10944 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
10945 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
10951 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
10954 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
10955 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
10956 you can read them at leisure.
10958 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
10962 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
10963 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
10964 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
10965 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
10967 @item nnsoup-directory
10968 @vindex nnsoup-directory
10969 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
10970 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
10972 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
10973 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
10974 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
10975 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
10977 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
10978 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
10979 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
10980 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
10981 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
10983 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
10984 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
10985 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
10986 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
10988 @item nnsoup-active-file
10989 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
10990 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
10991 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
10992 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
10993 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
10995 @item nnsoup-packer
10996 @vindex nnsoup-packer
10997 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
10998 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
11000 @item nnsoup-unpacker
11001 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
11002 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
11003 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
11005 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
11006 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
11007 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
11010 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
11011 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
11012 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
11015 @item nnsoup-always-save
11016 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
11017 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
11023 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
11025 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
11026 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
11027 more for that to happen.
11029 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
11030 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
11031 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
11034 In specific, this is what it does:
11037 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
11038 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
11041 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
11042 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
11043 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
11047 @subsection Web Searches
11051 @cindex InReference
11052 @cindex Usenet searches
11053 @cindex searching the Usenet
11055 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
11056 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
11057 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
11058 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
11059 searches without having to use a browser.
11061 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
11062 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
11063 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
11064 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
11065 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
11067 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
11068 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
11069 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
11070 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
11071 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
11072 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
11073 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
11074 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
11075 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
11076 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
11079 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
11080 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
11081 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'
\e,Aj
\e(Btre} is to
11082 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
11083 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
11084 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
11086 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
11087 to use @code{nnweb}.
11089 Virtual server variables:
11094 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
11095 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
11099 @vindex nnweb-search
11100 The search string to feed to the search engine.
11102 @item nnweb-max-hits
11103 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
11104 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
11107 @item nnweb-type-definition
11108 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
11109 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
11110 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
11115 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
11119 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
11122 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
11125 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
11129 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
11136 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
11137 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
11138 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
11141 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
11142 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
11143 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
11145 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
11151 @item nngateway-address
11152 @vindex nngateway-address
11153 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
11155 @item nngateway-header-transformation
11156 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
11157 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
11158 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
11159 transformation should be called, and defaults to
11160 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
11161 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
11164 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
11165 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
11166 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
11169 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
11172 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
11175 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
11178 The following pre-defined functions exist:
11180 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
11183 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
11184 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
11185 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
11187 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
11189 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
11190 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
11191 @code{nngateway-address}.
11196 (setq gnus-post-method
11197 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
11198 (nngateway-header-transformation
11199 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
11207 So, to use this, simply say something like:
11210 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
11214 @node Combined Groups
11215 @section Combined Groups
11217 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
11221 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
11222 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
11226 @node Virtual Groups
11227 @subsection Virtual Groups
11229 @cindex virtual groups
11230 @cindex merging groups
11232 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
11235 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
11236 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
11237 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
11239 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
11240 regexp to match component groups.
11242 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
11243 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
11244 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
11245 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
11246 the virtual group.)
11248 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
11249 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
11252 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
11255 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
11256 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
11258 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
11259 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
11260 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
11261 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
11264 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
11267 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
11268 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
11269 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
11271 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
11272 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
11273 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
11274 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
11275 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
11277 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
11278 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
11279 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
11281 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
11282 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
11283 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
11284 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
11285 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
11286 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
11287 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
11288 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
11289 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
11290 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
11291 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
11293 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
11294 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
11295 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
11296 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
11297 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
11298 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
11299 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
11301 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
11302 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
11306 @node Kibozed Groups
11307 @subsection Kibozed Groups
11311 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
11312 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
11313 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
11314 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
11316 @kindex G k (Group)
11317 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
11320 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
11321 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
11322 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
11323 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
11325 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
11326 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
11327 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
11329 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
11330 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
11331 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
11332 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
11333 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
11334 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
11335 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
11336 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
11338 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
11339 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
11340 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
11341 Stranger things have happened.
11343 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
11344 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
11346 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
11347 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
11348 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
11349 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
11350 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
11351 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
11353 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
11354 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
11357 @node Gnus Unplugged
11358 @section Gnus Unplugged
11363 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
11365 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
11366 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
11367 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
11368 read news. Believe it or not.
11370 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
11371 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
11372 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
11373 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
11374 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
11376 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
11377 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
11378 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
11379 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
11380 reading news on a machine.
11382 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
11386 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
11387 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
11391 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
11392 @file{.gnus.el} file:
11399 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
11401 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
11404 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
11405 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
11406 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
11407 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
11408 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
11409 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
11410 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
11411 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
11416 @subsection Agent Basics
11418 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
11420 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
11421 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
11422 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
11423 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
11425 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
11426 connected to the net continuously.
11428 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
11429 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
11431 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
11436 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
11437 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
11438 already fetched while in this mode.
11441 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
11442 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
11443 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged}.
11446 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
11447 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
11448 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
11449 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
11452 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
11453 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
11454 then you read the news offline.
11457 And then you go to step 2.
11460 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
11466 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
11467 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
11468 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
11469 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
11470 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
11471 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
11474 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}
11481 @node Agent Categories
11482 @subsection Agent Categories
11484 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
11485 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
11486 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
11487 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
11488 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
11489 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
11490 you're interested in the articles anyway.
11492 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
11493 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
11494 Gnus has its own buffer for creating and managing categories.
11497 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
11498 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
11499 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
11503 @node Category Syntax
11504 @subsubsection Category Syntax
11506 A category consists of two things.
11510 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
11511 are eligible for downloading; and
11514 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
11515 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
11516 score} is wholly unrelated to normal scores.)
11519 A predicate consists of predicates with logical operators sprinkled in
11522 Perhaps some examples are in order.
11524 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
11525 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
11531 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
11532 short (for some value of ``short'').
11534 Here's a more complex predicate:
11543 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
11544 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
11547 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
11548 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
11549 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
11551 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
11552 you want to do, you can write your own.
11556 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
11557 lines; default 100.
11560 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
11561 lines; default 200.
11564 True iff the article has a download score less than
11565 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
11568 True iff the article has a download score greater than
11569 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
11572 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
11573 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
11574 checksum and sees whether articles match.
11583 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
11584 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
11585 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
11588 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
11589 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
11590 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
11591 following headers can be scored on: @code{From}, @code{Subject},
11592 @code{Date}, @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars}, @code{Message-ID},
11593 and @code{References}.
11596 @node The Category Buffer
11597 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
11599 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
11600 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
11601 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
11603 The following commands are available in this buffer:
11607 @kindex q (Category)
11608 @findex gnus-category-exit
11609 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
11612 @kindex k (Category)
11613 @findex gnus-category-kill
11614 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
11617 @kindex c (Category)
11618 @findex gnus-category-copy
11619 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
11622 @kindex a (Category)
11623 @findex gnus-category-add
11624 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
11627 @kindex p (Category)
11628 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
11629 Edit the predicate of the current category
11630 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
11633 @kindex g (Category)
11634 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
11635 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
11636 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
11639 @kindex s (Category)
11640 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
11641 Edit the download score rule of the current category
11642 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
11645 @kindex l (Category)
11646 @findex gnus-category-list
11647 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
11651 @node Category Variables
11652 @subsubsection Category Variables
11655 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
11656 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
11657 Hook run in category buffers.
11659 @item gnus-category-line-format
11660 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
11661 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
11662 Variables}). Valid elements are:
11666 The name of the category.
11669 The number of groups in the category.
11672 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
11673 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
11674 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
11676 @item gnus-agent-short-article
11677 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
11678 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
11680 @item gnus-agent-long-article
11681 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
11682 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
11684 @item gnus-agent-low-score
11685 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
11686 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
11689 @item gnus-agent-high-score
11690 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
11691 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
11697 @node Agent Commands
11698 @subsection Agent Commands
11700 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
11701 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
11702 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
11706 * Group Agent Commands::
11707 * Summary Agent Commands::
11708 * Server Agent Commands::
11711 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
11712 following incantation:
11714 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
11716 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
11721 @node Group Agent Commands
11722 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
11726 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
11727 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
11728 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
11729 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
11732 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
11733 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
11734 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
11737 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
11738 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
11739 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
11740 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
11743 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
11744 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
11745 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
11746 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}). @xref{Drafts}
11749 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
11750 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
11751 Add the current group to an Agent category
11752 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}).
11757 @node Summary Agent Commands
11758 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
11762 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
11763 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
11764 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
11767 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
11768 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
11769 Remove the downloading mark from the article
11770 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
11773 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
11774 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
11775 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
11778 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
11779 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
11780 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
11785 @node Server Agent Commands
11786 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
11790 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
11791 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
11792 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
11793 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
11796 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
11797 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
11798 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
11799 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
11805 @subsection Agent Expiry
11807 @vindex gnus-agent-expiry-days
11808 @findex gnus-agent-expiry
11809 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expiry
11810 @cindex Agent expiry
11811 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
11814 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
11815 @code{gnus-agent-expiry} command that will expire all read articles that
11816 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expiry-days} days. It can be run
11817 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
11818 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
11819 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
11821 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
11822 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
11823 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
11824 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
11825 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
11828 @node Outgoing Messages
11829 @subsection Outgoing Messages
11831 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
11832 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
11833 after posting, and edit them at will.
11835 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
11836 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
11837 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
11838 messages in the draft group.
11842 @node Agent Variables
11843 @subsection Agent Variables
11846 @item gnus-agent-directory
11847 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
11848 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
11849 @file{~/News/agent/}.
11851 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
11852 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
11853 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
11854 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
11855 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
11858 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
11859 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
11860 Hook run when connecting to the network.
11862 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
11863 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
11864 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
11869 @node Example Setup
11870 @subsection Example Setup
11872 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
11873 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
11874 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
11877 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over NNTP
11878 ;;; from your ISP's server.
11879 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "nntp.your-isp.com"))
11881 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
11882 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
11883 (setenv "MAILHOST" "pop.your-isp.com")
11884 (setq nnmail-spool-file "po:username")
11886 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
11887 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
11889 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
11893 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
11894 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
11897 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
11898 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
11899 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
11900 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
11901 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
11904 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
11905 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
11906 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
11907 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
11908 back all the killed groups.)
11910 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
11911 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
11912 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
11915 @node Batching Agents
11916 @subsection Batching Agents
11918 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
11919 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
11920 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
11924 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
11933 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
11934 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
11935 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
11938 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
11939 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
11940 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
11941 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
11942 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
11944 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
11945 before generating the summary buffer.
