4 @settitle T-gnus 6.16 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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286 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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295 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
297 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
300 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
301 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
302 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
303 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
304 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
305 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
306 License'' in the Emacs manual.
308 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
309 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
310 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
312 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
313 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
314 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
315 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
323 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
325 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
326 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
328 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
329 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
330 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
331 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
332 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
333 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
334 License'' in the Emacs manual.
336 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
337 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
338 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
340 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
341 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
342 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
343 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
349 @title T-gnus 6.16 Manual
351 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
354 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
355 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
357 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
359 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
360 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
361 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
362 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
363 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
364 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
365 License'' in the Emacs manual.
367 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
368 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
369 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
371 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
372 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
373 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
374 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
383 @top The gnus Newsreader
387 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using T-gnus. The news
388 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
389 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
392 T-gnus provides @acronym{MIME} features based on @acronym{SEMI} API. So
393 T-gnus supports your right to read strange messages including big images
394 or other various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
395 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
396 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities. Oh,
397 if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
399 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.16.
410 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
411 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
413 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
414 being accused of plagiarism:
416 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
417 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
418 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
419 can even read news with it!
421 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
422 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
423 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
424 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
425 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
431 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
432 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
433 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
434 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
435 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
436 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
437 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
438 * Various:: General purpose settings.
439 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
440 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
441 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
442 * Key Index:: Key Index.
444 Other related manuals
446 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
447 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
448 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
449 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
452 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
456 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
457 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
458 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
459 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
460 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
461 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
462 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
463 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
464 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
465 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
466 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
470 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
471 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
472 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
476 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
477 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
478 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
479 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
480 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
481 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
482 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
483 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
484 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
485 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
486 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
487 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
488 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
489 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
490 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
491 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
492 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
496 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
497 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
498 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
502 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
503 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
504 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
505 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
506 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
510 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
511 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
512 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
513 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
514 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
518 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
519 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
520 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
521 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
522 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
523 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
524 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
525 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
526 * Threading:: How threads are made.
527 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
528 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
529 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
530 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
531 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
532 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
533 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
534 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
535 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
536 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
537 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
538 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
539 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
540 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
541 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
542 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
543 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
544 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
545 or reselecting the current group.
546 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
547 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
548 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
549 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
551 Summary Buffer Format
553 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
554 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
555 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
556 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
560 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
561 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
563 Reply, Followup and Post
565 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
566 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
567 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
568 * Canceling and Superseding::
572 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
573 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
574 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
576 * Generic Marking Commands::
577 * Setting Process Marks::
581 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
582 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
583 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
587 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
588 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
590 Customizing Threading
592 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
593 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
594 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
595 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
599 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
600 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
601 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
602 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
603 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
604 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
608 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
609 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
610 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
614 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
615 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
616 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
617 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
618 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
619 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
620 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
621 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
622 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
623 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
624 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
626 Alternative Approaches
628 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
629 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
631 Various Summary Stuff
633 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
634 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
635 * Summary Generation Commands::
636 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
640 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
641 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
642 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
643 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
644 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
648 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
649 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
650 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
651 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
652 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
653 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
654 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
655 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
659 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
660 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
661 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
662 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
663 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
664 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
665 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
666 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
670 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
671 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
672 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
673 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
674 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
675 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
676 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
680 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
681 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
685 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
686 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
687 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
691 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
692 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
693 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
694 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
695 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
696 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
697 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
698 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
699 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
700 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
701 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
702 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
703 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
707 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
708 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
709 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
711 Choosing a Mail Back End
713 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
714 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
715 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
716 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
717 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
718 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
719 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
724 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
725 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
726 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
727 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
728 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
729 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
733 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
734 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
735 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
736 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
737 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
741 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
742 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
743 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
744 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
745 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
749 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
753 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
754 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
755 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
759 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
760 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
764 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
765 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
766 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
767 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
768 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
769 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
770 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
771 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
772 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
773 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
774 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
775 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
779 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
780 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
781 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
785 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
786 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
787 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
791 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
792 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
793 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
794 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
795 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
796 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
797 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
798 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
799 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
800 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
801 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
802 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
803 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
804 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
805 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
806 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
807 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
811 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
812 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
813 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
814 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
818 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
819 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
820 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
824 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
825 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
826 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
827 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
828 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
829 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
830 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
831 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
832 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
833 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
834 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
835 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
836 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
837 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
838 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
839 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
840 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
841 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
842 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
846 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
847 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
848 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
849 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
850 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
851 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
852 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
853 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
857 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
858 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
859 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
860 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
864 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
865 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
866 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
867 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
868 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
869 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
873 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
874 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
875 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
876 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
877 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
878 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
879 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
880 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
881 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ.
885 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
886 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
887 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
888 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
889 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
890 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
891 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
892 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
893 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
897 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
898 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
899 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
900 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
901 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
902 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10.
906 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
907 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
908 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
909 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
913 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
914 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
915 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
916 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
917 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
918 * Group Info:: The group info format.
919 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
920 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
921 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
925 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
926 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
927 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
928 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
929 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
930 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
934 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
935 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
939 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
940 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
946 @chapter Starting gnus
951 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
952 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
955 @findex gnus-other-frame
956 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
957 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
958 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
960 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
961 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
962 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
964 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
965 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
968 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
969 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
970 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
971 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
972 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
973 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
974 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
975 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
976 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
977 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
978 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
982 @node Finding the News
983 @section Finding the News
986 @vindex gnus-select-method
988 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
989 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
990 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
991 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
994 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
995 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
998 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1001 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1004 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1007 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1008 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1009 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1011 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1013 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1014 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
1015 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1016 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1017 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1018 If that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1019 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1021 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1022 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1023 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1024 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1026 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1027 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1028 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1029 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1030 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
1031 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1032 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1033 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1034 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1037 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1039 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1040 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1041 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1042 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1043 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1044 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1046 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1048 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1049 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1050 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1051 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1052 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1053 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1056 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1057 you would typically set this variable to
1060 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1064 @node The First Time
1065 @section The First Time
1066 @cindex first time usage
1068 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1069 be subscribed by default.
1071 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1072 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1073 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1074 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1077 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1078 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1079 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1081 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1082 help you with most common problems.
1084 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1085 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1089 @node The Server is Down
1090 @section The Server is Down
1091 @cindex server errors
1093 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1094 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1095 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1097 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1098 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1099 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1100 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1101 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1102 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1103 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1105 @findex gnus-no-server
1106 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1108 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1109 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1110 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1111 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1112 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1113 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1114 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1118 @section Slave Gnusae
1121 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1122 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1123 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1124 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1126 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1127 @file{.newsrc} file.
1129 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1130 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1131 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1132 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1133 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1134 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1135 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1138 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1139 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1140 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1141 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1142 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1143 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1144 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1145 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1147 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1148 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1150 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1151 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1152 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1153 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1154 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1156 @node Fetching a Group
1157 @section Fetching a Group
1158 @cindex fetching a group
1160 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1161 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1162 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1163 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1164 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1165 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1171 @cindex subscription
1173 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1174 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1175 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1176 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1177 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1178 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1179 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1180 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1181 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1184 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1185 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1186 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1190 @node Checking New Groups
1191 @subsection Checking New Groups
1193 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1194 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1195 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1196 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1197 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1198 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1199 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1200 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1201 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1202 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1204 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1205 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1206 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1207 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1208 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1209 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1210 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1211 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1212 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1213 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1214 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1216 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1217 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1218 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1219 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1220 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1221 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1224 @node Subscription Methods
1225 @subsection Subscription Methods
1227 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1228 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1229 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1231 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1232 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1234 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1238 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1239 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1240 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1241 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1242 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1244 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1245 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1246 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1247 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1249 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1250 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1251 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1253 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1254 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1255 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1256 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1257 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1258 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1259 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1260 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1261 up. Or something like that.
1263 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1264 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1265 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1266 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1267 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1269 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1270 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1271 Kill all new groups.
1273 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1274 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1275 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1276 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1277 topic parameter that looks like
1283 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1286 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1291 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1292 A closely related variable is
1293 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1294 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1295 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1296 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1299 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1300 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1301 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1302 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1305 @node Filtering New Groups
1306 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1308 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1309 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1310 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1313 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1316 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1317 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1318 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1319 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1320 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1321 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1322 subscribing these groups.
1323 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1324 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1326 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1327 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1328 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1329 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1330 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1331 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1332 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1333 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1335 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1336 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1337 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1338 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1339 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1340 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1341 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1342 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1343 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1344 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1347 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1348 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1351 @node Changing Servers
1352 @section Changing Servers
1353 @cindex changing servers
1355 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1356 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1357 very flaky and you want to use another.
1359 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1360 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1364 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1365 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1366 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1367 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1370 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1371 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1372 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1373 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1375 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1376 @findex gnus-change-server
1377 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1378 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1379 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1380 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1381 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1383 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1384 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1385 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1386 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1387 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1389 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1390 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1391 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1392 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1393 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1394 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1396 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1397 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1398 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1399 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1401 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1402 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1403 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1404 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1405 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1406 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1407 cache for all groups).
1411 @section Startup Files
1412 @cindex startup files
1417 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1418 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1420 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1421 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1422 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1423 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1424 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1425 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1426 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1428 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1429 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1430 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1431 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1432 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1433 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1435 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1436 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1437 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1438 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1439 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1440 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1441 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1442 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1443 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1444 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1446 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1447 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1448 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1449 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1450 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1451 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1452 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1453 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1454 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1455 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1456 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1457 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1459 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1460 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1461 @vindex version-control
1462 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1463 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1464 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1465 If you want version control for this file, set
1466 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1467 @code{version-control} variable.
1469 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1470 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1471 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1472 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1473 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1474 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1475 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1476 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1477 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1478 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1481 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1482 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1484 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1485 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1488 @vindex gnus-init-file
1489 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1490 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1491 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1492 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1493 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1494 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1495 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1496 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1497 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1498 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1504 @cindex dribble file
1507 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1508 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1509 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1510 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1511 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1514 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1515 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1518 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1519 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1520 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1522 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1523 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1524 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1525 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1526 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1527 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1529 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1530 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1531 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1534 @node The Active File
1535 @section The Active File
1537 @cindex ignored groups
1539 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1540 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1541 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1543 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1544 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1545 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1546 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1547 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1548 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1549 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1552 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1553 @c if you set it to anything else.
1555 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1557 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1558 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1559 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1561 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1562 you actually subscribe to.
1564 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1565 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1566 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1567 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1569 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1570 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1571 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1572 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1573 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1574 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1576 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1577 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1578 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1581 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1582 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1583 @acronym{NNTP} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1584 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1585 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1586 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1588 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1589 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1591 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1592 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1594 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1595 secondary select methods.
1598 @node Startup Variables
1599 @section Startup Variables
1603 @item gnus-load-hook
1604 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1605 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1606 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1607 times you start gnus.
1609 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1610 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1611 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1613 @item gnus-startup-hook
1614 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1615 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1617 @item gnus-started-hook
1618 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1619 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1622 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1623 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1624 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1625 generating the group buffer.
1627 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1628 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1629 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1630 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1631 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1632 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1633 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1634 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1636 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1637 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1638 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1639 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1640 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1641 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1643 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1644 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1645 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1647 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1648 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1649 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1651 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1652 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1653 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1654 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1660 @chapter Group Buffer
1661 @cindex group buffer
1663 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1665 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1666 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1667 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1668 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1669 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1670 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1671 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1672 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1673 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1674 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1675 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1676 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1677 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1678 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1679 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1680 @c human rights at 9...
1683 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1684 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1685 long as gnus is active.
1689 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1690 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1691 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1692 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1693 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1694 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1695 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1696 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1702 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1703 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1704 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1705 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1706 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1707 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1708 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1709 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1710 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1711 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1712 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1713 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1714 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1715 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1716 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1717 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1718 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1722 @node Group Buffer Format
1723 @section Group Buffer Format
1726 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1727 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1728 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1732 @node Group Line Specification
1733 @subsection Group Line Specification
1734 @cindex group buffer format
1736 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1737 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1739 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1742 25: news.announce.newusers
1743 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1748 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1749 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1750 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1751 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1753 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1754 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1755 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1756 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1757 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1758 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1760 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1762 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1763 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1764 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1765 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1766 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1768 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1769 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1770 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1772 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1777 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1780 Whether the group is subscribed.
1783 Level of subscribedness.
1786 Number of unread articles.
1789 Number of dormant articles.
1792 Number of ticked articles.
1795 Number of read articles.
1798 Number of unseen articles.
1801 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1802 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1804 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1805 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1806 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1807 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1808 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1809 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1810 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1811 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1814 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1817 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1826 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1827 comment element in the group parameters.
1830 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1831 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1832 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1836 @samp{m} if moderated.
1839 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1845 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1851 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1855 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1858 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1859 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1860 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1861 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1862 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1865 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1867 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1871 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1874 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1878 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1879 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1880 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1881 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1882 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1883 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1888 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1889 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1890 group, or a bogus native group.
1893 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1894 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1895 @cindex group mode line
1897 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1898 The mode line can be changed by setting
1899 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1900 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1904 The native news server.
1906 The native select method.
1910 @node Group Highlighting
1911 @subsection Group Highlighting
1912 @cindex highlighting
1913 @cindex group highlighting
1915 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1916 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1917 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1918 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1919 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1921 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1925 (cond (window-system
1926 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1927 (defface my-group-face-1
1928 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1929 (defface my-group-face-2
1930 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1931 "Second group face")
1932 (defface my-group-face-3
1933 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1934 (defface my-group-face-4
1935 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1936 (defface my-group-face-5
1937 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1939 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1940 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1941 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1942 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1943 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1944 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1947 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1949 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1956 The number of unread articles in the group.
1960 Whether the group is a mail group.
1962 The level of the group.
1964 The score of the group.
1966 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1968 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1969 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1971 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1972 topic being inserted.
1975 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1976 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1977 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1979 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1980 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1981 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1982 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1983 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1986 @node Group Maneuvering
1987 @section Group Maneuvering
1988 @cindex group movement
1990 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1991 expected, hopefully.
1997 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1998 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1999 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2005 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2006 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2007 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2011 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2012 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2016 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2017 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2021 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2022 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2023 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2027 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2028 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2029 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2032 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2038 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2039 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2040 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2045 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2046 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2047 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2051 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2052 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2053 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2056 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2057 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2058 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2059 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2063 @node Selecting a Group
2064 @section Selecting a Group
2065 @cindex group selection
2070 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2071 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2072 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2073 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2074 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2075 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2076 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2077 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2078 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2079 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2081 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2082 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2083 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2085 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2086 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2091 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2092 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2093 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2094 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2095 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2099 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2100 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2101 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2102 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2103 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2104 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2105 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2106 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2107 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2108 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2111 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2112 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2113 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2114 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2115 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2118 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2119 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2120 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2121 doing any processing of its contents
2122 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2123 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2124 manner will have no permanent effects.
2128 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2129 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
2130 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2131 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2132 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2133 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2134 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2135 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2138 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2139 Same as @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but only used for ephemeral
2142 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2143 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2144 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2145 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2146 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2147 Which article this is is controlled by the
2148 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2154 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2157 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2160 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2162 @item unseen-or-unread
2163 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2164 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2168 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2172 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2173 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2175 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2176 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2177 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2178 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2182 @node Subscription Commands
2183 @section Subscription Commands
2184 @cindex subscription
2192 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2193 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2194 Toggle subscription to the current group
2195 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2201 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2202 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2203 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2204 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2210 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2211 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2212 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2218 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2219 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2222 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2223 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2224 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2225 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2226 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2232 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2233 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2237 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2238 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2241 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2242 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2243 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2244 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2245 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2246 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2247 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2248 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2249 @file{.newsrc} file.
2253 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2263 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2264 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2265 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2266 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2267 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2268 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2273 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2274 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2275 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2279 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2280 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2281 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2283 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2284 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2285 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2286 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2287 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2288 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2295 @section Group Levels
2299 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2300 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2301 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2302 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2303 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2305 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2311 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2312 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2313 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2314 prompted for a level.
2317 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2318 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2319 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2320 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2321 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2322 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2323 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2324 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2325 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2326 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2327 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2328 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2329 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2330 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2331 reasons of efficiency.
2333 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2334 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2336 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2337 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2338 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2339 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2340 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2341 groups are hidden, in a way.
2343 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2344 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2345 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2346 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2347 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2348 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2350 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2351 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2352 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2353 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2354 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2355 list of killed groups.)
2357 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2358 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2359 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2361 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2362 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2363 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2364 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2365 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2366 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2367 relevant valid ranges.
2369 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2370 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2371 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2372 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2373 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2374 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2377 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2378 one with the best level.
2380 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2381 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2382 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2385 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2386 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2387 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2388 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2391 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2392 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2393 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2394 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2396 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2397 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2398 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2399 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2400 to 5. The default is 6.
2404 @section Group Score
2409 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2410 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2411 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2414 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2415 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2416 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2417 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2418 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2419 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2420 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2421 least significant part.))
2423 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2424 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2425 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2426 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2427 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2428 action after each summary exit, you can add
2429 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2430 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2431 slow things down somewhat.
2434 @node Marking Groups
2435 @section Marking Groups
2436 @cindex marking groups
2438 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2439 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2440 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2441 bidding on those groups.
2443 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2444 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2445 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2453 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2454 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2460 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2461 Remove the mark from the current group
2462 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2466 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2467 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2471 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2472 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2476 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2477 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2481 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2482 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2483 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2486 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2488 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2489 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2490 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2491 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2492 the command to be executed.
2495 @node Foreign Groups
2496 @section Foreign Groups
2497 @cindex foreign groups
2499 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2500 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2501 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2502 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2509 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2510 @cindex making groups
2511 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2512 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2513 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2517 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2518 @cindex renaming groups
2519 Rename the current group to something else
2520 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2521 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2527 @findex gnus-group-customize
2528 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2532 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2533 @cindex renaming groups
2534 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2535 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2539 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2540 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2541 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2545 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2546 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2547 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2551 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2553 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2554 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2559 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2560 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2564 @cindex (ding) archive
2565 @cindex archive group
2566 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2567 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2568 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2569 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2570 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2571 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2572 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2576 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2578 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2579 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2580 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2581 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2585 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2587 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2588 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2589 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2593 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2594 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2596 Make a group based on some file or other
2597 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2598 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2599 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2600 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2601 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2602 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2603 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2604 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2605 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2609 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2610 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2611 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2612 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2616 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2620 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2621 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2622 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2623 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2624 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2625 @xref{Web Searches}.
2627 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2628 to a particular group by using a match string like
2629 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2632 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2633 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2634 This function will delete the current group
2635 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2636 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2637 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2638 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2639 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2643 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2644 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2645 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2649 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2650 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2651 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2654 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2657 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2658 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2659 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2660 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2661 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2662 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2666 @node Group Parameters
2667 @section Group Parameters
2668 @cindex group parameters
2670 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2671 Here's an example group parameter list:
2674 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2678 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2679 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2680 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2681 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2683 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2684 is an alist of regexps and values.
2686 The following group parameters can be used:
2691 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2694 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2697 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2698 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2699 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2700 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2701 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2703 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2704 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2705 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2706 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2707 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2708 list address instead.
2710 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2714 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2717 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2720 It is totally ignored
2721 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2722 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2724 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2725 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2726 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2727 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2728 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2730 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2731 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2732 sending the message.
2734 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2735 @cindex mail list groups
2736 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2737 entering summary buffer.
2739 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2744 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2745 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2746 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2747 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2748 headers for your posts to these lists. Look here @pxref{Mailing
2749 Lists, , Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual} for a complete
2750 treatment of available MFT support.
2752 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2753 directly uses this group parameter.
2757 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2758 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2759 of whether it has any unread articles.
2761 @item broken-reply-to
2762 @cindex broken-reply-to
2763 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2764 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2765 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2766 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2767 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2768 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2772 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2773 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2777 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2778 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2779 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2784 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2785 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2786 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2787 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2788 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2789 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2790 (@pxref{Archived Messages}). CAVEAT:: It yields an error putting
2791 @code{(gcc-self . t)} in groups of a @code{nntp} server or so, because
2792 a @code{nntp} server doesn't accept articles.
2796 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2797 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2798 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2800 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2803 @cindex total-expire
2804 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2805 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2806 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2807 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2810 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2814 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2815 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2816 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2817 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2818 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2819 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2820 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2823 @cindex score file group parameter
2824 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2825 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2826 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2829 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2830 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2831 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2832 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2835 @cindex admin-address
2836 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2837 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2838 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2839 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2843 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2844 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2848 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2851 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2852 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2855 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2859 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2861 Here are some examples:
2865 Display only unread articles.
2868 Display everything except expirable articles.
2870 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2871 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2875 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2876 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2877 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2878 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2879 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2883 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2884 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2885 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2889 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2890 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2891 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2895 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2896 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2897 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2899 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2901 @item ignored-charsets
2902 @cindex ignored-charset
2903 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2904 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2905 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2907 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2910 @cindex posting-style
2911 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2912 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2913 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2914 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2915 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2917 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2918 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2919 like this in the group parameters:
2924 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2925 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2930 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2931 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2935 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
2936 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
2937 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2938 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2939 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2943 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2944 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2945 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2946 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2948 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2949 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2950 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2951 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2954 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2955 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2959 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2962 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2963 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2964 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2965 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2966 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2967 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2968 @code{eval}ed there.
2970 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer.
2971 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
2972 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
2973 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
2974 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
2975 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
2976 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
2977 @file{~/.gnus} file:
2979 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
2982 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
2983 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
2984 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
2986 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
2988 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
2989 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
2990 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
2991 into the group parameters for the group.
2993 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2994 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2995 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2996 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2997 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
3001 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
3002 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
3003 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
3004 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
3005 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
3007 @vindex gnus-parameters
3008 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3009 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
3013 (setq gnus-parameters
3015 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3016 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3017 (gnus-summary-line-format
3018 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3022 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3026 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3030 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3033 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3034 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3037 @node Listing Groups
3038 @section Listing Groups
3039 @cindex group listing
3041 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3049 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3050 List all groups that have unread articles
3051 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3052 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3053 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3054 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3061 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3062 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3063 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3064 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3065 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3066 unsubscribed groups).
3070 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3071 List all unread groups on a specific level
3072 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3073 with no unread articles.
3077 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3078 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3079 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3080 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3085 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3086 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3090 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3091 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3092 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3096 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3097 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3101 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3102 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3103 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3104 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3105 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3106 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3107 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3108 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3112 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3113 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3114 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3118 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3119 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3120 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3124 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3125 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3129 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3130 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3134 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3135 List groups limited within the current selection
3136 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3140 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3141 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3145 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3146 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3150 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3151 @cindex visible group parameter
3152 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3153 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3154 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3155 get the same effect.
3157 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3158 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3159 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3160 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3161 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3164 @node Sorting Groups
3165 @section Sorting Groups
3166 @cindex sorting groups
3168 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3169 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3170 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3171 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3172 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3173 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3178 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3179 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3180 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3182 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3183 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3184 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3186 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3187 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3188 Sort by group level.
3190 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3191 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3192 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3194 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3195 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3196 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3197 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3199 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3200 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3201 Sort by number of unread articles.
3203 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3204 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3205 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3207 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3208 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3209 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3214 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3215 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3219 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3220 some sorting criteria:
3224 @kindex G S a (Group)
3225 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3226 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3227 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3230 @kindex G S u (Group)
3231 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3232 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3233 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3236 @kindex G S l (Group)
3237 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3238 Sort the group buffer by group level
3239 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3242 @kindex G S v (Group)
3243 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3244 Sort the group buffer by group score
3245 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3248 @kindex G S r (Group)
3249 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3250 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3251 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3254 @kindex G S m (Group)
3255 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3256 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3257 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3260 @kindex G S n (Group)
3261 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3262 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3263 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3267 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3268 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3270 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3271 commands will sort in reverse order.
3273 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3277 @kindex G P a (Group)
3278 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3279 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3280 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3283 @kindex G P u (Group)
3284 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3285 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3286 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3289 @kindex G P l (Group)
3290 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3291 Sort the groups by group level
3292 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3295 @kindex G P v (Group)
3296 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3297 Sort the groups by group score
3298 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3301 @kindex G P r (Group)
3302 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3303 Sort the groups by group rank
3304 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3307 @kindex G P m (Group)
3308 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3309 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3310 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3313 @kindex G P n (Group)
3314 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3315 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3316 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3319 @kindex G P s (Group)
3320 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3321 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3325 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3329 @node Group Maintenance
3330 @section Group Maintenance
3331 @cindex bogus groups
3336 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3337 Find bogus groups and delete them
3338 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3342 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3343 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3344 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3345 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3346 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3350 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3351 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3352 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3353 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3354 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3355 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3358 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3359 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3360 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3361 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3366 @node Browse Foreign Server
3367 @section Browse Foreign Server
3368 @cindex foreign servers
3369 @cindex browsing servers
3374 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3375 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3376 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3377 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3380 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3381 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3382 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3383 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3385 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3390 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3391 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3395 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3396 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3399 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3400 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3401 Enter the current group and display the first article
3402 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3405 @kindex RET (Browse)
3406 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3407 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3411 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3412 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3413 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3419 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3420 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3424 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3425 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3429 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3430 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3431 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3436 @section Exiting gnus
3437 @cindex exiting gnus
3439 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3444 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3445 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3446 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3447 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3451 @findex gnus-group-exit
3452 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3453 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3457 @findex gnus-group-quit
3458 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3459 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3462 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3463 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3464 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3465 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3466 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3467 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3473 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3474 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3475 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3481 @section Group Topics
3484 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3485 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3486 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3487 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3488 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3489 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3493 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3494 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3505 2: alt.religion.emacs
3508 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3510 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3511 13: comp.sources.unix
3514 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3516 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3517 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3518 is a toggling command.)
3520 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3521 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3522 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3523 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3526 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3527 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3528 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3531 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3535 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3536 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3537 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3538 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3539 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3543 @node Topic Commands
3544 @subsection Topic Commands
3545 @cindex topic commands
3547 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3548 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3549 definitions slightly.
3551 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3552 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3553 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3554 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3555 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3556 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3558 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3565 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3566 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3567 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3571 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3573 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3574 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3575 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3576 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3579 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3580 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3581 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3582 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3586 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3587 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3588 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3589 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3595 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3596 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3597 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3601 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3602 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3603 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3606 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3607 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3608 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3609 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3610 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3612 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3613 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3617 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3618 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3625 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3627 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3628 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3629 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3630 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3631 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3632 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3636 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3642 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3643 Move the current group to some other topic
3644 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3645 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3649 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3650 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3654 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3655 Copy the current group to some other topic
3656 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3657 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3661 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3662 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3663 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3667 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3668 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3669 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3673 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3674 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3675 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3676 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3677 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3678 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3679 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3682 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3683 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3687 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3688 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3689 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3693 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3694 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3695 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3699 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3700 Toggle hiding empty topics
3701 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3705 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3706 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3707 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3708 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3711 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3712 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3713 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3714 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3715 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3718 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3719 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3720 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3721 expiry process (if any)
3722 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3726 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3727 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3730 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3731 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3732 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3736 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3737 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3738 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3741 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3742 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3743 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3746 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3747 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3748 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3752 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3753 @cindex group parameters
3754 @cindex topic parameters
3756 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3757 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3762 @node Topic Variables
3763 @subsection Topic Variables
3764 @cindex topic variables
3766 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3767 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3769 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3770 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3771 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3784 Number of groups in the topic.