11947 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
11948 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
11949 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
11951 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
11952 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
11953 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
11954 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
11957 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
11958 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
11959 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
11960 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
11961 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
11962 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
11963 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
11964 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
11965 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
11966 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
11967 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
11968 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
11969 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
11970 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
11971 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
11972 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
11976 @node Summary Score Commands
11977 @section Summary Score Commands
11978 @cindex score commands
11980 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
11981 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
11982 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
11983 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
11984 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
11986 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
11987 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
11988 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
11989 score file the current one.
11991 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
11996 @kindex V s (Summary)
11997 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
11998 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
12001 @kindex V S (Summary)
12002 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
12003 Display the score of the current article
12004 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
12007 @kindex V t (Summary)
12008 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
12009 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
12010 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
12013 @kindex V R (Summary)
12014 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
12015 Run the current summary through the scoring process
12016 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
12017 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
12018 effect you're having.
12021 @kindex V c (Summary)
12022 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
12023 Make a different score file the current
12024 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
12027 @kindex V e (Summary)
12028 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
12029 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
12030 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
12034 @kindex V f (Summary)
12035 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
12036 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
12037 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
12040 @kindex V F (Summary)
12041 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
12042 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
12043 after editing score files.
12046 @kindex V C (Summary)
12047 @findex gnus-score-customize
12048 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
12049 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
12053 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
12058 @kindex V m (Summary)
12059 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
12060 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
12061 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
12064 @kindex V x (Summary)
12065 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
12066 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
12067 expunge all articles below this score
12068 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
12071 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
12072 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
12075 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
12076 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
12080 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
12081 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
12083 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
12084 keys are available:
12088 Score on the author name.
12091 Score on the subject line.
12094 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
12097 Score on the References line.
12103 Score on the number of lines.
12106 Score on the Message-ID.
12109 Score on followups.
12123 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
12124 what headers you are scoring on.
12136 Substring matching.
12139 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
12168 Greater than number.
12173 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
12174 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
12175 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
12179 Temporary score entry.
12182 Permanent score entry.
12185 Immediately scoring.
12190 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
12191 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
12192 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
12193 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
12195 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
12196 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
12197 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
12198 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
12199 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
12201 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
12202 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
12203 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
12204 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
12205 current score file.
12207 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
12208 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
12209 pretend they are keymaps or not.
12212 @node Group Score Commands
12213 @section Group Score Commands
12214 @cindex group score commands
12216 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
12221 @kindex W f (Group)
12222 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
12223 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
12224 all the time. This command will flush the cache
12225 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
12229 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
12231 @findex gnus-batch-score
12232 @cindex batch scoring
12234 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l gnus -f gnus-batch-score
12238 @node Score Variables
12239 @section Score Variables
12240 @cindex score variables
12244 @item gnus-use-scoring
12245 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
12246 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
12247 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
12249 @item gnus-kill-killed
12250 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
12251 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
12252 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
12253 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
12254 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
12255 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
12256 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
12258 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
12259 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
12260 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
12261 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
12262 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
12264 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
12265 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
12266 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
12267 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
12269 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
12270 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
12271 @cindex score cache
12272 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
12273 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
12274 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
12275 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
12276 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
12277 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
12280 @item gnus-save-score
12281 @vindex gnus-save-score
12282 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
12283 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
12284 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
12286 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
12287 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
12288 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
12289 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
12290 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
12291 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
12292 manually entered data.
12294 @item gnus-summary-default-score
12295 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
12296 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
12298 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
12299 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
12300 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
12301 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
12302 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
12303 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
12305 @item gnus-score-over-mark
12306 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
12307 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
12308 default. Default is @samp{+}.
12310 @item gnus-score-below-mark
12311 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
12312 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
12313 default. Default is @samp{-}.
12315 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
12316 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
12317 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
12318 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
12320 Predefined functions available are:
12323 @item gnus-score-find-single
12324 @findex gnus-score-find-single
12325 Only apply the group's own score file.
12327 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
12328 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
12329 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
12330 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
12331 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
12332 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
12333 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
12334 then a regexp match is done.
12336 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
12337 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
12339 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
12340 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
12341 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
12342 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
12344 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
12345 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
12346 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
12347 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
12348 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
12351 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
12352 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
12353 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
12354 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
12355 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
12356 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
12359 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
12360 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
12361 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
12362 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
12363 are expired. It's 7 by default.
12365 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
12366 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
12367 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
12368 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
12369 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
12370 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
12371 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
12374 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
12375 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
12376 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
12378 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
12379 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
12380 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
12381 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
12382 threading---according to the current value of
12383 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
12384 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
12385 simplified in this manner.
12390 @node Score File Format
12391 @section Score File Format
12392 @cindex score file format
12394 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
12395 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
12396 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
12398 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
12402 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
12404 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
12406 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
12408 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
12413 (mark-and-expunge -10)
12417 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
12418 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
12419 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
12420 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
12424 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
12425 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
12427 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
12428 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
12429 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
12431 Six keys are supported by this alist:
12436 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
12437 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
12438 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
12439 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
12440 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
12441 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
12442 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
12443 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
12444 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
12445 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
12446 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
12447 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
12448 to articles that matches these score entries.
12450 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
12451 score entry has one to four elements.
12455 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
12456 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
12460 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
12461 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
12462 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
12463 is successful. If this element is not present, the
12464 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
12465 instead. This is 1000 by default.
12468 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
12469 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
12470 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
12471 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
12472 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
12475 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
12476 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
12477 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
12478 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
12481 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
12482 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
12483 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
12484 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
12485 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
12486 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
12487 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
12488 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
12489 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
12490 instead, if you feel like.
12493 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
12494 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
12496 These predicates are true if
12499 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
12502 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
12503 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
12510 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
12511 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
12512 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
12513 it's not. I think.)
12515 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
12516 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
12517 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
12518 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
12521 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
12522 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
12523 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
12524 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
12525 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
12526 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
12527 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
12531 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
12532 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
12533 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
12534 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
12535 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
12536 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
12537 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
12538 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
12541 @item Head, Body, All
12542 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
12546 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
12547 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
12548 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
12549 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
12550 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
12551 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
12552 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
12556 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
12557 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{X}, then you add a
12558 @samp{thread} match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each
12559 article that has @var{X} in its @code{References} header. (These new
12560 @samp{thread} matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching
12561 articles.) This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an
12562 entire thread, even though some articles in the thread may not have
12563 complete @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
12564 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
12565 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
12569 @cindex Score File Atoms
12571 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12572 lower than this number will be marked as read.
12575 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12576 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
12578 @item mark-and-expunge
12579 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12580 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
12583 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
12584 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
12585 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
12586 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
12587 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
12590 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
12591 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
12594 @item exclude-files
12595 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
12596 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
12600 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
12601 ignored when handling global score files.
12604 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
12605 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
12606 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
12607 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
12610 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
12611 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
12612 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
12613 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
12615 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
12619 (mark-and-expunge -100)
12622 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
12623 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
12624 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
12625 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
12626 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
12628 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
12629 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
12630 ordinary scoring rules.
12633 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
12634 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
12635 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
12636 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
12637 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
12638 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
12639 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
12640 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
12641 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
12642 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
12643 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
12647 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
12648 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
12649 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
12650 file for a number of groups.
12653 @cindex local variables
12654 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
12655 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
12656 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
12657 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
12658 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
12662 @node Score File Editing
12663 @section Score File Editing
12665 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
12666 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
12667 with a mode for that.
12669 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
12670 additional commands:
12675 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
12676 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
12677 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
12678 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
12681 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
12682 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
12683 Insert the current date in numerical format
12684 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
12685 you were wondering.
12688 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
12689 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
12690 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
12691 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
12692 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
12697 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
12699 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
12700 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
12702 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
12703 e} to begin editing score files.
12706 @node Adaptive Scoring
12707 @section Adaptive Scoring
12708 @cindex adaptive scoring
12710 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
12711 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
12712 stupidity, to be precise.
12714 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
12715 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
12716 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
12717 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
12718 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
12719 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
12720 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
12721 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
12722 variable to @code{(word line)}.
12724 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
12725 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
12726 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
12727 might look something like this:
12730 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
12731 '((gnus-unread-mark)
12732 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
12733 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
12734 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
12735 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
12736 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
12737 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
12738 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
12739 (gnus-ancient-mark)
12740 (gnus-low-score-mark)
12741 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
12744 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
12745 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
12746 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
12747 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
12748 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
12749 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
12752 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
12753 will be applied to each article.
12755 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
12756 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
12757 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
12758 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
12760 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
12761 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
12762 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
12763 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
12765 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
12766 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
12767 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
12768 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
12770 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
12771 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
12772 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
12773 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
12774 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
12775 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
12777 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
12778 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
12779 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
12780 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
12781 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
12782 aspirins afterwards.)
12784 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
12785 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
12786 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
12788 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
12789 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
12790 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
12792 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
12793 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
12794 let you use different rules in different groups.
12796 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
12797 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
12798 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
12801 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
12802 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
12803 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
12804 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
12805 the length of the match is less than
12806 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
12807 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
12810 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
12811 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
12812 headers. If you adapt on words, the
12813 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
12814 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
12817 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
12818 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
12819 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
12820 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
12821 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
12824 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
12825 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
12826 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
12827 score with 30 points.
12829 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
12830 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
12831 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
12832 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
12833 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
12835 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
12836 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
12837 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
12838 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
12840 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
12841 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
12842 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
12843 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
12845 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
12846 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
12847 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
12849 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
12850 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
12851 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
12852 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
12855 @node Home Score File
12856 @section Home Score File
12858 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
12859 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
12860 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
12861 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
12863 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
12864 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
12865 could perhaps use the same home score file.
12867 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
12868 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
12873 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
12877 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
12878 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
12882 A list. The elements in this list can be:
12886 @var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
12887 the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
12890 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
12891 the home score file.
12894 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
12897 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
12902 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
12905 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12906 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
12909 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
12910 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
12912 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
12914 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12915 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
12918 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
12919 Other functions include
12922 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
12923 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
12924 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
12925 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
12929 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
12930 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
12931 their own home score files:
12934 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12935 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
12936 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
12937 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
12938 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
12941 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
12942 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
12943 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
12944 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
12945 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
12947 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
12948 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
12949 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
12950 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
12951 precedence over this variable.
12954 @node Followups To Yourself
12955 @section Followups To Yourself
12957 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
12958 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
12959 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
12960 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
12961 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
12962 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
12966 @item gnus-score-followup-article
12967 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
12968 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
12971 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
12972 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
12973 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
12977 @vindex message-sent-hook
12978 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
12979 @code{message-sent-hook}.