3786 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3788 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3791 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3792 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3793 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3796 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3797 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3799 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3800 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3801 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3805 @subsection Topic Sorting
3806 @cindex topic sorting
3808 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3814 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3815 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3816 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3817 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3820 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3821 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3822 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3823 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3826 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3827 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3828 Sort the current topic by group level
3829 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3832 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3833 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3834 Sort the current topic by group score
3835 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3838 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3839 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3840 Sort the current topic by group rank
3841 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3844 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3845 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3846 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3847 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3850 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3851 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3852 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3853 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3857 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3858 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3859 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3860 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3864 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3865 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3869 @node Topic Topology
3870 @subsection Topic Topology
3871 @cindex topic topology
3874 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3881 2: alt.religion.emacs
3884 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3886 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3887 13: comp.sources.unix
3891 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3892 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3893 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3898 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3899 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3903 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3904 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3905 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3906 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3907 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3908 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3910 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3911 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3912 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3915 @node Topic Parameters
3916 @subsection Topic Parameters
3917 @cindex topic parameters
3919 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3920 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3921 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3923 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3928 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3929 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3930 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3933 @item subscribe-level
3934 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3935 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3936 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3940 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3941 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3942 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3943 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3949 2: alt.religion.emacs
3953 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3955 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3956 13: comp.sources.unix
3960 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3961 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3962 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3963 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3964 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3965 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3967 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3968 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3969 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3970 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3971 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3973 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3974 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3975 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3976 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3977 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3978 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3979 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3980 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3983 @node Misc Group Stuff
3984 @section Misc Group Stuff
3987 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3988 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3989 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3990 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3991 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3998 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3999 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
4000 @xref{Server Buffer}.
4004 @findex gnus-group-post-news
4005 Start composing a message (a news by default)
4006 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
4007 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4008 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4009 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4010 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4014 @findex gnus-group-mail
4015 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4016 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4017 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4018 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4022 @findex gnus-group-news
4023 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4024 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4025 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4027 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4028 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4029 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4030 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4031 for this to work though.
4035 Variables for the group buffer:
4039 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4040 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4041 is called after the group buffer has been
4044 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4045 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4046 is called after the group buffer is
4047 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4050 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4051 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4052 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4053 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4055 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4056 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4057 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4058 whether they are empty or not.
4060 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4061 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4062 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4063 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4067 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4068 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4071 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4072 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4073 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4074 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4075 is used to show non-@acronym{ASCII} group names. @code{((".*"
4076 utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the
4077 default is @code{nil}.
4081 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4082 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4087 @node Scanning New Messages
4088 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4089 @cindex new messages
4090 @cindex scanning new news
4096 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4097 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4098 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4099 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4100 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4101 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4106 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4107 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4108 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4109 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4110 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4111 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4112 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4114 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4115 @cindex activating groups
4117 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4118 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4123 @findex gnus-group-restart
4124 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4125 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4126 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
4130 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4131 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4133 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4134 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4138 @node Group Information
4139 @subsection Group Information
4140 @cindex group information
4141 @cindex information on groups
4148 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4149 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4152 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
4153 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
4154 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
4155 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
4156 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4157 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
4158 used for fetching the file.
4160 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
4161 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4165 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4166 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4168 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4169 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4172 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4173 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4174 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4178 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4179 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4180 @cindex control message
4181 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4182 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4183 group if given a prefix argument.
4185 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4186 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4187 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4188 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4190 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4191 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
4192 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
4196 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4198 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4199 @cindex describing groups
4200 @cindex group description
4201 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4202 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4203 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4207 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4208 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4209 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4216 @findex gnus-version
4217 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4221 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4222 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4225 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4228 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4229 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4233 @node Group Timestamp
4234 @subsection Group Timestamp
4236 @cindex group timestamps
4238 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
4239 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4240 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4243 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4246 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4248 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4249 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4252 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4253 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4256 This will result in lines looking like:
4259 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4260 0: custom 19961002T012713
4263 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4264 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4268 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4269 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4272 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4273 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4277 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4278 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4279 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4280 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4282 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4288 @subsection File Commands
4289 @cindex file commands
4295 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4296 @vindex gnus-init-file
4297 @cindex reading init file
4298 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4299 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4303 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4304 @cindex saving .newsrc
4305 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4306 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4307 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4310 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4311 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4312 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4317 @node Sieve Commands
4318 @subsection Sieve Commands
4319 @cindex group sieve commands
4321 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4322 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4323 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4324 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4325 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4327 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4328 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4329 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4330 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4331 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4332 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4333 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4334 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4335 regenerate the Sieve script.
4337 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4338 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4339 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4340 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4341 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4342 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4343 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4344 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4345 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4346 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4349 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4350 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4355 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4361 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4362 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4363 @cindex generating sieve script
4364 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4365 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4369 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4370 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4371 @cindex updating sieve script
4372 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4373 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4374 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4379 @node Summary Buffer
4380 @chapter Summary Buffer
4381 @cindex summary buffer
4383 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4384 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4386 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4387 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4389 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4392 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4393 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4394 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4395 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4396 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4397 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4398 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4399 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4400 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4401 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4402 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4403 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4404 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4405 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4406 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4407 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4408 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4409 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4410 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4411 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4412 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4413 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4414 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4415 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4416 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4417 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4418 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4419 or reselecting the current group.
4420 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4421 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4422 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4423 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4427 @node Summary Buffer Format
4428 @section Summary Buffer Format
4429 @cindex summary buffer format
4433 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4434 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4435 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4441 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4442 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4443 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4444 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4447 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4448 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4449 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4450 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4451 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4452 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4453 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4454 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4455 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4456 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4457 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4458 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4459 other function instead:
4462 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4463 'mail-extract-address-components)
4466 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4467 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4468 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4469 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4472 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4473 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4475 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4476 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4477 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4478 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4479 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4481 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4482 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4483 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4484 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4485 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4486 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4488 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4490 The following format specification characters and extended format
4491 specification(s) are understood:
4497 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4498 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4500 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4501 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4502 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4504 Full @code{From} header.
4506 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4508 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4511 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4512 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4513 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4514 may be more thorough.
4516 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4519 Number of lines in the article.
4521 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4522 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4524 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4525 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4527 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4529 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4530 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4543 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4544 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4545 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4546 line-drawing glyphs.
4548 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4549 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4550 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4551 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4553 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4554 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4555 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4556 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4558 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4559 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4560 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4561 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4563 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4564 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4565 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4567 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4568 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4569 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4571 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4572 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4573 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4575 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4576 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4577 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4582 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4583 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4585 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4586 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4588 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4589 for adopted articles.
4591 One space for each thread level.
4593 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4595 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4598 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4599 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4600 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4603 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4605 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4606 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4607 default level. If the difference between
4608 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4609 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4617 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4619 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4625 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4626 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4628 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4629 article has any children.
4635 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4636 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4638 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4639 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4640 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4641 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4642 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4643 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4646 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4647 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4648 There can only be one such area.
4650 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4651 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4652 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4653 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4654 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4655 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4657 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4658 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4660 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4663 @node To From Newsgroups
4664 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4668 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4669 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4670 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4671 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4672 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4676 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4677 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4678 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4682 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4683 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4686 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4687 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4690 @findex gnus-extra-header
4691 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4692 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4693 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4696 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4700 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4701 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4702 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4703 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4704 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4705 headers are used instead.
4709 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4710 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4711 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
4712 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4713 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4714 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4717 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4718 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4719 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4720 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4722 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4726 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4728 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4729 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4730 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4731 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4735 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4738 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4739 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4742 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4743 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4744 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4750 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4751 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4754 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4755 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4757 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4758 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4759 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4760 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4762 Here are the elements you can play with:
4768 Unprefixed group name.
4770 Current article number.
4772 Current article score.
4776 Number of unread articles in this group.
4778 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4781 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4782 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4783 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4784 and no unselected ones.
4786 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4787 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4789 Subject of the current article.
4791 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4793 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4795 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4797 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4799 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4801 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4805 @node Summary Highlighting
4806 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4810 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4811 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4812 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4813 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4814 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4816 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4817 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4818 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4819 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4821 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4822 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4823 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4824 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4826 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4827 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4828 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4829 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4830 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4831 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4834 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4835 ((> score default) . bold))
4837 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4838 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4842 @node Summary Maneuvering
4843 @section Summary Maneuvering
4844 @cindex summary movement
4846 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4847 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4849 None of these commands select articles.
4854 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4855 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4856 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4857 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4858 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4862 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4863 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4864 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4865 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4866 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4869 @kindex G g (Summary)
4870 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4871 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4872 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4875 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4876 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4877 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4878 to the group buffer.
4880 Variables related to summary movement:
4884 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4885 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4886 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4887 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4888 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4889 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4890 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4891 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4892 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4893 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4894 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4895 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4896 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4897 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4899 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4900 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4901 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4902 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4903 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4904 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4905 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4907 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4909 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4910 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4911 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4912 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4913 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4915 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4916 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4917 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4918 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4919 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4920 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4921 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4922 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4925 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4926 the given number of lines from the top.
4931 @node Choosing Articles
4932 @section Choosing Articles
4933 @cindex selecting articles
4936 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4937 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4941 @node Choosing Commands
4942 @subsection Choosing Commands
4944 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4945 and they all select and display an article.
4947 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4948 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4952 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4953 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4954 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4955 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4957 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
4958 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
4959 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @pxref{Paging the Article}.
4964 @kindex G n (Summary)
4965 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4966 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4967 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4972 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4973 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4974 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4979 @kindex G N (Summary)
4980 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4981 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4986 @kindex G P (Summary)
4987 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4988 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4991 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4992 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4993 Go to the next article with the same subject
4994 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4997 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4998 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4999 Go to the previous article with the same subject
5000 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
5004 @kindex G f (Summary)
5006 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5007 Go to the first unread article
5008 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5012 @kindex G b (Summary)
5014 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5015 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5016 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5017 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5022 @kindex G l (Summary)
5023 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5024 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5027 @kindex G o (Summary)
5028 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5030 @cindex article history
5031 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5032 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5033 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5034 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5035 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5036 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5041 @kindex G j (Summary)
5042 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5043 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5044 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5049 @node Choosing Variables
5050 @subsection Choosing Variables
5052 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5055 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5056 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5057 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5058 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5059 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5060 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5062 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5063 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5064 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
5065 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article. If you would
5066 like each article to be saved in the Agent as you read it, putting
5067 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this hook will do so.
5069 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5070 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5071 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5072 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5073 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5074 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5075 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5076 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5077 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
5078 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5079 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5080 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5081 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5082 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5087 @node Paging the Article
5088 @section Scrolling the Article
5089 @cindex article scrolling
5094 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5095 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5096 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5097 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5098 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5100 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5101 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5102 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5103 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5104 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5105 what is considered uninteresting with
5106 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5107 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5110 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5111 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5112 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5115 @kindex RET (Summary)
5116 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5117 Scroll the current article one line forward
5118 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5121 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5122 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5123 Scroll the current article one line backward
5124 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5128 @kindex A g (Summary)
5130 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5131 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5132 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5133 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5134 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5135 the way it came from the server.
5137 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5138 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5139 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5142 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5147 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5152 @kindex A < (Summary)
5153 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5154 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5155 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5160 @kindex A > (Summary)
5161 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5162 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5166 @kindex A s (Summary)
5168 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5169 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5170 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5174 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5175 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5180 @node Reply Followup and Post
5181 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5184 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5185 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5186 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5187 * Canceling and Superseding::
5191 @node Summary Mail Commands
5192 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5194 @cindex composing mail
5196 Commands for composing a mail message:
5202 @kindex S r (Summary)
5204 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5205 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5206 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5207 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5208 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5213 @kindex S R (Summary)
5214 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5215 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5216 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5217 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5218 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5221 @kindex S w (Summary)
5222 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5223 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5224 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5225 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5226 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5229 @kindex S W (Summary)
5230 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5231 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5232 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5233 the process/prefix convention.
5236 @kindex S v (Summary)
5237 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5238 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5239 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5240 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5241 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5242 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5245 @kindex S V (Summary)
5246 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5247 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5248 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5249 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5252 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5253 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5254 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5255 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5256 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5257 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5258 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5259 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5262 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5263 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5264 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5265 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5266 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5270 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5271 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5272 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5273 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5274 Forward the current article to some other person
5275 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5276 headers of the forwarded article.
5281 @kindex S m (Summary)
5282 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5283 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5284 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5285 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5286 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5291 @kindex S i (Summary)
5292 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5293 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5294 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5295 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5297 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5298 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5299 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5300 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5301 for this to work though.
5304 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5305 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5306 @cindex bouncing mail
5307 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5308 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5309 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5310 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5311 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5312 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
5313 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5314 very well fail, though.
5317 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5318 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5319 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5320 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5321 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5322 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5323 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5324 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5325 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5326 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5328 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5329 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5330 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5331 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5332 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5334 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5335 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5338 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5339 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
5340 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5341 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
5342 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5345 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5346 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5347 @cindex crossposting
5348 @cindex excessive crossposting
5349 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5350 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5352 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5353 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5354 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5355 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5356 command understands the process/prefix convention
5357 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5361 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5362 Manual}, for more information.
5365 @node Summary Post Commands
5366 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5368 @cindex composing news
5370 Commands for posting a news article:
5376 @kindex S p (Summary)
5377 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5378 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5379 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5380 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5381 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5386 @kindex S f (Summary)
5387 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5388 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5389 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5393 @kindex S F (Summary)
5395 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5396 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5397 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5398 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5399 process/prefix convention.
5402 @kindex S n (Summary)
5403 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5404 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5405 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5408 @kindex S N (Summary)
5409 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5410 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5411 message through mail and include the original message
5412 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5413 the process/prefix convention.
5416 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5417 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5418 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5419 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5420 headers of the forwarded article.
5423 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5424 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
5426 @cindex making digests
5427 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5428 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5429 process/prefix convention.
5432 @kindex S u (Summary)
5433 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5434 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5435 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5436 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5439 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5440 Manual}, for more information.
5443 @node Summary Message Commands
5444 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5448 @kindex S y (Summary)
5449 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5450 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5451 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5452 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5453 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5458 @node Canceling and Superseding
5459 @subsection Canceling Articles
5460 @cindex canceling articles
5461 @cindex superseding articles
5463 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5464 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5466 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5468 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5470 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5471 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5472 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5473 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5474 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5475 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5477 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5478 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5481 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5482 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5483 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5485 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5486 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5487 your original article.
5489 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5491 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5492 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5493 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5496 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5497 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5498 have posted almost the same article twice.
5500 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5501 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5502 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5503 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5504 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5505 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5506 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5507 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5508 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5509 canceled/superseded.
5511 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5513 @node Delayed Articles
5514 @section Delayed Articles
5515 @cindex delayed sending
5516 @cindex send delayed
5518 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5519 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5520 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5521 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5524 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5527 @findex gnus-delay-article
5528 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5529 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5530 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5531 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5535 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5536 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5537 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5538 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5541 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5542 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5543 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5546 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5547 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5548 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5549 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5550 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5551 that means a time tomorrow.
5554 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5555 couple of variables:
5558 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5559 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5560 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5561 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5563 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5564 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5565 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5566 formats described above.
5568 @item gnus-delay-group
5569 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5570 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5571 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5572 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5574 @item gnus-delay-header
5575 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5576 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5577 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5578 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5581 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5582 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5583 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5584 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5585 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5587 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5588 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5589 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5590 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5591 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5592 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5593 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5596 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5597 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5599 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5600 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5601 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5602 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5603 argument is ignored.
5605 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5606 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5607 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5611 @node Marking Articles
5612 @section Marking Articles
5613 @cindex article marking
5614 @cindex article ticking
5617 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5619 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5620 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5621 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5623 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5626 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5627 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5628 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5632 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5636 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5637 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5638 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5642 @node Unread Articles
5643 @subsection Unread Articles
5645 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5650 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5651 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5653 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5654 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5655 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5656 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5657 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5658 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5659 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5662 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5663 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5665 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5666 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5667 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5668 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5672 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5673 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5675 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5680 @subsection Read Articles
5681 @cindex expirable mark
5683 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5688 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5689 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5690 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5693 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5694 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5697 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5698 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5699 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5702 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5703 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5706 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5707 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5710 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5711 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5714 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5715 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5718 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5719 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5722 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5723 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5726 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5727 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5731 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5732 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5733 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5737 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5738 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5740 One more special mark, though:
5744 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5745 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5747 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5748 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5749 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5750 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5756 @subsection Other Marks
5757 @cindex process mark
5760 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5766 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5767 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5768 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5769 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5770 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5773 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5774 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5775 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5776 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5779 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5780 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5781 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5784 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5785 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5786 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5789 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5790 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5791 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5792 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5795 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5796 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5797 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5798 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5799 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5800 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5803 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5804 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5805 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5806 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5809 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5810 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, articles may be
5811 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5812 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5813 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5817 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5818 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, some articles might
5819 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5820 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5821 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5822 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5825 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5826 The Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics} downloads some articles
5827 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5828 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5829 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5830 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5834 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5835 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5836 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5837 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5838 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5841 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5842 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5843 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5844 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5845 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5846 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5850 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5851 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5852 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5854 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5855 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5856 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5860 @subsection Setting Marks
5861 @cindex setting marks
5863 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5868 @kindex M c (Summary)
5869 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5870 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5871 @cindex mark as unread
5872 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5873 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5879 @kindex M t (Summary)
5880 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5881 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5882 @xref{Article Caching}.
5887 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5888 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5889 Mark the current article as dormant
5890 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5894 @kindex M d (Summary)
5896 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5897 Mark the current article as read
5898 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5902 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5903 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5904 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5909 @kindex M k (Summary)
5910 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5911 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5912 and then select the next unread article
5913 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5917 @kindex M K (Summary)
5918 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5919 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5920 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5921 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5924 @kindex M C (Summary)
5925 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5926 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5927 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5930 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5931 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5932 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5933 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5936 @kindex M H (Summary)
5937 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5938 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5939 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5942 @kindex M h (Summary)
5943 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5944 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5945 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5948 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5949 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5950 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5951 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5954 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5955 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5956 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5957 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5961 @kindex M e (Summary)
5963 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5964 Mark the current article as expirable
5965 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5968 @kindex M b (Summary)
5969 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5970 Set a bookmark in the current article
5971 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5974 @kindex M B (Summary)
5975 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5976 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5977 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5980 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5981 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5982 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5983 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5986 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5987 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5988 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5989 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5992 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5993 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5994 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5995 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5996 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5999 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6000 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6001 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6002 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6003 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6004 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6005 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6006 The default is @code{t}.
6009 @node Generic Marking Commands
6010 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6012 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6013 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6014 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6015 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6016 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6019 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6020 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6023 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6024 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6025 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6026 to list in this manual.
6028 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6029 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6030 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6031 article, you could say something like:
6035 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6036 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6037 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6045 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6046 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6050 @node Setting Process Marks
6051 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6052 @cindex setting process marks
6054 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6055 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6056 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6057 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6058 commands into the cache. For more information,
6059 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6066 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6067 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6068 Mark the current article with the process mark
6069 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6070 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6074 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6075 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6076 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6077 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6080 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6081 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6082 Remove the process mark from all articles
6083 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6086 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6087 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6088 Invert the list of process marked articles
6089 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6092 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6093 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6094 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6095 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6098 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6099 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6100 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6101 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6104 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6105 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6106 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6110 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6111 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6114 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6115 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6116 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6117 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6120 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6121 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6122 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6123 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6126 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6127 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6128 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6129 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6132 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6133 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6134 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6137 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6138 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6139 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6140 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6143 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6144 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6145 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6148 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6149 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6150 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6151 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6154 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6155 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6156 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6157 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6160 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6161 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6162 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6163 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6166 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6167 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6168 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6169 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6173 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
6174 set process marks based on article body contents.
6181 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6182 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6183 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6186 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6187 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6188 additional articles.
6194 @kindex / / (Summary)
6195 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6196 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6197 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6201 @kindex / a (Summary)
6202 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6203 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6204 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6208 @kindex / x (Summary)
6209 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6210 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6211 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6212 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6217 @kindex / u (Summary)
6219 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6220 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6221 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6222 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6223 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6226 @kindex / m (Summary)
6227 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6228 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6229 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6232 @kindex / t (Summary)
6233 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6234 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6235 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6236 articles younger than that number of days.
6239 @kindex / n (Summary)
6240 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6241 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6242 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6243 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6246 @kindex / w (Summary)
6247 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6248 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6249 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6253 @kindex / . (Summary)
6254 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6255 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6256 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6259 @kindex / v (Summary)
6260 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6261 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6262 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6265 @kindex / p (Summary)
6266 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6267 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6268 group parameter predicate
6269 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). See @pxref{Group
6270 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
6274 @kindex M S (Summary)
6275 @kindex / E (Summary)
6276 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6277 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6278 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6281 @kindex / D (Summary)
6282 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6283 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6284 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6287 @kindex / * (Summary)
6288 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6289 Include all cached articles in the limit
6290 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6293 @kindex / d (Summary)
6294 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6295 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6296 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6299 @kindex / M (Summary)
6300 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6301 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6304 @kindex / T (Summary)
6305 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6306 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6309 @kindex / c (Summary)
6310 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6311 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6312 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6315 @kindex / C (Summary)
6316 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6317 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6318 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6319 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6322 @kindex / N (Summary)
6323 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6324 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6325 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6328 @kindex / o (Summary)
6329 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6330 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6331 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6339 @cindex article threading
6341 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6342 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6343 hierarchical fashion.
6345 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6346 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6347 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6348 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6349 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6350 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6351 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6353 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6357 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6360 A tree-like article structure.
6363 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6366 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6367 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6368 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6369 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6370 called loose threads.
6372 @item thread gathering
6373 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6375 @item sparse threads
6376 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6377 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6383 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6384 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6388 @node Customizing Threading
6389 @subsection Customizing Threading
6390 @cindex customizing threading
6393 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6394 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6395 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6396 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6401 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6404 @cindex loose threads
6407 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6408 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6409 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6410 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6411 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6412 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6414 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
6415 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
6416 There are four possible values:
6420 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6421 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6422 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6423 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6424 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6429 @cindex adopting articles
6434 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6435 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6436 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6437 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6440 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6441 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6442 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6443 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6444 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6445 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6446 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6447 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6448 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6449 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6452 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6453 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6454 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6458 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6459 display them after one another.
6462 Don't gather loose threads.
6465 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6466 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6467 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6468 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
6469 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6470 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6471 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6472 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6473 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6474 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
6475 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6477 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6478 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
6479 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6482 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6483 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6484 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6485 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6486 simplification is used.
6488 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6489 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6490 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6491 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6493 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6495 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6501 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6502 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6503 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6504 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6509 (mapconcat 'identity
6510 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6512 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6515 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6518 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6519 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6520 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6521 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6522 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6523 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6525 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6528 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6529 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6530 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6532 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6533 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6536 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6537 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6538 Remove excessive whitespace.
6540 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6541 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6542 Remove all whitespace.
6545 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6548 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6549 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6550 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6551 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6552 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6553 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6554 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6555 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6557 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6558 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6559 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6560 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6561 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6562 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6563 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6564 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6565 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6569 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6570 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6571 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6572 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6574 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6575 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6576 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6579 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6583 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6584 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6590 @node Filling In Threads
6591 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6594 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6595 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6596 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6597 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6598 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6599 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6600 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6601 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6602 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6603 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6604 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6605 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6608 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6609 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6610 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6612 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6613 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6614 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
6617 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6618 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6619 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6620 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6621 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6622 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6623 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6624 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6625 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6626 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6627 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6628 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6629 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6630 @code{nil} by default.
6632 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6633 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6634 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6635 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6636 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6637 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6638 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6640 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6641 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6642 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6647 @node More Threading
6648 @subsubsection More Threading
6651 @item gnus-show-threads
6652 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6653 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6654 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6655 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6656 slower and more awkward.
6658 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6659 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6660 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6663 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6664 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6665 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
6670 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6671 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6672 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6675 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6676 unread, but you get my drift.)
6679 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6680 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6681 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6682 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6683 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6684 threads are expunged.
6686 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6687 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6688 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6691 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6692 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6693 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6694 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6695 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6696 result in a new thread.
6698 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6699 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6700 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6703 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6704 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6705 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6706 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6707 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6708 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6709 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6710 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6711 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6712 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6713 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6718 @node Low-Level Threading
6719 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6723 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6724 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6725 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6726 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6727 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6728 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6730 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6731 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6732 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6733 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6734 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6735 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6736 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6737 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6738 meaningful. Here's one example:
6741 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6743 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6744 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6746 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6748 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6755 @node Thread Commands
6756 @subsection Thread Commands
6757 @cindex thread commands
6763 @kindex T k (Summary)
6764 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6765 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6766 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6767 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6768 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6773 @kindex T l (Summary)
6774 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6775 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6776 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6777 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6780 @kindex T i (Summary)
6781 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6782 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6783 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6786 @kindex T # (Summary)
6787 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6788 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6789 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6792 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6793 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6794 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6795 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6798 @kindex T T (Summary)
6799 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6800 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6803 @kindex T s (Summary)
6804 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6805 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
6806 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6809 @kindex T h (Summary)
6810 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6811 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6814 @kindex T S (Summary)
6815 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6816 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6819 @kindex T H (Summary)
6820 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6821 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6824 @kindex T t (Summary)
6825 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6826 Re-thread the current article's thread
6827 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6828 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6831 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6832 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6833 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6834 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6838 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6839 understand the numeric prefix.
6844 @kindex T n (Summary)
6846 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6848 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6849 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6850 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6853 @kindex T p (Summary)
6855 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6857 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6858 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6859 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6862 @kindex T d (Summary)
6863 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6864 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6867 @kindex T u (Summary)
6868 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6869 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6872 @kindex T o (Summary)
6873 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6874 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6877 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6878 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6879 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6880 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6881 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6882 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6883 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6884 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6885 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6886 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6887 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6888 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6892 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6893 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6895 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6896 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6897 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6898 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6899 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6900 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6901 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6902 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6903 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6904 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6905 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6906 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6907 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6909 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6910 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6911 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6912 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6913 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6914 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6915 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6916 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6918 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6919 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6920 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6922 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6923 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6924 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6925 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6926 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6927 ascending article order.
6929 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6930 by number, you could do something like:
6933 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6934 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6935 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6936 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6939 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6940 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6941 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6942 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6943 which the articles arrived.
6945 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6949 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6951 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6952 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6955 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6956 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6957 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6958 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6961 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6962 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6963 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6964 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6965 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6966 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
6967 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6968 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
6969 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
6970 variable. It is very similar to the
6971 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
6972 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
6973 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6974 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
6975 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
6976 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
6977 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6979 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6983 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6984 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6985 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6990 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6991 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6992 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6993 @cindex article pre-fetch
6996 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
6997 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6998 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6999 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7000 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7002 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7003 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
7005 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7006 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7007 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7008 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7009 connection is blocked.
7011 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7012 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7013 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7014 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
7016 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7017 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7018 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7019 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7022 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7025 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7026 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7027 happen automatically.
7029 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7030 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7031 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7032 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7033 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7034 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7035 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7037 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7038 @findex gnus-async-read-p
7039 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7040 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7041 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7042 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7043 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
7044 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7045 article data structure as the only parameter.
7047 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7048 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7051 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7052 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7053 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7054 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7057 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7060 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7061 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
7062 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7064 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7065 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7066 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7067 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7071 Remove articles when they are read.
7074 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7077 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7079 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7080 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7081 @c from the next group.
7084 @node Article Caching
7085 @section Article Caching
7086 @cindex article caching
7089 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7090 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7091 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7092 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7093 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7095 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7097 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7098 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7099 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7100 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7101 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7102 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7103 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7104 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7106 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7107 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7108 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7109 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7110 as dormant, and don't worry.
7112 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7114 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7115 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7116 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7117 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7118 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7119 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7120 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7121 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7122 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7123 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7125 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7126 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7127 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7128 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7129 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7130 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7131 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7132 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7133 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7134 not then be downloaded by this command.
7136 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7137 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7138 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7139 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7140 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7141 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7143 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7144 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7145 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7146 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7147 variables, the group is not cached.
7149 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7150 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7151 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7152 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7153 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7154 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
7155 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7156 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7157 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7160 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7161 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7162 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7163 where, isn't that cool?
7165 @node Persistent Articles
7166 @section Persistent Articles
7167 @cindex persistent articles
7169 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7170 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7171 useful in my opinion.
7173 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7174 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7175 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7176 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7177 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7178 the expiry going on at the news server.