12981 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
12982 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
12986 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
12987 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
12990 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
12991 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
12996 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
13000 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
13001 is system-dependent.
13005 @section Scoring Tips
13006 @cindex scoring tips
13012 @cindex scoring crossposts
13013 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
13014 the @code{Xref} header.
13016 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
13019 @item Multiple crossposts
13020 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
13021 more than, say, 3 groups:
13023 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
13026 @item Matching on the body
13027 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
13028 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
13029 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
13030 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
13031 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
13032 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
13033 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
13036 @item Marking as read
13037 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
13038 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
13039 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
13043 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
13045 @item Negated character classes
13046 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
13047 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
13048 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
13052 @node Reverse Scoring
13053 @section Reverse Scoring
13054 @cindex reverse scoring
13056 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
13057 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
13058 like this in your score file:
13062 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
13067 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
13068 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
13071 @node Global Score Files
13072 @section Global Score Files
13073 @cindex global score files
13075 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
13076 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
13077 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
13079 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
13080 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
13081 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
13083 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
13084 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
13085 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
13086 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
13087 files are applicable to which group.
13089 Say you want to use the score file
13090 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
13091 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
13094 (setq gnus-global-score-files
13095 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
13096 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
13099 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
13100 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
13101 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
13102 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
13103 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
13105 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
13106 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
13108 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
13109 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
13110 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
13111 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
13112 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
13113 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
13115 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
13121 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
13123 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
13125 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
13127 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
13128 lowered out of existence.
13130 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
13131 articles completely.
13134 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
13135 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
13136 old articles for a long time.
13139 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
13140 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
13141 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
13142 holding our breath yet?
13146 @section Kill Files
13149 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
13150 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
13151 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
13153 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
13154 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
13155 files into score files.
13157 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
13158 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
13159 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
13160 that isn't a very good idea.
13162 Normal kill files look like this:
13165 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13166 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
13170 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
13171 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
13173 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
13174 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
13177 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
13182 @kindex M-k (Summary)
13183 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
13184 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
13187 @kindex M-K (Summary)
13188 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
13189 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
13192 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
13197 @kindex M-k (Group)
13198 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
13199 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
13202 @kindex M-K (Group)
13203 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
13204 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
13207 Kill file variables:
13210 @item gnus-kill-file-name
13211 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
13212 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
13213 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
13214 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
13215 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
13216 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
13218 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
13219 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
13220 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
13221 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
13224 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
13225 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
13226 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
13227 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
13228 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
13229 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
13230 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
13231 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
13232 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
13234 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
13235 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
13236 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
13241 @node Converting Kill Files
13242 @section Converting Kill Files
13244 @cindex converting kill files
13246 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
13247 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
13248 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
13251 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
13252 You can fetch it from
13253 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
13255 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
13256 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
13257 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
13265 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
13266 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
13267 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
13269 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
13270 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
13271 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
13272 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
13273 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
13274 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
13275 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
13276 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
13280 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
13281 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
13282 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
13283 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
13287 @node Using GroupLens
13288 @subsection Using GroupLens
13290 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
13292 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
13293 better bit in town at the moment.
13295 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
13299 @item gnus-use-grouplens
13300 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
13301 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
13302 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
13304 @item grouplens-pseudonym
13305 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
13306 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
13307 with the Better Bit Bureau.
13309 @item grouplens-newsgroups
13310 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
13311 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
13315 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
13316 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
13317 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
13318 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
13319 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
13320 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
13323 @node Rating Articles
13324 @subsection Rating Articles
13326 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
13327 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
13328 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
13329 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
13332 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
13337 @kindex r (GroupLens)
13338 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
13339 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
13342 @kindex k (GroupLens)
13343 @findex grouplens-score-thread
13344 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
13345 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
13346 threads in rec.humor.
13350 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
13351 the score of the article you're reading.
13356 @kindex n (GroupLens)
13357 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
13358 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
13361 @kindex , (GroupLens)
13362 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
13363 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
13367 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
13368 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
13371 @node Displaying Predictions
13372 @subsection Displaying Predictions
13374 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
13375 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
13376 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
13377 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
13378 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
13380 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
13381 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
13382 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
13383 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
13384 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
13385 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
13386 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
13387 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
13388 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
13389 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
13390 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
13391 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
13392 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
13394 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
13395 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
13396 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
13397 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
13399 The following are valid values for that variable.
13402 @item prediction-spot
13403 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
13406 @item confidence-interval
13407 A numeric confidence interval.
13409 @item prediction-bar
13410 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
13412 @item confidence-bar
13413 Numerical confidence.
13415 @item confidence-spot
13416 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
13418 @item prediction-num
13419 Plain-old numeric value.
13421 @item confidence-plus-minus
13422 Prediction +/- confidence.
13427 @node GroupLens Variables
13428 @subsection GroupLens Variables
13432 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
13433 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
13434 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
13435 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
13438 @item grouplens-bbb-host
13439 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
13442 @item grouplens-bbb-port
13443 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
13445 @item grouplens-score-offset
13446 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
13447 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
13450 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
13451 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
13452 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
13457 @node Advanced Scoring
13458 @section Advanced Scoring
13460 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
13461 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
13462 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
13463 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
13464 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
13466 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
13470 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
13471 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
13472 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
13476 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
13477 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
13479 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
13480 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
13481 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
13482 non-@code{nil} value.
13484 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
13485 operator, and various match operators.
13492 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
13493 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
13494 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
13499 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
13500 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
13501 then this operator will return @code{false}.
13506 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
13507 logical negation of the value of its argument.
13511 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
13512 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
13513 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
13514 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
13515 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
13516 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
13517 the ancestry you want to go.
13519 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
13520 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
13521 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
13522 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
13523 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
13526 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
13527 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
13529 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
13530 when he's talking about Gnus:
13534 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13535 ("subject" "Gnus"))
13541 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
13545 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13552 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
13553 really don't want to read what he's written:
13557 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13558 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
13562 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
13563 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
13564 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
13571 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
13572 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
13573 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
13574 ("body" "white.*socks"))
13578 The possibilities are endless.
13581 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
13582 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
13584 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
13585 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
13586 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
13587 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
13588 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
13589 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
13590 @samp{subject}) first.
13592 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
13593 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
13604 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
13605 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
13611 ("subject" "Gnus")))
13618 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
13619 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
13624 @section Score Decays
13625 @cindex score decays
13628 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
13629 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
13630 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
13631 use them in any sensible way.
13633 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
13634 @findex gnus-decay-score
13635 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
13636 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
13637 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
13638 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
13639 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
13640 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
13641 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
13642 definition of that function:
13645 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
13647 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
13648 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
13651 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
13653 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
13655 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
13658 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
13659 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
13660 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
13661 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
13665 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
13668 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
13671 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
13675 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
13676 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
13677 the new score, which should be an integer.
13679 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
13680 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
13687 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
13688 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
13689 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
13690 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
13691 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
13692 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
13693 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
13694 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
13695 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
13696 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
13697 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
13698 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
13699 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
13700 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
13701 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
13702 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
13703 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
13704 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
13708 @node Process/Prefix
13709 @section Process/Prefix
13710 @cindex process/prefix convention
13712 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
13713 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
13715 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
13716 command to be performed on.
13720 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
13721 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
13722 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
13723 with the current one.
13725 @vindex transient-mark-mode
13726 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
13727 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
13729 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
13730 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
13733 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
13734 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
13736 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
13739 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
13740 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
13741 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
13742 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13744 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
13745 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
13746 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
13747 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
13748 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
13749 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
13750 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
13751 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
13755 @section Interactive
13756 @cindex interaction
13760 @item gnus-novice-user
13761 @vindex gnus-novice-user
13762 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
13763 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
13764 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
13765 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
13768 @item gnus-expert-user
13769 @vindex gnus-expert-user
13770 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
13771 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
13772 matter how strange.
13774 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
13775 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
13776 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
13777 is @code{t} by default.
13779 @item gnus-interactive-exit
13780 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
13781 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
13786 @node Symbolic Prefixes
13787 @section Symbolic Prefixes
13788 @cindex symbolic prefixes
13790 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
13791 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
13792 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
13793 rule of 900 to the current article.
13795 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
13796 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
13797 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
13798 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
13799 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
13800 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
13801 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
13803 @kindex M-i (Summary)
13804 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
13805 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
13806 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
13807 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
13808 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
13809 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
13810 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
13811 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
13813 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
13814 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
13815 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
13817 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
13821 @node Formatting Variables
13822 @section Formatting Variables
13823 @cindex formatting variables
13825 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
13826 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
13827 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
13828 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
13829 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
13832 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
13833 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
13834 lots of percentages everywhere.
13837 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
13838 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
13839 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
13840 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
13841 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
13844 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
13845 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
13846 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
13847 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
13848 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
13849 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
13850 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
13851 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
13853 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
13854 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
13856 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
13857 @findex gnus-update-format
13858 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
13859 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
13860 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
13861 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
13865 @node Formatting Basics
13866 @subsection Formatting Basics
13868 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
13869 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
13870 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
13872 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
13873 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
13874 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
13875 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
13876 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
13879 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
13880 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
13881 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
13882 less than 4 characters wide.
13885 @node Mode Line Formatting
13886 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
13888 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
13889 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
13890 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
13891 with the following two differences:
13896 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
13899 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
13900 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
13901 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
13902 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
13903 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
13904 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
13905 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
13910 @node Advanced Formatting
13911 @subsection Advanced Formatting
13913 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
13914 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
13915 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
13916 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
13918 These are the valid modifiers:
13923 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
13927 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
13932 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
13935 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
13940 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
13943 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
13946 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
13949 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
13953 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
13954 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
13955 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
13956 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
13957 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
13958 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
13959 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
13961 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
13962 last operation, padding.
13964 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
13965 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
13966 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
13967 @xref{Compilation}.
13970 @node User-Defined Specs
13971 @subsection User-Defined Specs
13973 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
13974 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
13975 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
13976 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
13977 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
13978 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
13979 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
13980 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
13981 should protect against that.
13983 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
13984 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
13985 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
13986 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
13990 @node Formatting Fonts
13991 @subsection Formatting Fonts
13993 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
13994 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
13995 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
13996 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
13999 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
14000 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
14001 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
14002 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
14003 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
14004 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
14006 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
14009 ;; Create three face types.
14010 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
14011 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
14013 ;; We want the article count to be in
14014 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
14015 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
14016 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
14018 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
14019 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
14021 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
14022 (setq gnus-group-line-format
14023 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
14026 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
14027 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
14029 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
14030 mode-line variables.