7180 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7181 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7182 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7188 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7189 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7192 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7193 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7194 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7195 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7199 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7201 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7202 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7203 interested in persistent articles:
7206 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7210 @node Article Backlog
7211 @section Article Backlog
7213 @cindex article backlog
7215 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7216 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7217 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
7218 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7219 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7220 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7221 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
7222 increase memory usage some.
7224 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7225 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
7226 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7227 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
7228 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7229 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7230 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7232 The default value is 20.
7235 @node Saving Articles
7236 @section Saving Articles
7237 @cindex saving articles
7239 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7240 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7241 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7242 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7243 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7245 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7246 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7247 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7249 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7250 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
7251 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7253 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7254 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7255 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7256 deleted before saving.
7262 @kindex O o (Summary)
7264 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7265 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7266 Save the current article using the default article saver
7267 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7270 @kindex O m (Summary)
7271 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7272 Save the current article in mail format
7273 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7276 @kindex O r (Summary)
7277 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7278 Save the current article in Rmail format
7279 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7282 @kindex O f (Summary)
7283 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7284 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7285 Save the current article in plain file format
7286 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7289 @kindex O F (Summary)
7290 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7291 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7292 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7295 @kindex O b (Summary)
7296 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7297 Save the current article body in plain file format
7298 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7301 @kindex O h (Summary)
7302 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7303 Save the current article in mh folder format
7304 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7307 @kindex O v (Summary)
7308 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7309 Save the current article in a VM folder
7310 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7314 @kindex O p (Summary)
7316 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7317 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7318 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7319 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7320 complete headers in the piped output.
7323 @kindex O P (Summary)
7324 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7325 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7326 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7327 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7328 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7329 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7330 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7334 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7335 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7336 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7337 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7338 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7339 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7340 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7341 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7342 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7343 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7344 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7345 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7349 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7350 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7351 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7352 functions below, or you can create your own.
7356 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7357 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7358 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7359 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7360 This is the default format, @dfn{Babyl}. Uses the function in the
7361 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7362 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7364 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7365 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7366 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7367 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7368 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7369 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7371 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7372 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7373 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7374 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7375 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7376 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7377 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7379 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7380 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7381 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7382 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7383 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7384 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7386 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7387 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7388 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7389 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7390 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7392 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7393 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7394 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7395 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7396 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7399 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7400 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7401 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7402 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7403 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7405 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7406 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7407 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7408 reader to use this setting.
7411 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7412 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7413 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7414 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7417 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7418 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7419 available functions that generate names:
7423 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7424 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7425 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7427 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7428 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7429 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7431 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7432 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7433 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7435 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7436 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7437 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7439 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7440 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7441 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7444 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7445 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7446 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7447 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7448 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7452 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7453 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7454 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7455 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7458 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7459 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7460 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7461 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7462 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7463 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7464 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7465 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7466 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7468 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7469 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7470 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7471 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7473 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7474 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7475 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7478 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7479 lots of mail groups called things like
7480 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7481 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7482 following will do just that:
7485 (defun my-save-name (group)
7486 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7487 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7489 (setq gnus-split-methods
7490 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7495 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7496 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7497 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7498 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7499 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7500 all the files in the top level directory
7501 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7502 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7503 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7504 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7506 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7507 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7508 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7509 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7510 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7513 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7517 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
7518 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7519 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
7522 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7523 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7524 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7525 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7528 @node Decoding Articles
7529 @section Decoding Articles
7530 @cindex decoding articles
7532 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7533 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7536 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7537 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7538 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7539 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7540 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7541 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7545 @cindex article series
7546 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7547 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7548 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7549 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7550 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7552 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7553 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7554 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7556 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
7557 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7558 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7560 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7561 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7562 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7565 @node Uuencoded Articles
7566 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7568 @cindex uuencoded articles
7573 @kindex X u (Summary)
7574 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7575 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7576 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7579 @kindex X U (Summary)
7580 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7581 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7582 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7585 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7586 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7587 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7590 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7591 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7592 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7593 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7597 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7598 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7599 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7600 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7601 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7603 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7604 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7605 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7606 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7609 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7610 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7611 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7612 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7613 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7614 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7618 @node Shell Archives
7619 @subsection Shell Archives
7621 @cindex shell archives
7622 @cindex shared articles
7624 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7625 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7626 some commands to deal with these:
7631 @kindex X s (Summary)
7632 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7633 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7636 @kindex X S (Summary)
7637 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7638 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7641 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7642 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7643 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7646 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7647 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7648 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7649 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7653 @node PostScript Files
7654 @subsection PostScript Files
7660 @kindex X p (Summary)
7661 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7662 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7665 @kindex X P (Summary)
7666 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7667 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7668 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7671 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7672 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7673 View the current PostScript series
7674 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7677 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7678 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7679 View and save the current PostScript series
7680 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7685 @subsection Other Files
7689 @kindex X o (Summary)
7690 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7691 Save the current series
7692 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7695 @kindex X b (Summary)
7696 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7697 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7698 doesn't really work yet.
7702 @node Decoding Variables
7703 @subsection Decoding Variables
7705 Adjective, not verb.
7708 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7709 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7710 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7714 @node Rule Variables
7715 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7716 @cindex rule variables
7718 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7719 variables are of the form
7722 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7729 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7730 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7732 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7733 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7736 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7737 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7740 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7741 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7742 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7743 user and default view rules.
7745 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7746 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7747 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7752 @node Other Decode Variables
7753 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7756 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7758 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7759 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7760 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7761 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7762 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7766 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7767 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7770 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7771 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7772 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7775 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7776 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7777 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7778 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7779 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7782 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7783 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7784 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7786 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7787 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7788 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7789 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7790 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
7793 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7794 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7795 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7797 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7798 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7799 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7800 looking for files to display.
7802 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7803 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7804 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7807 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7808 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7809 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7812 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7813 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7814 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7817 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7818 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7819 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7822 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7823 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7824 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7825 decoded articles as unread.
7827 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7828 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7829 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7830 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7832 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7833 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7834 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7836 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7837 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7839 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7840 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
7841 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7842 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7844 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7845 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7846 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7847 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7848 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7849 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7850 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7851 simply dropped them.
7856 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7857 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7861 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7862 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7863 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7864 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7865 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7866 for you when you post the article.
7868 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7869 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7870 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7871 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7873 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7874 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7875 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7876 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7877 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7878 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7879 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
7881 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7882 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7883 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7884 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7885 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7886 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7887 Default is @code{t}.
7893 @subsection Viewing Files
7894 @cindex viewing files
7895 @cindex pseudo-articles
7897 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7898 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7899 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7900 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7901 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7902 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7903 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7905 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7906 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7907 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7908 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7910 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7911 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7912 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7914 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7915 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7916 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7917 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7918 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7920 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7921 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7922 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7923 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7924 a list of parameters to that command.
7926 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7927 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7928 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7930 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7931 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7932 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7935 @node Article Treatment
7936 @section Article Treatment
7938 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7939 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7940 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7941 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7942 these articles easier.
7945 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7946 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7947 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7948 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7949 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7950 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7951 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
7952 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7953 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7954 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7955 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
7959 @node Article Highlighting
7960 @subsection Article Highlighting
7961 @cindex highlighting
7963 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7964 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7969 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7970 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7971 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7972 Do much highlighting of the current article
7973 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7974 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7977 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7978 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7979 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7980 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7981 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7982 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7983 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7984 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7985 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7986 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7987 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7988 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7991 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7992 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7993 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7995 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7998 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8000 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8001 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
8002 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8004 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8005 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8006 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8008 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8009 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8010 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8011 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8012 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8013 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8015 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8016 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8017 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8019 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8020 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8021 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8023 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8024 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8025 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8026 that it's a citation.
8028 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8029 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8030 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8032 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8033 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8034 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8036 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8037 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8038 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8039 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8045 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8046 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8047 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8048 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8049 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8050 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8051 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8052 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8057 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8060 @node Article Fontisizing
8061 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8063 @cindex article emphasis
8065 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8066 @kindex W e (Summary)
8067 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8068 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8069 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8070 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8072 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8073 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8074 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8075 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8076 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8077 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8078 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8079 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8083 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8084 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8085 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8094 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8095 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8096 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8097 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8098 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8099 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8100 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8101 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8102 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8103 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8104 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8105 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8106 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8108 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8109 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8110 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8114 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8117 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8119 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8120 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8121 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8122 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8124 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8127 @node Article Hiding
8128 @subsection Article Hiding
8129 @cindex article hiding
8131 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8132 too much cruft in most articles.
8137 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8138 @findex gnus-article-hide
8139 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8140 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8141 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8144 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8145 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8146 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8150 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8151 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8152 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8153 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8156 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8157 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8158 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8162 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8163 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8164 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8165 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8166 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8167 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8168 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8169 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8173 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8174 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8175 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8176 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8181 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8182 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8183 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8184 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8187 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8188 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8189 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8190 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8193 @cindex stripping advertisements
8194 @cindex advertisements
8195 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8196 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8197 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8198 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8199 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8200 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8201 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8202 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8203 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8204 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8207 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8208 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8209 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8213 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8214 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8215 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8216 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8217 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8218 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8219 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8220 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8221 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8222 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8223 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8226 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8227 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8233 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8234 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8235 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8236 customizing the hiding:
8240 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8241 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8242 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8243 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8244 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8245 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8246 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8251 Starting point of the hidden text.
8253 Ending point of the hidden text.
8255 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8257 Number of lines of hidden text.
8260 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8261 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8262 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8263 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8264 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8269 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8270 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8272 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8273 following two variables:
8276 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8277 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8278 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8279 50), hide the cited text.
8281 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8282 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8283 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8288 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8289 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8290 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8291 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8292 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8293 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8297 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8298 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8299 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8301 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8302 citation customization.
8304 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8308 @node Article Washing
8309 @subsection Article Washing
8311 @cindex article washing
8313 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8314 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8316 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8317 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8320 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8321 articles by default.
8326 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8327 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8331 Force redisplaying of the current article
8332 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8333 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8334 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8335 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8338 @kindex W l (Summary)
8339 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8340 Remove page breaks from the current article
8341 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8345 @kindex W r (Summary)
8346 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8347 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8348 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8349 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8350 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8351 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8353 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8354 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8355 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8356 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8359 @kindex W m (Summary)
8360 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8361 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8365 @kindex W t (Summary)
8367 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8368 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8369 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8372 @kindex W v (Summary)
8373 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8374 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8375 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8378 @kindex W m (Summary)
8379 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
8380 Toggle whether to run the article through @acronym{MIME} before
8381 displaying (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
8384 @kindex W o (Summary)
8385 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8386 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8389 @kindex W d (Summary)
8390 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8391 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8393 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8395 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8396 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8397 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8398 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8401 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8402 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8403 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8404 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8407 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8408 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8409 @cindex Outlook Express
8410 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8411 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8412 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8415 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8416 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8417 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8418 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8419 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8420 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8421 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8422 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
8423 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8424 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8427 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8428 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8429 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
8430 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8433 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8434 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8435 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8436 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8439 @kindex W w (Summary)
8440 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8441 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8443 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8447 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8448 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8449 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8452 @kindex W C (Summary)
8453 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8454 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8455 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8458 @kindex W c (Summary)
8459 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8460 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8461 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8462 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8463 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8465 @kindex W q (Summary)
8466 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8467 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8468 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
8469 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
8470 makes strings like @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which
8471 doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually done
8472 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8473 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8474 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8477 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8478 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8479 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
8480 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
8481 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
8482 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8483 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8484 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8487 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8488 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8489 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8490 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8491 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8494 @kindex W u (Summary)
8495 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8496 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8497 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8498 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8499 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8502 @kindex W h (Summary)
8503 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8504 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8505 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8506 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
8508 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8510 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8511 The default is to use the function specified by
8512 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
8513 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
8514 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
8515 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8523 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
8526 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
8529 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
8532 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
8537 @kindex W b (Summary)
8538 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8539 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8540 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8543 @kindex W B (Summary)
8544 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8545 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8546 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8549 @kindex W p (Summary)
8550 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8551 Verify a signed control message
8552 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
8553 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
8554 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
8555 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8556 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
8557 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8560 @kindex W s (Summary)
8561 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8562 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
8563 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
8564 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8567 @kindex W a (Summary)
8568 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8569 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8570 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8573 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8574 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8575 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8576 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8579 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8580 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8581 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8582 lines with a single empty line.
8583 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8586 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8587 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8588 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8589 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8592 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8593 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8594 Do all the three commands above
8595 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8598 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8599 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8600 Remove all blank lines
8601 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8604 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8605 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8606 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8607 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8610 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8611 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8612 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8613 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8617 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8620 @node Article Header
8621 @subsection Article Header
8623 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8628 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8629 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8630 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8633 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8634 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8635 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8636 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8639 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8640 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8641 Fold all the message headers
8642 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8646 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8647 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8648 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8653 @node Article Buttons
8654 @subsection Article Buttons
8657 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8658 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8659 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8660 button on these references.
8662 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8663 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8664 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
8665 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
8666 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
8670 @item gnus-button-alist
8671 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8672 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8675 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8681 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8682 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8683 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8684 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8685 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
8688 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8689 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8690 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8693 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8694 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8695 avoid false matches. Often variables named
8696 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
8697 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
8699 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
8702 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8705 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8706 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8710 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8713 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8716 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8717 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8718 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8719 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8720 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8723 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8726 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8729 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
8732 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
8733 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
8735 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
8737 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8738 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8739 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8740 default values of the variables above.
8742 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
8744 @item gnus-button-man-handler
8745 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8746 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
8747 argument with a string naming the man page.
8749 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
8751 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8752 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8753 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
8755 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8756 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8757 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
8758 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
8759 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
8760 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
8761 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
8762 @code{ask}, always query the user what do do. If it is a function, this
8763 function will be called with the string as it's only argument. The
8764 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
8765 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
8766 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8768 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8769 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8770 Function that guesses whether it's argument is a message ID or a mail
8771 address. Returns @code{mid} it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if it's a
8772 mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the string is
8775 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8776 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8777 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
8778 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8780 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
8782 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
8783 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
8784 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
8785 argument, the string naming the URL.
8788 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
8789 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
8790 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
8794 @item gnus-article-button-face
8795 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8796 Face used on buttons.
8798 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8799 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8800 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8804 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8807 @node Article Button Levels
8808 @subsection Article button levels
8809 @cindex button levels
8810 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
8811 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
8812 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
8813 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
8814 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
8815 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
8816 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
8817 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
8820 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
8821 (setq gnus-parameters
8822 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
8823 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
8824 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
8829 @item gnus-button-browse-level
8830 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
8831 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
8832 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
8833 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
8834 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
8836 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
8837 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
8838 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
8839 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
8840 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
8841 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
8842 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
8843 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
8844 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
8845 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
8846 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
8847 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
8848 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
8850 @item gnus-button-man-level
8851 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
8852 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
8853 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
8855 @item gnus-button-message-level
8856 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
8857 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
8858 Related variables and functions include
8859 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
8860 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
8861 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
8862 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
8864 @item gnus-button-tex-level
8865 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
8866 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
8867 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
8868 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
8869 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
8870 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
8876 @subsection Article Date
8878 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8879 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8880 when the article was sent.
8885 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8886 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8887 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8888 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8891 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8892 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8894 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8895 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8898 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8899 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8900 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8903 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8904 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8905 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8906 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8909 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8910 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8911 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8912 @findex format-time-string
8913 Display the date using a user-defined format
8914 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8915 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8916 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8917 for a list of possible format specs.
8920 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8921 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8922 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8923 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8924 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8925 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8928 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8931 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
8932 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8933 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8936 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8937 into wonderful absurdities.
8939 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8942 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8945 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8946 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8950 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8951 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8952 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8953 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8954 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8955 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8956 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8960 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8961 preferred format automatically.
8964 @node Article Display
8965 @subsection Article Display
8970 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
8971 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8973 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8974 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8976 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8977 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8979 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8980 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8982 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
8987 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8988 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8989 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8990 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8993 @kindex W D d (Summary)
8994 @findex gnus-article-display-face
8995 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
8996 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
8999 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9000 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9001 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9004 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9005 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9006 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9009 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9010 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9011 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9012 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9015 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9016 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9017 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9018 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9021 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9022 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9023 Remove all images from the article buffer
9024 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9030 @node Article Signature
9031 @subsection Article Signature
9033 @cindex article signature
9035 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9036 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9037 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9038 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9039 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9040 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9041 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9042 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9043 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9046 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9047 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9048 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9049 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9050 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9051 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9052 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9053 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9056 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9059 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9060 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9061 signature when displaying articles.
9065 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9068 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9071 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9072 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9074 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9075 in question is not a signature.
9078 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9079 listed above. Here's an example:
9082 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9083 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9086 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9087 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9088 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9089 signature after all.
9092 @node Article Miscellanea
9093 @subsection Article Miscellanea
9097 @kindex A t (Summary)
9098 @findex gnus-article-babel
9099 Translate the article from one language to another
9100 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9106 @section MIME Commands
9107 @cindex MIME decoding
9109 @cindex viewing attachments
9111 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9112 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9118 @kindex K v (Summary)
9119 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9122 @kindex K o (Summary)
9123 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9126 @kindex K c (Summary)
9127 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9130 @kindex K e (Summary)
9131 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9134 @kindex K i (Summary)
9135 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9138 @kindex K | (Summary)
9139 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9142 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9147 @kindex K b (Summary)
9148 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9149 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9153 @kindex K m (Summary)
9154 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9155 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9156 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9157 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9158 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9161 @kindex X m (Summary)
9162 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9163 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9164 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9165 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9168 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9169 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9170 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9171 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9174 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9175 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9176 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9177 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9180 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9181 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9182 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9183 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9185 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9186 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9187 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9188 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9189 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9190 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9193 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9194 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9195 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9196 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9203 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9204 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9205 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9206 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9209 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9212 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9216 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9217 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9218 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't required the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9219 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9220 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9221 default is @code{nil}.
9223 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9224 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9225 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9226 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9227 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9228 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9229 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9231 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9232 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9233 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9234 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9235 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9236 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9237 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9238 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9240 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9241 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9242 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9243 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9244 displayed. This variable overrides
9245 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9246 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9249 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9250 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9251 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9253 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9254 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9255 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9256 default value is @code{nil}.
9258 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9259 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9260 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9261 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9262 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9263 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9264 save all jpegs into some directory).
9266 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9269 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9270 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9272 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9273 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9274 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9275 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9276 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9279 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9280 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9281 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9283 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9284 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9285 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9286 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9288 Ready-made functions include@*
9289 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9290 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9291 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9292 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9293 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9294 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9295 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9296 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9297 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9298 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9299 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9300 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9302 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9303 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9305 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9306 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9307 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9310 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9311 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9312 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9313 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9317 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9326 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
9327 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9328 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
9329 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9330 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9331 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9332 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9334 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9335 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9336 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9337 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9339 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9340 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
9341 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9342 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9343 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9344 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9345 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9346 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9347 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9349 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9350 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9351 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
9352 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9353 quoted-printable header encoding.
9355 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9356 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9357 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9361 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9364 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9365 means encode all charsets),
9367 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9368 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9369 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9376 @cindex coding system aliases
9377 @cindex preferred charset
9379 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9381 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9382 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9385 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9386 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9389 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9390 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
9392 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9395 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9398 This will almost do the right thing.
9400 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9404 (codepage-setup 1251)
9405 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9409 @node Article Commands
9410 @section Article Commands
9417 @kindex A P (Summary)
9418 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9419 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9420 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9421 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9422 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9423 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9428 @node Summary Sorting
9429 @section Summary Sorting
9430 @cindex summary sorting
9432 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9433 can't really see why you'd want that.
9438 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9439 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9440 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9443 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9444 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9445 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9448 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9449 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9450 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9453 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9454 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9455 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9458 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9459 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9460 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9463 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9464 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9465 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9468 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9469 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9470 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9473 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9474 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9475 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9478 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9479 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9480 Sort using the default sorting method
9481 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9484 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9485 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9486 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9487 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9488 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9492 @node Finding the Parent
9493 @section Finding the Parent
9494 @cindex parent articles
9495 @cindex referring articles
9500 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9501 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9502 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9503 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
9504 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9505 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9506 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9507 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9508 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9510 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9511 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9512 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
9513 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9514 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9518 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9519 @kindex A R (Summary)
9520 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9521 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9524 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9525 @kindex A T (Summary)
9526 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9527 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9528 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9529 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9530 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9531 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9532 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9534 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9535 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9536 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9537 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9538 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9539 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9542 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9543 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9545 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9546 You can also ask the @acronym{NNTP} server for an arbitrary article, no
9547 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9548 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9549 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9550 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9551 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9554 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9555 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9556 by giving this command a prefix.
9558 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9559 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9560 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9561 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
9562 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
9563 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9566 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9567 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9568 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9571 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9572 then ask Google if that fails:
9575 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9577 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9580 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9581 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9582 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9583 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9584 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9585 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9586 support this at all.
9589 @node Alternative Approaches
9590 @section Alternative Approaches
9592 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9593 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9596 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9597 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9602 @subsection Pick and Read
9603 @cindex pick and read
9605 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9606 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9607 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9608 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9610 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9611 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9612 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9613 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9614 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9615 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9617 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9622 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9623 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9624 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9625 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9626 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9627 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9628 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9629 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9632 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9633 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9634 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9635 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9639 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9640 Unpick the thread or article
9641 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9642 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9643 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9644 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9645 the thread or article at that line.
9649 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9650 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9651 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9652 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9653 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9654 will still be visible when you are reading.
9658 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9659 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9660 which is mapped to the same function
9661 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9663 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9666 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9669 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9670 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9672 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9673 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9674 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9676 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9677 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9678 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9679 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9680 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9681 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9682 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9686 @subsection Binary Groups
9687 @cindex binary groups
9689 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9690 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9691 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9692 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9693 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9694 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9695 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9698 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9699 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9700 command, when you have turned on this mode
9701 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9703 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9704 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9708 @section Tree Display
9711 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9712 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
9713 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9714 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9717 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9720 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9721 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9722 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9724 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9725 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9726 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9727 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9728 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9730 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9731 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9732 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9733 default is @code{modeline}.
9735 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9736 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9737 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9738 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9739 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9740 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9741 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9747 The name of the poster.
9749 The @code{From} header.
9751 The number of the article.
9753 The opening bracket.
9755 The closing bracket.
9760 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9762 Variables related to the display are:
9765 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9766 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9767 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9768 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
9770 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9771 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
9772 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
9774 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9776 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9777 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9778 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9779 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9783 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9784 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9785 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
9786 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
9787 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9788 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9789 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9790 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9791 other windows displayed next to it.
9793 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9797 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9798 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9801 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9802 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9803 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9804 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9805 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9806 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9807 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9811 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9814 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9824 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9829 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9830 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9832 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9834 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9840 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9841 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9842 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
9845 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9846 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9847 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9848 (gnus-add-configuration
9852 (summary 0.75 point)
9857 @xref{Window Layout}.
9860 @node Mail Group Commands
9861 @section Mail Group Commands
9862 @cindex mail group commands
9864 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9865 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9867 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9868 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9873 @kindex B e (Summary)
9874 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9875 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9876 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9877 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9878 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9881 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9882 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9883 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9884 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9885 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9886 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9889 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9890 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9891 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9892 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9893 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9894 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9897 @kindex B m (Summary)
9899 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9900 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9901 Move the article from one mail group to another
9902 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9903 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9906 @kindex B c (Summary)
9908 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9909 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9910 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9911 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9912 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9915 @kindex B B (Summary)
9916 @cindex crosspost mail
9917 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9918 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9919 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9920 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9921 be properly updated.
9924 @kindex B i (Summary)
9925 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9926 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9927 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9928 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9931 @kindex B I (Summary)
9932 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9933 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9934 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9935 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9938 @kindex B r (Summary)
9939 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9940 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
9941 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9942 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9943 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9944 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9945 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9946 (which is the default).
9950 @kindex B w (Summary)
9952 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9953 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9954 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
9955 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9956 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9957 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9958 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9961 @kindex B q (Summary)
9962 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9963 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9964 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9965 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9968 @kindex B t (Summary)
9969 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9970 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9971 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9974 @kindex B p (Summary)
9975 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9976 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
9977 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9978 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9979 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9980 article from your news server (or rather, from
9981 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9982 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9983 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9984 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9985 just not have arrived yet.
9988 @kindex K E (Summary)
9989 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
9990 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
9991 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
9992 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
9993 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
9997 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9998 @cindex moving articles
9999 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
10000 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10001 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10002 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10003 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10004 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10005 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10008 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10009 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10010 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10011 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10015 @node Various Summary Stuff
10016 @section Various Summary Stuff
10019 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10020 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10021 * Summary Generation Commands::
10022 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10026 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10027 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10028 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10029 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10030 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10031 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10033 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
10034 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
10035 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
10038 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10039 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10040 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10042 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10043 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10044 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10045 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10046 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10047 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10050 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10051 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10052 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10053 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10054 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10056 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10057 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10058 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10061 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10062 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10063 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10064 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10065 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10066 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10067 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
10068 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10069 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10070 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10072 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10073 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10074 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10075 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10076 list of articles to be selected.
10078 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10079 the list in one particular group:
10082 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10083 (if (string= group "some.group")
10084 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10088 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10089 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10090 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10091 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
10092 @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary buffer is
10093 active. These variables can be used to set variables in the group
10094 parameters while still allowing them to affect operations done in
10095 other buffers. For example:
10098 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10099 '(message-use-followup-to
10100 (gnus-visible-headers .
10101 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10107 @node Summary Group Information
10108 @subsection Summary Group Information
10113 @kindex H f (Summary)
10114 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
10115 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
10116 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} (list of frequently asked questions)
10117 for the current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try
10118 to get the @acronym{FAQ} from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which
10119 is usually a directory on a remote machine. This variable can also be
10120 a list of directories. In that case, giving a prefix to this command
10121 will allow you to choose between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp}
10122 or @code{efs} will probably be used for fetching the file.
10125 @kindex H d (Summary)
10126 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10127 Give a brief description of the current group
10128 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10129 rereading the description from the server.
10132 @kindex H h (Summary)
10133 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10134 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10135 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10138 @kindex H i (Summary)
10139 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10140 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10144 @node Searching for Articles
10145 @subsection Searching for Articles
10150 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10151 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10152 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10153 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10156 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10157 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10158 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10159 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10162 @kindex & (Summary)
10163 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10164 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10165 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10166 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10167 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10168 search backward instead.
10170 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
10171 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10174 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10175 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10176 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10177 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10180 @node Summary Generation Commands
10181 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10186 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10187 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10188 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10191 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10192 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10193 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10194 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10197 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10198 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10199 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10200 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10205 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10206 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10212 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10213 @kindex A D (Summary)
10214 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10215 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10216 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10217 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10218 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10219 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10220 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10221 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10225 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10226 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10227 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10228 several documents into one biiig group
10229 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10230 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10231 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10232 command understands the process/prefix convention
10233 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10236 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10237 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10238 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10239 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10240 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10241 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10244 @kindex = (Summary)
10245 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10246 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10247 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10250 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10251 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10252 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10253 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10256 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10257 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10258 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10259 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10264 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10265 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10266 @cindex summary exit
10267 @cindex exiting groups
10269 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10270 group and return you to the group buffer.
10276 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10277 @kindex q (Summary)
10278 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10279 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10280 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10281 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10282 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10283 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10284 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10285 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10286 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10287 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10288 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10289 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10293 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10294 @kindex Q (Summary)
10295 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10296 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10297 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10301 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10302 @kindex c (Summary)
10303 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10304 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10305 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10306 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10309 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10310 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10311 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10312 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10315 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10316 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10317 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10318 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10321 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10322 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10323 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10324 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10325 all articles, both read and unread.
10329 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10330 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10331 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10332 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10333 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10334 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10335 articles, both read and unread.