14033 @node Windows Configuration
14034 @section Windows Configuration
14035 @cindex windows configuration
14037 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
14039 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
14040 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
14041 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
14042 @code{t} by default.
14044 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
14045 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
14046 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
14049 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
14050 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
14051 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
14055 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
14056 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
14057 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
14058 possible names is listed below.
14060 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
14061 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
14064 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
14068 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
14069 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
14070 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
14071 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
14072 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
14073 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
14074 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
14075 size spec per split.
14077 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
14078 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
14079 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
14080 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
14081 present) gets focus.
14083 Here's a more complicated example:
14086 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
14087 (summary 0.25 point)
14088 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
14092 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
14093 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
14094 occupy, not a percentage.
14096 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
14097 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
14098 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
14099 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
14100 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
14103 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
14106 (article (horizontal 1.0
14111 (summary 0.25 point)
14116 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
14117 @code{horizontal} thingie?
14119 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
14120 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
14121 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
14122 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
14123 the screen is to be given to this strip.
14125 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
14126 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
14127 lines from the splits.
14129 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
14133 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
14134 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
14135 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
14136 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
14137 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
14138 size = number | frame-params
14139 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
14142 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
14143 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
14144 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
14145 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
14147 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
14148 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
14149 @cindex window height
14150 @cindex window width
14151 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
14152 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
14153 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
14154 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
14155 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
14156 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
14158 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
14159 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
14160 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
14161 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
14163 @findex gnus-configure-frame
14164 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
14165 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
14166 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
14167 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
14168 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
14169 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
14170 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
14171 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
14172 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
14173 configuration list.
14176 (gnus-configure-frame
14180 (article 0.3 point))
14188 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
14189 @code{frame} split:
14192 (gnus-configure-frame
14195 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
14197 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
14198 (user-position . t)
14199 (left . -1) (top . 1))
14204 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
14205 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
14206 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
14207 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
14208 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
14209 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
14210 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
14211 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
14214 Here's a list of all possible keys for
14215 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
14217 @code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
14218 @code{browse}, @code{message}, @code{pick}, @code{info},
14219 @code{summary-faq}, @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server},
14220 @code{edit-score}, @code{post}, @code{reply}, @code{forward},
14221 @code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft}, @code{pipe},
14222 @code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}, and @code{score-trace}.
14224 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
14225 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
14226 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
14230 (message (horizontal 1.0
14231 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
14233 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
14238 @findex gnus-add-configuration
14239 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
14240 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
14241 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
14242 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
14245 (gnus-add-configuration
14246 '(article (vertical 1.0
14248 (summary .25 point)
14252 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
14253 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
14254 Gnus has been loaded.
14256 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
14257 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
14258 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
14259 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
14260 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
14263 @node Faces and Fonts
14264 @section Faces and Fonts
14269 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
14270 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
14271 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
14276 @section Compilation
14277 @cindex compilation
14278 @cindex byte-compilation
14280 @findex gnus-compile
14282 Remember all those line format specification variables?
14283 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
14284 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
14285 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
14286 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
14287 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
14290 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
14291 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
14292 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
14293 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
14294 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
14295 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
14296 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
14300 @section Mode Lines
14303 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
14304 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
14305 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
14306 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
14307 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
14308 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
14309 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
14312 @cindex display-time
14314 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
14315 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
14316 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
14317 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
14318 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
14319 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
14320 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
14321 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
14324 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
14326 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
14327 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
14329 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
14330 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
14331 (length display-time-string)))))
14334 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
14335 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
14336 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
14337 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
14338 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
14341 @node Highlighting and Menus
14342 @section Highlighting and Menus
14344 @cindex highlighting
14347 @vindex gnus-visual
14348 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
14349 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
14350 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
14353 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
14354 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
14357 @item group-highlight
14358 Do highlights in the group buffer.
14359 @item summary-highlight
14360 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
14361 @item article-highlight
14362 Do highlights in the article buffer.
14364 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
14366 Create menus in the group buffer.
14368 Create menus in the summary buffers.
14370 Create menus in the article buffer.
14372 Create menus in the browse buffer.
14374 Create menus in the server buffer.
14376 Create menus in the score buffers.
14378 Create menus in all buffers.
14381 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
14382 buffers, you could say something like:
14385 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
14388 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
14391 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
14394 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
14395 in all Gnus buffers.
14397 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
14400 @item gnus-mouse-face
14401 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
14402 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
14403 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
14407 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
14411 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
14412 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
14413 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
14415 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
14416 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
14417 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
14419 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
14420 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
14421 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
14423 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
14424 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
14425 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
14427 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
14428 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
14429 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
14431 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
14432 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
14433 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
14444 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
14445 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
14446 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
14447 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
14448 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
14452 @vindex gnus-carpal
14453 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
14454 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
14455 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
14460 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
14461 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
14462 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
14464 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
14465 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
14466 Face used on buttons.
14468 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
14469 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
14470 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
14472 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
14473 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
14474 Buttons in the group buffer.
14476 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
14477 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
14478 Buttons in the summary buffer.
14480 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
14481 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
14482 Buttons in the server buffer.
14484 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
14485 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
14486 Buttons in the browse buffer.
14489 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
14490 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
14491 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
14499 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
14500 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
14501 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
14502 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
14503 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
14505 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
14506 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
14507 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
14509 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
14510 been idle for thirty minutes:
14513 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
14516 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
14520 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
14523 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
14524 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
14525 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
14527 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
14528 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
14529 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
14530 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
14532 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
14533 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
14534 @var{idle} minutes.
14536 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
14537 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
14540 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
14541 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
14542 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
14544 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
14545 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
14546 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
14547 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
14549 @vindex gnus-use-demon
14550 To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
14551 @code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
14553 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
14554 your @file{.gnus} file:
14556 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
14558 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
14561 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
14562 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
14563 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
14564 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
14565 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
14566 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
14567 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
14568 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
14569 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
14570 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
14571 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
14573 @findex gnus-demon-init
14574 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
14575 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
14576 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
14577 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
14578 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
14580 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
14581 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
14582 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
14591 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
14592 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
14594 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
14595 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
14596 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
14597 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
14600 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
14601 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
14602 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
14603 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
14605 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
14606 this will make spam disappear.
14608 There are some variables to customize, of course:
14611 @item gnus-use-nocem
14612 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
14613 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
14616 @item gnus-nocem-groups
14617 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
14618 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
14619 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
14620 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
14622 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
14623 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
14624 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
14625 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
14626 "rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
14627 "jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
14628 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
14630 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
14633 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
14634 @cindex Chris Lewis
14635 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
14636 usenet abuse than anybody else.
14639 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
14640 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
14641 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
14643 @item jem@@xpat.com;
14645 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
14648 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
14649 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
14650 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
14653 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
14654 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
14655 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
14656 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
14657 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
14658 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
14659 @var{(issuer conditions ...)} elements in the list. Each condition is
14660 either a string (which is a regexp that matches types you want to use)
14661 or a list on the form @code{(not STRING)}, where @var{string} is a
14662 regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
14664 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
14665 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
14668 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
14671 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
14672 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
14675 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
14678 The specs are applied left-to-right.
14681 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
14682 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
14684 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
14685 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
14686 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
14687 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
14689 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
14690 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
14693 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
14695 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
14703 This might be dangerous, though.
14705 @item gnus-nocem-directory
14706 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
14707 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
14708 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
14710 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
14711 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
14712 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
14713 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
14714 might then see old spam.
14718 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
14719 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
14720 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
14721 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
14728 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
14729 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
14730 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
14732 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
14733 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
14734 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
14735 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
14736 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
14737 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
14738 @code{undo} function.
14740 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
14741 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
14742 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
14743 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
14744 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
14745 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
14746 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
14747 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
14748 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
14749 never be totally undoable.
14751 @findex gnus-undo-mode
14752 @vindex gnus-use-undo
14754 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
14755 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
14756 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
14757 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
14762 @section Moderation
14765 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
14766 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
14767 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
14770 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
14774 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
14777 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
14779 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
14784 You split your incoming mail by matching on
14785 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
14786 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
14789 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
14790 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
14793 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
14794 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
14798 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
14801 (setq gnus-moderated-list
14802 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
14806 @node XEmacs Enhancements
14807 @section XEmacs Enhancements
14810 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
14814 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
14815 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
14816 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
14817 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
14830 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
14831 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
14832 over your shoulder as you read news.
14835 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
14836 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
14837 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
14838 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
14839 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
14844 @subsubsection Picon Basics
14846 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
14855 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
14856 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
14857 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
14858 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
14859 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
14860 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
14861 @code{GIF} formats.
14864 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
14865 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
14866 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
14867 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
14868 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
14870 @vindex gnus-picons-database
14871 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
14872 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
14873 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
14874 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
14875 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
14878 @node Picon Requirements
14879 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
14881 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
14882 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
14885 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
14886 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
14887 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
14889 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
14890 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
14891 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
14892 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
14893 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
14897 @subsubsection Easy Picons
14899 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
14900 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
14903 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
14904 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
14905 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
14906 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
14907 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
14910 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
14911 containing the Picons databases.
14913 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
14916 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
14917 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
14922 @subsubsection Hard Picons
14930 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
14931 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
14932 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
14933 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
14934 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
14939 @item gnus-picons-database
14940 @vindex gnus-picons-database
14941 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
14942 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
14943 subdirectories. This is only useful if
14944 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
14945 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
14947 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
14948 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
14949 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
14950 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
14951 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
14952 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
14953 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
14955 @item gnus-picons-display-where
14956 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
14957 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
14958 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
14959 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
14960 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
14961 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
14962 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
14964 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
14965 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
14966 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
14971 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
14972 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
14974 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
14975 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
14978 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
14979 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
14981 @item gnus-article-display-picons
14982 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
14983 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
14984 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to the
14985 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
14987 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
14988 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
14989 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
14990 should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
14994 Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
14995 for the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
14998 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
15002 @node Picon Useless Configuration
15003 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
15011 The following variables offer further control over how things are
15012 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
15013 don't need to worry about.
15017 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
15018 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
15019 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
15020 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
15022 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
15023 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
15024 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
15025 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
15027 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
15028 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
15029 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
15030 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
15031 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
15033 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
15034 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
15035 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
15036 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
15037 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
15038 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
15039 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
15041 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
15042 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
15043 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
15044 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
15046 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
15047 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
15048 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
15049 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
15050 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
15051 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
15052 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
15054 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
15055 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
15056 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
15057 Defaults to @code{nil}.
15059 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
15060 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
15061 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
15062 Defaults to @code{t}.
15064 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
15065 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
15066 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
15067 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
15069 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
15070 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
15071 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
15072 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
15074 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
15075 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
15076 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
15077 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
15078 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
15079 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
15080 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
15081 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
15092 @subsection Smileys
15097 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
15102 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
15103 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
15105 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
15106 @file{.gnus.el} file:
15109 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-smiley-display t)
15112 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
15113 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
15114 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
15115 text and maps that to file names.