10338 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10339 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10340 Exit the group and go to the next group
10341 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10344 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10345 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10346 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10347 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10350 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10351 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10352 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10353 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10354 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10355 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10358 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10359 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10360 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10361 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10363 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10364 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10365 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10366 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10367 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10368 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10369 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10370 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10371 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10372 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10373 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10374 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10376 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10378 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10379 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10380 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10381 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10382 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10383 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10384 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10385 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10386 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10389 @node Crosspost Handling
10390 @section Crosspost Handling
10394 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10395 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10396 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10397 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10398 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10399 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10402 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10403 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10404 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10405 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10406 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10408 @cindex cross-posting
10410 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
10411 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10412 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
10413 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10414 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
10415 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10416 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10417 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10418 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10419 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10420 the cross reference mechanism.
10422 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10423 @cindex overview.fmt
10424 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10425 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10426 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10427 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10428 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10429 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10432 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10433 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10434 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10439 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10442 @node Duplicate Suppression
10443 @section Duplicate Suppression
10445 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10446 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10447 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10448 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10453 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10454 is evil and not very common.
10457 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10458 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10461 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10462 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
10465 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10468 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10469 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10471 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10472 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10473 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10474 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10475 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10476 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10477 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10480 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10481 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10482 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10483 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10484 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10485 saw the article in.
10488 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10489 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10490 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10492 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10493 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10494 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10495 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10496 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
10497 session are suppressed.
10499 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10500 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10501 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10502 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10504 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10505 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10506 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10507 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10510 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
10511 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10512 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10513 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10514 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
10515 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10516 to you to figure out, I think.
10521 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10522 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
10523 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
10528 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
10529 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
10530 to GnuPG included with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG
10531 Manual}), but Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10534 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10535 or newer is recommended.
10539 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10540 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10543 @item mm-verify-option
10544 @vindex mm-verify-option
10545 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10546 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10547 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10549 @item mm-decrypt-option
10550 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10551 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10552 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10553 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10556 @vindex mml1991-use
10557 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10558 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10559 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10563 @vindex mml2015-use
10564 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10565 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10566 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10571 @cindex snarfing keys
10572 @cindex importing PGP keys
10573 @cindex PGP key ring import
10574 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
10575 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
10576 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
10577 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
10578 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
10579 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
10580 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
10581 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
10582 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
10585 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
10588 This happens to also be the default action defined in
10589 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
10592 @section Mailing List
10593 @cindex mailing list
10596 @kindex A M (summary)
10597 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10598 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10599 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10600 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10603 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10608 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10609 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10610 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10613 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10614 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10615 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10618 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10619 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10620 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10624 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10625 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10626 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10629 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10630 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10631 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10634 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10635 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10636 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10641 @node Article Buffer
10642 @chapter Article Buffer
10643 @cindex article buffer
10645 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10646 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10647 tell gnus otherwise.
10650 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10651 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
10652 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10653 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10654 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10658 @node Hiding Headers
10659 @section Hiding Headers
10660 @cindex hiding headers
10661 @cindex deleting headers
10663 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10664 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10666 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10667 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10668 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10669 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10670 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10671 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10672 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
10673 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10674 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10676 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10680 @item gnus-visible-headers
10681 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10682 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10683 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10684 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10686 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10687 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10690 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10693 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10696 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10697 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10698 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10699 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10700 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10701 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10703 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
10704 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
10707 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10710 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10713 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10714 variable will have no effect.
10718 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10719 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10720 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10721 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10722 the headers are to be displayed.
10724 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10725 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10728 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10731 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10732 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10734 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10735 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10736 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10737 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10738 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10739 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10740 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10743 These conditions are:
10746 Remove all empty headers.
10748 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10749 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10751 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10752 @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter is
10755 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10758 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10759 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10761 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10762 the current groups's @code{to-list} parameter.
10764 Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
10765 the current groups's @code{to-list} parameter.
10767 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10770 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10772 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10775 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10778 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10779 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10782 This is also the default value for this variable.
10786 @section Using MIME
10787 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
10789 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10790 while people stand around yawning.
10792 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10793 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10795 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10796 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10797 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10799 @vindex gnus-show-mime
10800 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
10801 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
10802 gnus handles @acronym{MIME} by pushing the articles through
10803 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
10804 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
10805 calls the @acronym{SEMI} MIME-View program to actually do the work. For
10806 more information on @acronym{SEMI} MIME-View, see its manual page
10807 (however it is not existed yet, sorry).
10809 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
10810 @acronym{MIME} all the time. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime} set,
10811 then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article buffer.
10812 These can't be avoided.
10814 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
10815 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
10816 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
10817 @acronym{MIME} has decoded the sound file in the article and some
10818 horrible sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you
10819 can't find the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are
10820 starting to look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't,
10821 and you can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else
10822 in the room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll
10823 feel rather stupid.)
10825 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10827 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
10828 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
10829 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
10830 buffer when there are nobody else.
10832 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10835 @node Customizing Articles
10836 @section Customizing Articles
10837 @cindex article customization
10839 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10840 exist. You can call these functions interactively
10841 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
10842 called automatically when you select the articles.
10844 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10845 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10846 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10847 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10849 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10850 for sensible values.
10854 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10857 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10860 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10863 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10866 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10870 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10871 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10872 regexps in the list.
10875 A list where the first element is not a string:
10877 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10878 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10879 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10883 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10887 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
10892 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10893 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
10894 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10895 considered to contain just a single part.
10897 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10898 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10899 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10900 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10901 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10902 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10903 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10905 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10906 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10907 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10908 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10911 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10912 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10914 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10916 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10917 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10918 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10919 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10920 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10921 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10922 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10923 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10924 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10925 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
10926 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset (t, integer)
10928 @xref{Article Washing}.
10930 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10931 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10932 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10933 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10934 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10935 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10936 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10938 @xref{Article Date}.
10940 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10941 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10942 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10946 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10948 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10950 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10951 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10952 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10956 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10960 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10961 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10962 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10963 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10964 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10965 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10966 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10967 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10968 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
10969 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
10971 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10973 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10974 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10975 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10977 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10979 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10980 @item gnus-treat-translate
10981 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10983 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10984 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10985 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10986 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
10988 @xref{Article Header}.
10993 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10994 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10995 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10996 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10997 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
11001 @node Article Keymap
11002 @section Article Keymap
11004 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
11005 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
11006 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
11007 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
11010 A few additional keystrokes are available:
11015 @kindex SPACE (Article)
11016 @findex gnus-article-next-page
11017 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
11018 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
11021 @kindex DEL (Article)
11022 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
11023 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
11024 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
11027 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
11028 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
11029 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
11030 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
11031 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
11034 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
11035 @findex gnus-article-mail
11036 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
11037 given a prefix, include the mail.
11040 @kindex s (Article)
11041 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
11042 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
11043 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
11046 @kindex ? (Article)
11047 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
11048 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
11049 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
11052 @kindex TAB (Article)
11053 @findex gnus-article-next-button
11054 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
11055 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
11058 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
11059 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
11060 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
11063 @kindex R (Article)
11064 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
11065 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
11066 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
11067 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11071 @kindex F (Article)
11072 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
11073 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
11074 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
11075 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11083 @section Misc Article
11087 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
11088 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
11089 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
11090 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
11093 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
11094 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
11095 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11096 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
11097 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
11099 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
11100 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
11101 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
11102 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
11103 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
11104 the contents of the article buffer.
11106 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
11107 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
11108 Hook called in article mode buffers.
11110 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11111 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11112 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
11113 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
11115 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
11116 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
11117 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
11118 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
11120 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
11121 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
11122 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
11123 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
11124 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
11130 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
11131 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
11132 performed. The characters and their meaning:
11137 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
11140 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
11143 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
11144 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
11145 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
11148 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
11151 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
11154 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
11159 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
11163 @vindex gnus-break-pages
11165 @item gnus-break-pages
11166 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
11167 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
11168 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
11169 paging will not be done.
11171 @item gnus-page-delimiter
11172 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
11173 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
11177 @cindex internationalized domain names
11178 @vindex gnus-use-idna
11179 @item gnus-use-idna
11180 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
11181 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
11182 @samp{Cc} headers. This requires
11183 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
11184 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
11189 @node Composing Messages
11190 @chapter Composing Messages
11191 @cindex composing messages
11194 @cindex sending mail
11199 @cindex using s/mime
11200 @cindex using smime
11202 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
11203 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
11204 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
11205 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
11206 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
11207 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
11210 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
11211 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
11212 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
11213 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
11214 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
11215 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
11216 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
11217 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
11220 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
11221 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
11227 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
11230 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
11231 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
11232 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
11233 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
11234 @code{nil} include all headers.
11236 @item gnus-add-to-list
11237 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11238 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11239 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11241 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11242 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11243 This can also be a function receiving the group name as the only
11244 parameter which should return non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is
11245 needed, or a regular expression matching group names, where
11246 confirmation is should be asked for.
11248 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11249 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
11251 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11252 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11253 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11254 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11255 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11260 @node Posting Server
11261 @section Posting Server
11263 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11264 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11266 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11268 It can be quite complicated.
11270 @vindex gnus-post-method
11271 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11272 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11273 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11274 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11275 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11276 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11277 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11278 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11279 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11282 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11285 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11286 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11287 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11288 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11290 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11291 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11293 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11294 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11297 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11298 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11300 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11301 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11302 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11303 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11304 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @acronym{SMTP}
11305 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11306 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11307 package correctly. An example:
11310 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11311 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11312 ;; The following variable needs to be set because of the FLIM version of
11313 ;; smtpmail.el. Which smtpmail.el is used depends on the `load-path'.
11314 (setq smtp-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11317 To the thing similar to this, there is
11318 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}. It is useful if your ISP requires
11319 the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. See the
11320 documentation for the function @code{mail-source-touch-pop}.
11322 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11323 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11324 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11326 @node Mail and Post
11327 @section Mail and Post
11329 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11333 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11334 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11335 @cindex mailing lists
11337 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11338 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
11339 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11340 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11341 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11342 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11343 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11344 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11345 still a pain, though.
11347 @item gnus-user-agent
11348 @vindex gnus-user-agent
11351 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
11352 User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
11353 Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
11354 @code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
11355 configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
11356 system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
11357 use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
11361 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11362 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11363 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11366 @findex ispell-message
11368 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11371 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11372 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11375 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11379 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11380 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11382 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11385 Modify to suit your needs.
11388 @node Archived Messages
11389 @section Archived Messages
11390 @cindex archived messages
11391 @cindex sent messages
11393 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11394 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11395 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11396 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11399 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11400 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11403 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11404 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
11405 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11408 (nnfolder "archive"
11409 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11410 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11411 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11412 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11415 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11416 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11417 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11418 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11421 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11422 '(nnfolder "archive"
11423 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11424 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11425 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11428 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11430 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11431 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11432 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11434 This variable can be used to do the following:
11439 Messages will be saved in that group.
11441 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11442 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11443 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11444 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11445 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11446 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11447 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11448 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11452 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11454 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11455 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11458 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11463 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11465 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11468 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11470 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11473 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11475 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11476 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11477 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11478 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11481 More complex stuff:
11483 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11484 '((if (message-news-p)
11489 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11490 messages in one file per month:
11493 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11494 '((if (message-news-p)
11496 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11499 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11500 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11502 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11503 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11504 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11505 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11506 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11507 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11508 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11509 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11510 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11511 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11513 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11514 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11515 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11516 this will disable archiving.
11519 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11520 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11521 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11522 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11523 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11526 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11527 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11528 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11531 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11532 but the latter is the preferred method.
11534 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11535 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11536 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11538 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11539 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11540 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11541 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11542 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11543 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11544 changed in the future.
11549 @node Posting Styles
11550 @section Posting Styles
11551 @cindex posting styles
11554 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11556 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11557 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11558 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11561 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11562 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11563 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11564 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11565 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11570 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11571 (organization "What me?"))
11573 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11574 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11575 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11578 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11579 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11580 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11581 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11582 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11583 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11584 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11585 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11587 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11588 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11589 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
11590 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
11591 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
11592 @var{regexp} are strings. (There original article is the one you are
11593 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
11594 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11595 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
11596 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11597 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11598 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
11599 said to @dfn{match}.
11601 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11602 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11603 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
11604 @code{x-face-file}, @code{address} (overriding
11605 @code{user-mail-address}), @code{name} (overriding
11606 @code{(user-full-name)}) or @code{body}. The attribute name can also
11607 be a string or a symbol. In that case, this will be used as a header
11608 name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article; if
11609 the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed. If the
11610 attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the result
11613 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11614 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11615 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11616 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11617 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11618 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11619 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11620 references chars lines xref extra.
11622 @vindex message-reply-headers
11624 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11625 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11626 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11628 @findex message-mail-p
11629 @findex message-news-p
11631 So here's a new example:
11634 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11636 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11638 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11639 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11641 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11642 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
11643 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11644 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
11645 (signature my-news-signature))
11646 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
11647 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11648 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
11649 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11650 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11651 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
11652 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11653 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11654 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11655 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11657 (From (save-excursion
11658 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11659 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11661 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11664 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11665 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11666 if you fill many roles.
11668 Setting the @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} variable will make
11669 posting-styles allow to have distinctive names. You can specify an
11670 arbitrary posting-style when article posting with @kbd{S P} in the
11671 summary buffer. @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} is an alist which maps
11672 the names to styles. Once a posting-style is added to the alist, we can
11673 import it from @code{gnus-posting-styles}. If an attribute whose name
11674 is @code{import} is found, Gnus will look for the attribute value in
11675 @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} and expand it in place.
11680 (setq gnus-named-posting-styles
11682 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11684 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11685 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11688 (organization "The Church of Emacs"))))
11691 The posting-style named "Emacs" will inherit all the attributes from
11692 "Default" except @code{organization}.
11699 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11700 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11701 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11702 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11703 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11705 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11706 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11707 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11708 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11709 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11713 @vindex nndraft-directory
11714 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11715 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11716 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11717 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11718 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11719 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11721 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11722 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11723 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
11724 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
11725 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
11726 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
11727 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
11728 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
11729 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
11731 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11732 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11733 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11734 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11735 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11736 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11737 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11738 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11739 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11740 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11741 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11742 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11743 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11744 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11746 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11747 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11748 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11750 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11751 @kindex D e (Draft)
11752 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11753 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11754 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11756 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11759 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11760 @kindex D s (Draft)
11761 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11762 @kindex D S (Draft)
11763 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11764 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11765 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11766 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11767 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11770 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
11771 @kindex D t (Draft)
11772 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11773 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11774 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11777 @node Rejected Articles
11778 @section Rejected Articles
11779 @cindex rejected articles
11781 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11782 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11783 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11784 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11786 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
11787 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11788 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11789 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
11790 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11792 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11793 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11794 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11796 @node Signing and encrypting
11797 @section Signing and encrypting
11799 @cindex using s/mime
11800 @cindex using smime
11802 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
11803 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
11804 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
11805 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
11807 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
11808 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
11809 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
11810 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11811 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11812 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11813 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11814 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11815 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11816 automatically encrypted messages.