15117 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
15118 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
15119 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
15120 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
15121 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
15122 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
15124 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
15125 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
15127 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
15128 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
15129 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
15131 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
15132 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
15136 @item smiley-data-directory
15137 @vindex smiley-data-directory
15138 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
15140 @item smiley-flesh-color
15141 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
15142 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
15144 @item smiley-features-color
15145 @vindex smiley-features-color
15146 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
15148 @item smiley-tongue-color
15149 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
15150 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
15152 @item smiley-circle-color
15153 @vindex smiley-circle-color
15154 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
15156 @item smiley-mouse-face
15157 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
15158 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
15164 @subsection Toolbar
15174 @item gnus-use-toolbar
15175 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
15176 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
15177 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
15178 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
15180 @item gnus-group-toolbar
15181 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
15182 The toolbar in the group buffer.
15184 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
15185 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
15186 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
15188 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
15189 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
15190 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
15196 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
15199 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
15200 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
15201 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
15202 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
15203 unusual directory structure.
15205 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
15206 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
15207 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
15208 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
15210 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
15211 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
15212 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
15213 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
15214 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
15215 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
15217 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
15218 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
15219 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
15233 @node Fuzzy Matching
15234 @section Fuzzy Matching
15235 @cindex fuzzy matching
15237 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
15238 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
15240 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
15241 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
15242 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
15244 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
15245 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
15246 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
15247 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
15248 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
15251 @node Thwarting Email Spam
15252 @section Thwarting Email Spam
15256 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
15258 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
15259 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
15260 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
15261 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
15262 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
15263 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
15264 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
15265 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
15268 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
15269 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
15270 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
15271 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
15272 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
15273 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
15277 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
15278 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
15280 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
15281 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
15282 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
15283 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
15284 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
15285 part of the mail address.)
15288 (setq message-default-news-headers
15289 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
15292 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
15293 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
15298 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
15299 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
15300 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
15306 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
15307 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
15308 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
15309 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
15311 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
15312 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
15313 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
15314 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
15315 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
15316 your fancy split rule in this way:
15321 (to "larsi" "misc")
15325 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
15326 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
15327 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
15328 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
15329 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
15331 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
15332 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
15333 at @* @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
15334 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
15335 cosmic balance somewhat.
15337 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
15338 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
15339 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
15340 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
15343 @node Various Various
15344 @section Various Various
15350 @item gnus-home-directory
15351 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
15352 defaults to @file{~/}.
15354 @item gnus-directory
15355 @vindex gnus-directory
15356 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
15357 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
15358 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
15360 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
15361 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
15362 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
15363 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
15365 @item gnus-default-directory
15366 @vindex gnus-default-directory
15367 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
15368 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
15369 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
15370 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15371 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
15372 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
15375 @vindex gnus-verbose
15376 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
15377 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
15378 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
15379 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
15380 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
15382 @item gnus-verbose-backends
15383 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
15384 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
15385 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
15387 @item nnheader-max-head-length
15388 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
15389 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
15390 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
15391 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
15392 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
15393 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
15394 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
15395 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
15396 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
15398 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
15399 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
15400 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
15401 read when doing the operation described above.
15403 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15404 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15406 @cindex invalid characters in file names
15407 @cindex characters in file names
15408 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
15409 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
15410 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
15413 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15417 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
15418 Windows (phooey) systems.
15420 @item gnus-hidden-properties
15421 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
15422 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
15423 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
15424 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
15426 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
15427 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
15428 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
15429 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
15430 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
15432 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
15433 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
15434 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
15443 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
15444 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
15446 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
15448 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
15454 Not because of victories @*
15457 but for the common sunshine,@*
15459 the largess of the spring.
15463 but for the day's work done@*
15464 as well as I was able;@*
15465 not for a seat upon the dais@*
15466 but at the common table.@*
15471 @chapter Appendices
15474 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
15475 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
15476 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
15477 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
15478 * A Programmers Guide to Gnus:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
15479 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
15480 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
15488 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
15489 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
15491 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
15492 can point your (feh!) web browser to
15493 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
15494 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
15495 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
15497 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
15498 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
15499 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
15500 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
15501 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
15502 appropriate name, don't you think?)
15504 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
15505 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
15506 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
15507 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
15509 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
15510 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
15511 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
15513 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
15514 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
15516 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
15517 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
15519 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37
15520 releases. If was released as ``Gnus 5.6 on March 8th 1998.
15522 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
15523 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
15524 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
15525 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
15526 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
15530 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
15531 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
15532 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
15533 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
15534 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
15535 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
15536 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
15543 What's the point of Gnus?
15545 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
15546 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
15547 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
15548 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
15549 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
15550 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
15551 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
15552 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
15553 keep track of millions of people who post?
15555 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
15556 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
15557 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
15558 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
15559 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
15560 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
15561 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
15562 every one of you to explore and invent.
15564 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
15565 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
15568 @node Compatibility
15569 @subsection Compatibility
15571 @cindex compatibility
15572 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
15573 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
15574 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
15579 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
15583 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
15586 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
15589 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
15590 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
15591 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
15592 important variables have their values copied into their global
15593 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
15594 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
15596 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
15597 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
15598 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
15599 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
15600 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
15604 @cindex highlighting
15605 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
15606 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
15607 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
15608 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
15609 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
15610 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
15613 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
15614 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
15615 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
15616 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
15618 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
15619 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
15620 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
15621 to stop doing it the old way.
15623 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
15625 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
15627 @cindex reporting bugs
15629 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
15630 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
15631 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
15633 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
15634 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
15635 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
15636 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
15641 @subsection Conformity
15643 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
15644 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
15651 There are no known breaches of this standard.
15655 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
15657 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
15658 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
15659 We do have some breaches to this one.
15664 Gnus does no MIME handling, and this standard-to-be seems to think that
15665 MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
15668 This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
15669 consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
15670 coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
15671 those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
15672 for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
15677 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
15678 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
15683 @subsection Emacsen
15689 Gnus should work on :
15694 Emacs 19.32 and up.
15697 XEmacs 19.14 and up.
15700 Mule versions based on Emacs 19.32 and up.
15704 Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
15705 reliably, at least.
15707 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
15708 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
15709 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
15714 @subsection Contributors
15715 @cindex contributors
15717 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
15718 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
15719 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
15720 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
15721 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
15722 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
15723 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
15724 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
15725 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
15726 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
15728 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
15734 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
15737 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
15738 well as numerous other things).
15741 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
15744 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
15747 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
15748 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
15751 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
15754 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
15755 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
15758 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
15761 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
15764 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
15767 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
15770 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
15771 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
15774 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
15777 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
15780 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
15783 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
15787 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
15790 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
15793 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
15796 Fran
\e,Ag
\e(Bois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
15797 well as autoconf support.
15801 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
15802 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
15804 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
15809 David K
\e,Ae
\e(Bgedal,
15813 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
15817 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
15839 Massimo Campostrini,
15847 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
15853 Michael Welsh Duggan,
15856 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
15860 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
15866 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
15868 Michelangelo Grigni,
15871 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
15873 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
15875 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
15880 Fran
\e,Ag
\e(Bois Felix Ingrand,
15881 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
15883 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
15892 Peter Skov Knudsen,
15893 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
15894 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
15895 Thor Kristoffersen,
15898 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
15915 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
15916 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
15923 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
15927 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
15930 John McClary Prevost,
15936 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
15941 Christian von Roques,
15943 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
15949 Philippe Schnoebelen,
15951 Randal L. Schwartz,
15980 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
15982 Shenghuo Zhu. @c Zhu
15984 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
15985 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
15986 (550kB and counting).
15988 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
15991 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
15992 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
15996 @subsection New Features
15997 @cindex new features
16000 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
16001 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
16002 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
16003 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
16006 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
16007 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
16008 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
16012 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
16014 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
16019 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
16020 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
16023 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
16024 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
16027 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
16030 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
16031 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
16032 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
16035 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
16036 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
16037 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
16038 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
16041 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
16042 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16045 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
16046 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
16047 (@pxref{The Active File}).
16050 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
16051 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
16054 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
16055 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
16056 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
16059 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
16060 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
16061 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
16064 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
16065 the @file{.emacs} file.
16068 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
16069 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16072 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
16073 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
16076 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
16077 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16080 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
16081 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
16084 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
16085 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
16088 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
16091 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
16092 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
16095 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
16096 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
16099 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
16100 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
16103 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
16106 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
16107 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
16110 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
16114 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
16118 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
16119 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
16122 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
16128 @node September Gnus
16129 @subsubsection September Gnus
16133 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
16137 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
16142 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
16143 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
16147 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
16148 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
16152 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
16156 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
16157 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
16160 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
16164 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
16167 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
16170 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
16173 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
16177 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
16178 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
16181 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
16185 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
16189 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
16193 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
16197 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
16200 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
16201 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
16204 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
16208 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
16209 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
16212 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
16215 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
16216 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
16217 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
16220 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
16224 The Gnus cache is much faster.
16227 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
16231 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
16232 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
16235 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
16236 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
16239 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
16240 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
16243 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
16244 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
16245 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
16248 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
16249 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
16252 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
16255 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
16258 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
16259 'gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head)
16263 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
16266 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
16269 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
16270 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
16273 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
16277 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
16280 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
16285 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
16288 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
16292 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16295 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
16299 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
16302 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
16305 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
16306 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
16309 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
16310 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
16314 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
16315 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
16318 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
16322 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
16323 buffer to allow easier treatment.
16326 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
16329 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
16333 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
16337 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
16338 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
16341 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
16345 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
16346 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
16349 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
16350 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
16353 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
16357 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
16360 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
16361 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers t)
16365 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
16368 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
16374 @subsubsection Red Gnus
16376 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
16380 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
16387 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
16390 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
16391 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
16394 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
16395 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
16399 Article washing status can be displayed in the
16400 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
16403 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
16406 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
16407 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
16410 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
16414 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
16415 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
16419 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
16420 Server Internals}).
16423 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
16427 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
16430 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
16431 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
16434 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
16435 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
16436 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
16439 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
16440 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
16443 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
16444 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
16447 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
16451 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
16452 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
16455 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
16456 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
16459 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
16463 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
16466 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
16470 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
16471 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
16474 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
16475 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
16478 A new command for reading collections of documents
16479 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
16480 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
16483 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
16487 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
16488 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
16491 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
16492 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
16493 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
16496 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
16497 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
16501 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
16505 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
16509 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
16514 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
16518 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
16522 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
16523 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
16526 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
16529 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
16530 'gnus-article-emphasize)
16537 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
16539 New features in Gnus 5.6:
16544 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
16545 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
16546 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
16549 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
16550 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
16551 group, which is created automatically.
16554 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
16558 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
16561 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
16562 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
16565 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
16569 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
16572 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
16573 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
16576 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
16579 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
16580 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
16583 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
16584 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
16587 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
16588 control over simplification.
16591 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
16594 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
16598 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
16601 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16604 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
16605 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
16606 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
16609 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
16610 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
16613 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
16617 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
16618 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
16621 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
16622 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
16625 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
16629 A history of where mails have been split is available.
16632 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
16635 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
16636 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
16639 A new function for citing in Message has been
16640 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
16643 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
16646 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
16650 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
16651 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
16654 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
16655 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
16658 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
16661 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
16666 @node Newest Features
16667 @subsection Newest Features
16670 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
16673 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
16675 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
16676 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
16679 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
16684 Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
16687 Really do unbinhexing.
16690 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
16691 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
16694 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
16697 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
16700 facep is not declared.
16703 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
16704 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
16707 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
16712 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
16713 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
16714 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
16715 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
16716 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
16717 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
16718 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
16723 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
16726 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
16729 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
16731 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
16732 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
16734 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
16736 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
16738 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
16739 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
16741 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
16743 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
16744 be marked as unread.
16746 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
16748 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
16750 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
16751 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
16753 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
16755 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
16757 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
16758 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
16760 topics that contain just groups with ticked
16761 articles aren't displayed.
16763 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
16765 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
16766 make the mail groups killed.
16768 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
16770 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
16771 and articles have to be removed.
16773 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
16776 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
16778 finding short score file names takes forever.
16780 canceling articles in foreign groups.
16782 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
16784 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
16786 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
16788 nnweb doesn't work properly.
16790 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
16792 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
16793 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
16797 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
16799 really unbinhex binhex files.
16801 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
16802 bar and the Gnus bar.
16805 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
16806 `(canonize-message-id id)'
16807 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
16808 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
16809 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
16810 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
16815 nnml .overview directory with splits.
16819 postponed commands.
16821 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
16823 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
16826 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
16827 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
16829 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
16830 inherit copy prompts and save files.
16832 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
16834 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
16835 for backends that support that.
16837 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
16839 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
16840 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
16842 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
16843 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
16845 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
16847 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
16849 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
16851 server mode command: close/open all connections
16853 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
16854 has been changed before using it.
16856 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
16858 hide (sub)threads with low score.
16860 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
16862 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
16864 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
16865 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
16867 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
16868 contain groups that match a regexp.
16870 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
16873 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
16876 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
16877 from subject lines.
16879 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
16881 nntp-ping-before-connect
16883 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
16885 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
16886 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
16888 message annotations.
16890 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
16892 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
16893 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
16895 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
16900 support qmail maildir spools
16902 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
16904 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
16906 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
16908 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
16909 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
16911 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
16913 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
16915 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
16916 finds and generate proper active ranges.
16918 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
16919 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
16921 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
16923 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
16925 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
16926 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
16928 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
16930 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
16932 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
16933 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
16936 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
16938 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
16940 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
16941 `C-c C-c' when posting.
16943 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
16946 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
16947 should be marker as expirable.
16949 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
16951 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
16952 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
16954 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
16955 Also consult Date headers.
16957 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
16959 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
16961 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
16962 Message-ID, delete the "original".
16964 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
16965 into a See-Also header.
16967 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
16969 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
16971 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
16972 should be listed as such and not as "K".
16974 generate font names dynamically.
16976 score file mode auto-alist.
16978 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
16979 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
16981 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
16982 absolutely all headers there is.
16984 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
16985 and pipe them to the process.
16987 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
16988 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
16989 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
16991 function for starting to edit a file to put into
16992 the current mail group.
16994 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
16996 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
16997 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
16999 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
17000 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
17002 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
17004 when replying to several process-marked articles,
17005 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
17007 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
17008 groups it has been mailed to.
17010 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
17012 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
17014 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
17016 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
17017 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
17019 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
17020 newlines) should be ignored.
17022 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
17023 groups in subtopics as well.
17025 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
17027 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
17030 add edit and forward secondary marks.
17032 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
17034 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
17036 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
17038 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
17040 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
17042 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
17043 or the formatted article.
17045 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
17047 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
17048 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
17050 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
17052 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
17054 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
17056 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
17057 even unread articles.
17059 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
17061 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
17063 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
17065 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
17067 canceling articles in foreign groups.
17069 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
17072 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
17073 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
17075 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
17076 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
17078 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
17080 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
17082 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
17083 from a particular server? Hm.
17085 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
17086 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
17088 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
17090 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
17091 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
17093 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
17094 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
17096 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
17097 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
17098 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
17101 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
17102 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
17104 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
17106 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
17108 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
17110 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
17113 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
17116 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
17117 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
17119 command to show and edit group scores
17121 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
17124 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
17126 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
17128 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
17129 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
17132 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
17133 that are of that length.
17135 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
17137 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
17139 asynchronous posting under nntp.
17141 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
17143 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
17145 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
17147 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
17148 a score lower than this number.
17150 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
17152 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
17154 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
17155 so that each copy can be edited separately.
17157 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
17159 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
17160 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
17162 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
17165 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
17166 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
17167 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
17168 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
17170 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
17173 command to remove all topic stuff.
17175 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
17176 and splitting the resulting digests.
17178 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
17180 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
17182 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
17183 matches an alist -- before saving.
17185 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
17187 variable to activate each group before entering them
17188 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
17190 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
17191 starting Gnus first if necessary.
17193 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
17194 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
17196 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
17198 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
17199 of several groups at once.
17201 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
17202 matches some regexp(s).
17204 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
17206 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
17208 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
17210 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
17212 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
17214 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
17216 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
17218 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
17219 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
17220 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
17221 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
17223 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
17224 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
17226 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
17228 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
17229 recently cited text.
17231 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
17233 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
17236 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
17237 server and just read the articles in the server
17239 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
17240 value of nnoo variables.
17242 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
17244 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
17245 listed in each group info.
17247 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
17250 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
17251 should only be applied to some groups.
17253 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
17254 mail-copies-to: never.
17256 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
17257 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
17259 the slave dribble files should autosave to the slave file names.
17261 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
17264 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
17267 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
17269 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
17272 group user-defined meta-parameters.
17276 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
17278 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
17279 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
17280 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
17281 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
17282 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
17284 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
17285 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
17292 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
17293 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
17295 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
17296 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
17298 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
17299 "Return the date the group was last read."
17300 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
17305 tanken var at n
\e,Ae
\e(Br du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til ilete
17306 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den v
\e,Af
\e(Bre en
17307 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
17308 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
17312 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
17313 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
17315 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
17318 They could be used like this:
17322 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
17323 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
17324 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
17326 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
17328 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
17331 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
17334 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
17335 affect the summary line format.
17339 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
17341 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
17342 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
17344 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
17347 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
17349 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
17351 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
17353 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
17355 - For other files, just find them normally.
17357 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
17358 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
17361 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
17362 tell him what you are doing.
17365 Currently, I get prompted:
17369 decend into sci.something ?
17373 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
17374 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
17375 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
17376 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
17379 Ja, det burde v
\e,Af
\e(Bre en m
\e,Ae
\e(Bte
\e,Ae
\e(B si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
17380 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? S
\e,Ae
\e(B kunne score-regler legges til den
17381 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
17382 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
17385 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
17386 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
17392 more than n blank lines
17394 more than m identical lines
17395 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
17397 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
17401 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
17402 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
17403 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
17404 "same" subject for threading purposes.
17407 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
17408 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
17409 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
17410 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
17413 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
17416 soup - bowl of soup
17417 score below - dim light bulb
17418 score over - bright light bulb
17421 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
17426 show-list-of-articles-in-group
17427 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
17428 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
17429 if (articles-selected)
17430 start-reading-selected-articles;
17431 junk-unread-articles;
17436 else if (key-pressed = '.')
17437 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
17438 select-thread-under-cursor;
17440 select-article-under-cursor;
17444 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
17445 if (more-pages-in-article)
17447 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
17454 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
17455 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
17456 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
17459 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
17460 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
17461 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
17462 the wildcard expression).
17465 It would be nice if it also handled
17467 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
17469 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
17474 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
17475 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
17476 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
17477 article versions) variable.
17479 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
17481 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
17482 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
17486 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
17489 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
17490 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
17491 (message-sent-hook).
17493 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
17496 * Enhancements to Gnus:
17500 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
17501 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
17504 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
17505 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
17506 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
17509 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
17510 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
17514 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
17517 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
17521 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
17522 the nnmail duplicate checking.
17525 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
17526 value of the signature file.
17529 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
17530 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
17533 (setq message-tab-alist
17534 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
17535 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
17537 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
17541 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
17544 a command to import a buffer into a group.
17547 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
17550 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
17551 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
17554 a command to process mark all unread articles.
17557 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
17558 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
17559 do more gathering by subject.
17562 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
17563 article numerical order.
17566 (gnus-thread-total-score
17567 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
17571 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
17574 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
17575 in the summary buffer.
17578 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
17579 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
17582 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
17583 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
17584 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
17585 and/or newsgroup name.
17588 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
17591 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
17594 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
17597 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
17598 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
17599 will automatically get the process mark.
17602 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
17603 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
17604 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
17607 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
17611 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
17612 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
17615 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
17616 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
17620 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
17621 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
17624 be able to post via DejaNews.
17627 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
17630 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
17631 allow them to be displayed separately.
17634 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
17635 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
17638 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
17639 articles that match a certain From header.
17642 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
17643 saving living summary buffers.
17646 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
17647 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
17650 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
17651 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
17654 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
17655 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
17658 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
17659 (goto-char (point-min))
17660 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
17661 (replace-match "`" t t))
17662 (goto-char (point-min))
17663 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
17664 (replace-match "'" t t))
17665 (goto-char (point-min))
17666 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
17667 (replace-match "\"" t t))
17668 (goto-char (point-min))
17669 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
17670 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
17675 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
17677 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
17678 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
17679 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
17680 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
17684 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
17687 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
17688 numbers and match on the age of the article.
17692 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
17693 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
17694 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
17696 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
17697 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
17699 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
17700 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
17705 all commands that react to the process mark should push
17706 the current process mark set onto the stack.
17709 gnus-article-hide-pgp
17710 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt islette den dersom teksten matcher
17712 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
17714 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
17715 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
17718 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
17719 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
17722 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
17726 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
17727 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
17730 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
17733 nndraft-request-group should tally autosave files.
17736 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
17739 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
17743 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
17749 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
17752 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
17756 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
17757 X characters in the body.
17760 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
17763 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
17766 format spec to "tab" to a position.
17769 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
17772 command to display all dormant articles.
17775 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
17778 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
17779 to something someone else has said.
17782 Read Netscape discussion groups:
17783 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
17786 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
17787 the displayed version.
17790 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
17794 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
17797 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
17798 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
17799 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
17803 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
17804 in the head or body.
17807 Allow breaking lengthy NNTP commands.
17810 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
17813 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
17814 in a special, unique buffer.
17817 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
17820 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
17821 is less than a certain number of days old.
17824 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
17827 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
17830 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
17831 file, for instance.
17834 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
17835 in any other dummy thread will make gnus highlight the
17836 dummy root instead of the first article.
17839 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
17840 topics for displaying.
17843 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
17844 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
17847 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
17850 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
17851 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
17852 summary buffer for each article.
17855 Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
17858 Group parameters and summary commands for un/subscribing to mailing
17862 Introduce nnmail-home-directory.
17865 gnus-fetch-group and friends should exit Gnus when the user
17869 Solve the halting problem.
17878 @section The Manual
17882 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
17883 either @code{texi2dvi}
17885 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
17886 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
17888 to get what you hold in your hands now.
17890 The following conventions have been used:
17895 This is a @samp{string}
17898 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
17901 This is a @file{file}
17904 This is a @code{symbol}
17908 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
17912 (setq flargnoze "yes")
17915 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
17918 (setq flumphel 'yes)
17921 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
17922 ever get them confused.
17926 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
17927 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
17928 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
17929 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
17930 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
17931 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
17932 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
17940 @section Terminology
17942 @cindex terminology
17947 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
17948 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
17949 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
17950 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
17951 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
17955 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
17956 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
17957 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
17958 not posting, and replying is not following up.
17962 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
17966 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
17971 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
17972 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
17973 is all done by the backends.
17977 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
17978 default, way of getting news.
17982 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
17983 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
17988 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
17989 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
17993 A message that has been posted as news.
17996 @cindex mail message
17997 A message that has been mailed.
18001 A mail message or news article
18005 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
18010 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
18015 A line from the head of an article.
18019 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
18020 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
18024 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
18025 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
18026 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
18027 normal @sc{head} format.
18031 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
18032 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
18033 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
18034 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
18035 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
18036 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
18038 @item killed groups
18039 @cindex killed groups
18040 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
18041 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
18043 @item zombie groups
18044 @cindex zombie groups
18045 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
18048 @cindex active file
18049 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
18050 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
18051 is rather large, as you might surmise.
18054 @cindex bogus groups
18055 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
18056 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
18057 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
18060 @cindex activating groups
18061 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
18062 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
18063 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
18067 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
18069 @item select method
18070 @cindex select method
18071 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
18074 @item virtual server
18075 @cindex virtual server
18076 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
18077 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
18078 whole is a virtual server.
18082 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
18083 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
18086 @item ephemeral groups
18087 @cindex ephemeral groups
18088 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
18089 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
18090 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
18093 @cindex solid groups
18094 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
18095 group buffer are solid groups.
18097 @item sparse articles
18098 @cindex sparse articles
18099 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
18100 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
18104 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
18105 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
18109 @cindex thread root
18110 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
18111 articles in the thread.
18115 An article that has responses.
18119 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
18123 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
18124 specified by RFC1153.
18130 @node Customization
18131 @section Customization
18132 @cindex general customization
18134 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
18135 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
18136 for some quite common situations.
18139 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
18140 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
18141 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
18142 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
18146 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
18147 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
18149 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
18150 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
18151 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
18155 @item gnus-read-active-file
18156 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
18157 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
18158 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
18159 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
18160 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
18162 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
18163 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
18164 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
18165 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
18169 @node Slow Terminal Connection
18170 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
18172 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
18173 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
18174 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
18178 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
18179 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
18180 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
18181 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
18182 horizontal and vertical recentering.
18184 @item gnus-visible-headers
18185 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
18186 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
18187 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
18188 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
18190 @item gnus-article-display-hook
18191 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
18193 (setq gnus-article-display-hook
18194 '(gnus-article-hide-headers
18195 gnus-article-hide-signature
18196 gnus-article-hide-citation))
18199 @item gnus-use-full-window
18200 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
18201 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
18202 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
18203 want to read them anyway.
18205 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
18206 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
18209 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
18210 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
18211 lines, which might save some time.
18215 @node Little Disk Space
18216 @subsection Little Disk Space
18219 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
18220 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
18224 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
18225 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
18226 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
18227 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18230 @item gnus-save-killed-list
18231 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
18232 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
18233 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
18234 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
18240 @subsection Slow Machine
18241 @cindex slow machine
18243 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
18244 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
18246 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
18247 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
18249 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
18250 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
18251 summary buffer faster.
18253 Set @code{gnus-article-display-hook} to @code{nil} to make article
18254 processing a bit faster.
18258 @node Troubleshooting
18259 @section Troubleshooting
18260 @cindex troubleshooting
18262 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
18270 Make sure your computer is switched on.
18273 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
18274 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
18278 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
18279 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
18280 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
18281 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
18284 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
18288 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
18289 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
18290 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
18291 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
18292 something like that.
18295 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
18298 @cindex reporting bugs
18300 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
18302 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
18303 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
18304 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
18305 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
18307 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
18308 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
18309 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
18310 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
18313 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
18314 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
18315 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
18316 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
18317 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
18318 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
18320 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
18321 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
18322 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
18325 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
18326 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
18328 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
18329 @cindex ding mailing list
18330 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
18331 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
18335 @node A Programmers Guide to Gnus
18336 @section A Programmer@'s Guide to Gnus
18338 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
18339 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
18340 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
18341 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
18344 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
18345 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
18346 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
18347 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
18348 and general methods of operation.
18351 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
18352 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
18353 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
18354 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
18355 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
18356 * Group Info:: The group info format.
18357 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
18358 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
18359 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
18363 @node Gnus Utility Functions
18364 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
18365 @cindex Gnus utility functions
18366 @cindex utility functions
18368 @cindex internal variables
18370 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
18371 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
18372 Below is a list of the most common ones.
18376 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
18377 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
18378 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
18380 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
18381 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
18382 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
18384 @item gnus-group-real-name
18385 @findex gnus-group-real-name
18386 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
18389 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
18390 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
18391 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
18392 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
18394 @item gnus-get-info
18395 @findex gnus-get-info
18396 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
18398 @item gnus-group-unread
18399 @findex gnus-group-unread
18400 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
18404 @findex gnus-active
18405 The active entry for @var{group}.
18407 @item gnus-set-active
18408 @findex gnus-set-active
18409 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
18411 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
18412 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
18413 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
18416 @item gnus-continuum-version
18417 @findex gnus-continuum-version
18418 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
18419 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
18422 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
18423 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
18424 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
18426 @item gnus-news-group-p
18427 @findex gnus-news-group-p
18428 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
18430 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
18431 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
18432 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
18434 @item gnus-server-to-method
18435 @findex gnus-server-to-method
18436 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
18438 @item gnus-server-equal
18439 @findex gnus-server-equal
18440 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
18442 @item gnus-group-native-p
18443 @findex gnus-group-native-p
18444 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
18446 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
18447 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
18448 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
18450 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
18451 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
18452 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
18454 @item group-group-find-parameter
18455 @findex group-group-find-parameter
18456 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
18457 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
18459 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
18460 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
18461 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
18463 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
18464 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
18465 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
18467 @item gnus-check-backend-function
18468 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
18469 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
18470 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
18473 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
18477 @item gnus-read-method
18478 @findex gnus-read-method
18479 Prompts the user for a select method.
18484 @node Backend Interface
18485 @subsection Backend Interface
18487 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
18488 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
18489 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
18490 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
18491 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
18492 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
18494 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
18495 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
18496 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
18497 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
18498 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
18499 been opened, the function should fail.
18501 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
18502 name. Take this example:
18506 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
18507 (nntp-port-number 4324))
18510 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
18511 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
18513 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
18514 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
18515 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
18517 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
18518 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
18519 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
18521 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
18522 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
18523 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
18524 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
18525 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
18526 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
18529 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
18530 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
18531 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
18532 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
18535 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
18538 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
18541 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
18542 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
18543 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
18544 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
18545 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
18546 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
18550 @node Required Backend Functions
18551 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
18555 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
18557 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
18558 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
18559 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
18560 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
18562 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
18563 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
18564 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
18565 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
18567 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
18568 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
18569 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
18570 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
18571 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
18572 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
18573 number, do maximum fetches.
18575 Here's an example HEAD:
18578 221 1056 Article retrieved.
18579 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
18580 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
18581 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
18582 Subject: Re: Something very droll
18583 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
18584 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
18586 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
18587 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
18588 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
18592 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
18593 these in the data buffer.
18595 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
18599 head = error / valid-head
18600 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
18601 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
18602 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
18603 header = <text> eol
18606 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
18607 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
18611 nov-buffer = *nov-line
18612 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
18613 field = <text except TAB>
18616 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
18620 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
18622 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
18623 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
18625 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
18626 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
18627 server. In fact, it should do so.
18629 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
18630 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
18633 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
18635 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
18636 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
18639 There should be no data returned.
18642 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
18644 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
18645 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
18646 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
18647 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
18649 There should be no data returned.
18652 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
18654 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
18655 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
18656 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
18657 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
18659 There should be no data returned.
18662 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
18664 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
18666 There should be no data returned.
18669 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
18671 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
18672 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
18673 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
18674 it would be nice if that were possible.
18676 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
18677 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
18678 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
18679 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
18680 into its article buffer.
18682 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
18683 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
18684 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
18685 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
18686 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
18687 on successful article retrieval.
18690 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
18692 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
18693 making @var{group} the current group.
18695 If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
18698 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
18701 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
18704 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
18705 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
18706 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
18707 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
18708 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
18709 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
18710 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
18711 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
18714 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
18715 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
18716 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
18720 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
18722 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
18723 a no-op on most backends.
18725 There should be no data returned.
18728 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
18730 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
18733 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
18736 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
18737 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
18740 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
18741 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
18744 active-file = *active-line
18745 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
18747 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
18750 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
18751 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
18752 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
18755 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
18757 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
18758 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
18759 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
18760 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
18761 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
18762 clear if the posting could not be completed.
18764 There should be no result data from this function.
18769 @node Optional Backend Functions
18770 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
18774 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
18776 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
18777 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
18778 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
18780 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
18781 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
18782 former is in the same format as the data from
18783 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
18784 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
18787 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
18791 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
18793 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
18794 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
18795 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
18796 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
18797 should return the (altered) group info.
18799 There should be no result data from this function.
18802 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
18804 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
18805 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
18806 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
18807 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
18808 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
18809 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
18810 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
18811 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
18813 There should be no result data from this function.
18816 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
18818 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
18819 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
18820 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
18821 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
18822 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
18824 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
18825 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
18826 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
18829 There should be no result data from this function.
18832 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
18834 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
18835 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
18836 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
18837 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
18838 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
18839 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
18840 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
18842 There should be no result data from this function.
18845 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
18847 The result data from this function should be a description of
18851 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
18853 description = <text>
18856 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
18858 The result data from this function should be the description of all
18859 groups available on the server.
18862 description-buffer = *description-line
18866 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
18868 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
18869 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
18870 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
18873 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
18875 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
18877 There should be no return data.
18880 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
18882 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
18883 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
18884 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
18885 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
18886 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
18889 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
18892 There should be no result data returned.
18895 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
18898 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
18899 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
18901 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
18902 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
18903 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
18904 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
18905 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
18906 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
18908 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
18909 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
18912 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
18913 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
18915 There should be no data returned.
18918 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
18920 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
18921 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
18922 this function in short order.
18924 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
18925 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
18927 There should be no data returned.
18930 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
18932 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
18933 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
18935 There should be no data returned.
18938 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
18940 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
18941 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
18942 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
18944 There should be no data returned.
18947 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
18949 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
18950 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
18952 There should be no data returned.
18957 @node Error Messaging
18958 @subsubsection Error Messaging
18960 @findex nnheader-report
18961 @findex nnheader-get-report
18962 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
18963 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
18964 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
18965 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
18966 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
18967 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
18970 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
18972 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
18975 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
18976 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
18977 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
18978 takes one argument---the server symbol.
18980 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
18981 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
18982 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
18985 @node Writing New Backends
18986 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
18988 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
18989 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
18990 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
18991 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
18992 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
18995 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
18996 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
18997 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
18999 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
19000 package called @code{nnoo}.
19002 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
19003 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
19009 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
19010 parameters. For instance:
19013 (nnoo-declare nndir
19017 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
19018 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
19021 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
19022 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
19023 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
19025 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
19026 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
19027 a function in those backends.
19030 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
19031 "Where nndir will look for groups."
19032 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
19035 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
19036 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
19037 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
19039 @item nnoo-define-basics
19040 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
19044 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
19048 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
19049 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
19050 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
19052 @item nnoo-map-functions
19053 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
19054 functions from the parent backends.
19057 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
19058 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19059 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
19062 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
19063 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
19064 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
19065 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
19068 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
19069 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
19070 haven't already been defined.
19076 nnmh-request-newgroups)
19080 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
19081 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
19082 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
19087 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
19090 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
19091 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
19095 (require 'nnheader)
19099 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
19101 (nnoo-declare nndir
19104 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
19105 "Where nndir will look for groups."
19106 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
19108 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
19109 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
19112 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
19113 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
19114 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
19116 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
19117 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
19119 ;;; Interface functions.
19121 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
19123 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
19124 (setq nndir-directory
19125 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
19127 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
19128 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
19129 (push `(nndir-current-group
19130 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
19132 (push `(nndir-top-directory
19133 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
19135 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
19137 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
19138 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19139 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19140 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
19141 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
19145 nnmh-status-message
19147 nnmh-request-newgroups))
19153 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
19154 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
19156 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
19157 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
19158 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
19159 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
19161 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
19162 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
19167 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
19170 The abilities can be:
19174 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
19176 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
19178 This backend supports both mail and news.
19180 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
19183 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
19184 articles and groups.
19186 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
19187 true for almost all backends.
19188 @item prompt-address
19189 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
19190 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
19191 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
19195 @node Mail-like Backends
19196 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
19198 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
19199 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
19200 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
19201 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
19204 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
19205 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
19206 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
19209 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
19210 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
19213 This function takes four parameters.
19217 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
19220 @item exit-function
19221 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
19223 @item temp-directory
19224 Where the temporary files should be stored.
19227 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
19228 performed for one group only.
19231 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
19232 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
19233 find the article number assigned to this article.
19235 The function also uses the following variables:
19236 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
19237 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
19238 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
19239 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
19243 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
19244 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
19248 @node Score File Syntax
19249 @subsection Score File Syntax
19251 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
19252 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
19253 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
19255 Here's a typical score file:
19259 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
19266 BNF definition of a score file:
19269 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
19270 element = rule / atom
19271 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
19272 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
19273 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
19274 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
19276 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
19277 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
19278 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
19279 date-header = "date"
19280 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19281 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19282 score = "nil" / <integer>
19283 date = "nil" / <natural number>
19284 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
19285 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
19286 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
19287 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
19288 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19289 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19290 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
19291 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19292 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
19293 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
19294 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
19295 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
19296 exclude-files / read-only / touched
19297 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
19298 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
19299 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
19300 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
19301 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
19302 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
19303 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
19304 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
19305 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
19306 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
19307 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
19308 eval = "eval" space <form>
19309 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
19312 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
19315 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
19316 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
19317 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
19318 one looong line, then that's ok.
19320 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
19321 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19325 @subsection Headers
19327 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
19328 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
19329 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
19330 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
19332 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
19333 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
19334 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
19335 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
19336 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
19337 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
19338 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
19340 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
19341 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
19342 @code{xref}. There are macros for accessing and setting these
19343 slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
19344 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
19346 The @code{xref} slot is really a @code{misc} slot. Any extra info will
19353 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
19354 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
19356 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
19357 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
19358 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
19359 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
19361 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
19365 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
19368 is transformed into
19371 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
19374 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
19375 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
19378 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
19381 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
19382 is slightly tricky:
19385 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
19391 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
19394 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
19400 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
19407 and is equal to the previous range.
19409 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
19410 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
19411 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
19415 range = simple-range / normal-range
19416 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
19417 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
19418 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
19419 number *[ " " contents ]
19422 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
19423 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
19424 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
19425 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
19426 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
19431 @subsection Group Info
19433 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
19434 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
19435 describes the group.
19437 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
19438 second is a more complex one:
19441 ("no.group" 5 (1 . 54324))
19443 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
19444 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
19446 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
19449 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
19450 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
19451 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
19452 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
19453 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
19454 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
19455 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
19456 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
19457 this section is about.
19459 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
19460 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
19461 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
19463 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
19466 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
19467 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
19468 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19469 group = quote <string> quote
19470 ralevel = rank / level
19471 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
19472 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
19473 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
19475 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
19476 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
19477 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
19478 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
19481 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
19482 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
19485 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
19486 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
19489 @item gnus-info-group
19490 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
19491 @findex gnus-info-group
19492 @findex gnus-info-set-group
19493 Get/set the group name.
19495 @item gnus-info-rank
19496 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
19497 @findex gnus-info-rank
19498 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
19499 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
19501 @item gnus-info-level
19502 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
19503 @findex gnus-info-level
19504 @findex gnus-info-set-level
19505 Get/set the group level.
19507 @item gnus-info-score
19508 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
19509 @findex gnus-info-score
19510 @findex gnus-info-set-score
19511 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
19513 @item gnus-info-read
19514 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
19515 @findex gnus-info-read
19516 @findex gnus-info-set-read
19517 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
19519 @item gnus-info-marks
19520 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
19521 @findex gnus-info-marks
19522 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
19523 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
19525 @item gnus-info-method
19526 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
19527 @findex gnus-info-method
19528 @findex gnus-info-set-method
19529 Get/set the group select method.
19531 @item gnus-info-params
19532 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
19533 @findex gnus-info-params
19534 @findex gnus-info-set-params
19535 Get/set the group parameters.
19538 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
19539 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
19541 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
19542 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
19543 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
19544 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
19547 @node Extended Interactive
19548 @subsection Extended Interactive
19549 @cindex interactive
19550 @findex gnus-interactive
19552 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
19553 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
19554 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
19557 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
19558 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
19563 The best thing to do would have been to implement
19564 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
19565 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
19566 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
19567 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
19568 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
19569 @code{interactive}.
19571 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
19576 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
19577 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
19581 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
19582 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
19583 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
19586 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
19590 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
19594 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
19600 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
19601 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
19605 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
19606 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
19607 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
19609 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
19610 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
19611 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
19612 Gnus, that's very useful.
19614 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
19615 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
19616 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
19617 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
19618 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
19619 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
19620 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
19621 following function:
19624 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
19628 (,function ,@@args))
19632 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
19633 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
19634 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
19637 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
19638 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
19639 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
19641 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
19642 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
19643 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
19646 @node Various File Formats
19647 @subsection Various File Formats
19650 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
19651 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
19655 @node Active File Format
19656 @subsubsection Active File Format
19658 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
19659 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
19662 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
19665 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
19666 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
19667 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
19668 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
19669 no.general 1000 900 y
19672 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
19675 active = *group-line
19676 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
19677 group = <non-white-space string>
19679 high-number = <non-negative integer>
19680 low-number = <positive integer>
19681 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
19684 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
19685 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
19688 @node Newsgroups File Format
19689 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
19691 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
19692 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
19693 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
19696 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
19697 Here's the definition:
19701 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
19702 group = <non-white-space string>
19704 description = <string>
19709 @node Emacs for Heathens
19710 @section Emacs for Heathens
19712 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
19713 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
19714 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
19715 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
19716 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
19717 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
19718 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
19722 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
19723 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
19728 @subsection Keystrokes
19732 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
19735 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
19738 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
19739 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
19740 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
19741 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
19742 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
19743 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
19745 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
19746 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
19747 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
19748 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
19749 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
19750 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
19751 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
19753 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
19754 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
19755 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
19756 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
19757 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
19758 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
19759 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
19761 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
19762 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
19763 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
19764 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
19765 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
19771 @subsection Emacs Lisp
19773 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
19774 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
19775 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
19776 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
19778 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
19779 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
19780 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
19781 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
19782 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
19783 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
19784 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
19787 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
19788 write the following:
19791 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
19794 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
19795 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
19796 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
19799 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
19800 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
19801 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
19802 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
19803 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
19805 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
19806 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
19807 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
19811 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
19815 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
19818 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
19819 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
19822 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
19825 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
19826 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
19829 @include gnus-faq.texi