11818 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @acronym{MIME} part is
11819 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
11820 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11825 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11826 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
11828 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
11831 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11832 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11834 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
11837 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11838 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11840 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
11843 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11844 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
11846 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
11849 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11850 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
11852 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
11855 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11856 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
11858 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
11861 @kindex C-c C-m C-n
11862 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11863 Remove security related MML tags from message.
11867 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
11869 @node Select Methods
11870 @chapter Select Methods
11871 @cindex foreign groups
11872 @cindex select methods
11874 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11875 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11876 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11877 personal mail group.
11879 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11880 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11881 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11882 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11883 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11884 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11886 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11887 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11889 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11892 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
11893 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11894 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11895 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11896 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11898 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11901 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11902 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11903 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11904 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11905 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
11906 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11907 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11908 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11912 @node Server Buffer
11913 @section Server Buffer
11915 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11916 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11917 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11918 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11919 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11920 back end represents a virtual server.
11922 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11923 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11924 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11925 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11927 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11928 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11929 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11930 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11931 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11932 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11933 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11935 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11936 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11939 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11940 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11941 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11942 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11943 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11944 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11945 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11948 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11949 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11952 @node Server Buffer Format
11953 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11954 @cindex server buffer format
11956 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11957 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11958 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11959 variable, with some simple extensions:
11964 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11967 The name of this server.
11970 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11973 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11976 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11977 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11978 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11979 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11989 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11992 @node Server Commands
11993 @subsection Server Commands
11994 @cindex server commands
12000 @findex gnus-server-add-server
12001 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
12005 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
12006 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
12009 @kindex SPACE (Server)
12010 @findex gnus-server-read-server
12011 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
12015 @findex gnus-server-exit
12016 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
12020 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
12021 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
12025 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
12026 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
12030 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
12031 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
12035 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
12036 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
12040 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
12041 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
12042 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
12047 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
12048 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
12049 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
12050 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
12055 @node Example Methods
12056 @subsection Example Methods
12058 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
12061 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
12064 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
12070 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
12071 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
12074 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
12075 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
12077 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
12078 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
12082 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
12085 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
12086 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
12088 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
12089 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
12090 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
12094 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
12097 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
12100 Here's the method for a public spool:
12104 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
12105 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
12111 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
12112 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
12113 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12114 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
12115 should probably look something like this:
12119 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
12120 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
12121 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
12122 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12125 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
12126 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
12127 configuration to the example above:
12130 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12133 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
12135 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
12136 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
12137 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
12141 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12142 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
12143 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
12144 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12147 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
12148 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
12149 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
12150 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
12153 @node Creating a Virtual Server
12154 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
12156 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
12157 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
12159 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
12160 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
12161 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
12163 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
12165 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
12166 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
12167 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
12168 will contain the following:
12178 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
12179 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
12180 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
12183 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
12184 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
12185 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
12188 @node Server Variables
12189 @subsection Server Variables
12190 @cindex server variables
12191 @cindex server parameters
12193 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
12194 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
12195 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
12196 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
12197 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
12199 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
12200 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
12201 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
12202 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
12203 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
12204 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
12205 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
12206 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
12207 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
12211 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
12212 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
12213 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
12216 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
12218 @node Servers and Methods
12219 @subsection Servers and Methods
12221 Wherever you would normally use a select method
12222 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
12223 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
12224 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
12228 @node Unavailable Servers
12229 @subsection Unavailable Servers
12231 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
12232 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
12233 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
12234 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
12235 actually the case or not.
12237 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
12238 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
12239 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
12240 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
12241 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
12242 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
12243 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
12244 it will regard that server as ``down''.
12246 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
12247 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
12249 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
12250 with the following commands:
12256 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12257 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12258 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12262 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12263 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12264 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12268 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12269 Mark the current server as unreachable
12270 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12273 @kindex M-o (Server)
12274 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12275 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12276 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12279 @kindex M-c (Server)
12280 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12281 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12282 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12286 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12287 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12288 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12292 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12293 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12299 @section Getting News
12300 @cindex reading news
12301 @cindex news back ends
12303 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12304 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
12305 or it can read from a local spool.
12308 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12309 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12317 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
12318 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
12319 server as the, uhm, address.
12321 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12322 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12323 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12324 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12326 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12327 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12328 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12330 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12335 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12336 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12337 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12339 @cindex authentification
12340 @cindex nntp authentification
12341 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12342 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12343 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12344 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
12345 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12346 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12347 present in this hook.
12349 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12350 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12351 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12352 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12353 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
12354 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12355 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12356 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12357 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12358 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12359 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12360 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12364 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12367 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12369 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12370 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12371 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12372 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12373 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12374 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12375 @samp{force} is explained below.
12379 Here's an example file:
12382 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12383 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12386 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12387 have to be first, for instance.
12389 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12390 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12391 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12392 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12393 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12394 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12395 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12397 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12398 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12404 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12405 previously mentioned.
12407 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12409 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12410 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12411 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12412 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12413 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12416 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12417 '(("innd" (ding))))
12420 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12422 The default value is
12425 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12426 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12427 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12430 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12431 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12433 @item nntp-maximum-request
12434 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12435 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
12436 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12437 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12438 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12439 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12440 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12442 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12443 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12444 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12445 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
12446 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12447 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12448 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12449 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12450 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12451 no timeouts are done.
12453 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12454 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12455 @c @cindex PPP connections
12456 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12457 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12458 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12459 @c changes after connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will simply sit
12460 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12461 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12462 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12463 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12464 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12465 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12467 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12468 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12469 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12470 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12471 @c described above.
12473 @item nntp-server-hook
12474 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12475 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @acronym{NNTP}
12478 @item nntp-buggy-select
12479 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12480 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12482 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12483 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12484 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
12485 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
12488 @item nntp-xover-commands
12489 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12490 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
12492 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
12493 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12497 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12498 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
12499 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12500 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12501 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
12502 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12503 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12504 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12505 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12506 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12507 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12509 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12510 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12511 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12513 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12514 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12515 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12516 server closes connection.
12518 @item nntp-record-commands
12519 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12520 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12521 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12522 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
12523 that doesn't seem to work.
12525 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12526 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12527 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12528 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12529 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12530 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12531 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12532 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12534 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12535 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12536 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12537 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12538 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12539 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12540 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12543 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12546 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12547 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12549 @item nntp-read-timeout
12550 @vindex nntp-read-timeout
12551 How long nntp should wait between checking for the end of output.
12552 Shorter values mean quicker response, but is more CPU intensive. The
12553 default is 0.1 seconds. If you have a slow line to the server (and
12554 don't like to see Emacs eat your available CPU power), you might set
12557 @item nntp-list-options
12558 @vindex nntp-list-options
12559 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
12560 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
12561 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
12562 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
12563 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
12567 (setq gnus-select-method
12568 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12569 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
12572 @item nntp-options-subscribe
12573 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
12574 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
12575 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12576 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12577 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12578 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12581 (setq gnus-select-method
12582 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12583 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
12586 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
12587 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
12588 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
12589 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12590 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12591 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12592 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12595 (setq gnus-select-method
12596 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12597 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
12602 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12603 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12604 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12608 @node Direct Functions
12609 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12610 @cindex direct connection functions
12612 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12613 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
12614 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12615 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12618 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12619 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12620 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12623 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
12624 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
12625 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12626 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
12627 installed. You then define a server as follows:
12630 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12631 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
12633 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12634 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
12635 (nntp-port-number )
12636 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12639 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12640 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12641 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12642 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
12643 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
12644 then define a server as follows:
12647 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12648 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
12650 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12651 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12652 (nntp-port-number 563)
12653 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12656 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12657 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12658 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12659 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12660 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12661 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12662 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12663 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12667 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12668 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12669 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12672 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12673 session, which is not a good idea.
12677 @node Indirect Functions
12678 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12679 @cindex indirect connection functions
12681 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12682 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12683 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12684 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
12685 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12686 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12689 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12690 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12691 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12692 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12693 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12695 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12698 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12699 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12700 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12701 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12703 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12704 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12705 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12706 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12707 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
12708 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12709 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
12710 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
12714 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12715 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12716 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12717 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12719 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12722 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12723 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12724 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12727 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12728 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12729 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12730 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12732 @item nntp-via-user-password
12733 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12734 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12736 @item nntp-via-envuser
12737 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12738 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12739 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12740 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12742 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12743 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12744 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12745 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12752 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12757 @item nntp-via-user-name
12758 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12759 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12761 @item nntp-via-address
12762 @vindex nntp-via-address
12763 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12768 @node Common Variables
12769 @subsubsection Common Variables
12771 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12772 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12777 @item nntp-pre-command
12778 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12779 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
12780 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
12781 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is
12782 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
12785 @vindex nntp-address
12786 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12788 @item nntp-port-number
12789 @vindex nntp-port-number
12790 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
12791 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
12792 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you may want to use integer ports rather
12793 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
12794 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
12795 not work with named ports.
12797 @item nntp-end-of-line
12798 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12799 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
12800 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12801 using a non native connection function.
12803 @item nntp-telnet-command
12804 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12805 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
12806 @samp{telnet}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
12807 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
12810 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12811 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12812 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12819 @subsection News Spool
12823 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12824 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12825 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12828 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12829 anything else) as the address.
12831 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12832 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12833 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12834 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12838 @item nnspool-inews-program
12839 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12840 Program used to post an article.
12842 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12843 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12844 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12846 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12847 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12848 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12849 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12851 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12852 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12853 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
12854 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12856 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12857 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12858 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12860 @item nnspool-active-file
12861 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12862 The name of the active file.
12864 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12865 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12866 The name of the group descriptions file.
12868 @item nnspool-history-file
12869 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12870 The name of the news history file.
12872 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12873 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12874 The name of the active date file.
12876 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12877 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12878 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
12881 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12882 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12884 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12885 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
12886 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
12893 @section Getting Mail
12894 @cindex reading mail
12897 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12901 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12902 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12903 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12904 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12905 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12906 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12907 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12908 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12909 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12910 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12911 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12912 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12913 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12917 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12918 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12920 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12921 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12922 of a culture shock.
12924 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12925 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12927 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12928 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12929 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12930 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12932 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12934 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12935 deleted? How awful!
12937 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12938 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12939 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12940 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12943 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12944 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12945 they want to treat a message.
12947 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12948 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12949 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12950 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12951 archived somewhere else.
12953 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12954 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12955 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12956 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12957 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12959 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12960 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12961 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12963 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12964 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12967 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12968 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12969 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12970 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12971 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12973 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12974 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12975 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12976 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12977 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12978 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12982 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12983 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12985 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12986 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12987 and things will happen automatically.
12989 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
12990 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
12993 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12996 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12997 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12998 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12999 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
13000 like any other group.
13002 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
13005 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13006 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13007 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13011 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
13012 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
13013 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
13016 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
13017 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
13018 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
13021 @node Splitting Mail
13022 @subsection Splitting Mail
13023 @cindex splitting mail
13024 @cindex mail splitting
13026 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
13027 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
13028 to be split into groups.
13031 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13032 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13033 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13034 ("mail.other" "")))
13037 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
13038 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
13039 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
13040 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
13041 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
13042 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
13043 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
13046 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
13049 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13050 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
13051 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
13052 mail belongs in that group.
13054 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
13055 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{*} so that it matches any mails
13056 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
13057 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
13058 rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled.
13059 In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.)
13061 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
13062 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
13063 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
13064 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
13065 thinks should carry this mail message.
13067 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
13068 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
13069 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
13070 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
13072 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
13073 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
13074 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
13075 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
13076 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{*}) group.
13078 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
13081 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
13082 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
13083 links. If that's the case for you, set
13084 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
13085 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
13087 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
13088 @findex nnmail-split-history
13089 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
13090 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
13091 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
13092 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
13095 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
13096 Header lines longer than the value of
13097 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
13100 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
13101 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
13102 By default the splitting codes @acronym{MIME} decodes headers so you
13103 can match on non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. The
13104 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset} variable specifies the default
13105 charset for decoding. The behaviour can be turned off completely by
13106 binding @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to @code{nil}, which is
13107 useful if you want to match articles based on the raw header data.
13109 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13110 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
13111 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
13112 @pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}, however, then splitting does
13113 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
13114 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
13115 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
13116 other kinds of entries.)
13118 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
13119 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
13120 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
13121 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
13122 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
13123 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
13124 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
13125 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
13126 month's rent money.
13130 @subsection Mail Sources
13132 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
13133 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
13134 maildir, for instance.
13137 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
13138 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
13139 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
13143 @node Mail Source Specifiers
13144 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
13146 @cindex mail server
13149 @cindex mail source
13151 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
13152 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
13157 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
13160 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
13161 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
13162 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
13165 The following mail source types are available:
13169 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
13175 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
13176 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
13177 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
13181 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13184 An example file mail source:
13187 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
13190 Or using the default file name:
13196 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
13197 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
13198 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
13199 mail spool while moving the mail.
13201 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
13205 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
13208 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
13212 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
13215 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
13217 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
13220 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
13224 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
13225 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
13226 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
13227 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
13228 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
13229 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
13230 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
13231 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
13232 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
13233 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
13235 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13236 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
13237 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
13238 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
13244 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
13248 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
13252 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
13253 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
13254 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
13255 predicate are considered.
13259 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13263 An example directory mail source:
13266 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13271 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
13277 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
13278 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13281 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
13282 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13283 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13284 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13285 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13288 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
13292 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
13293 the user is prompted.
13296 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
13297 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13300 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13303 The valid format specifier characters are:
13307 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13308 included in this string.
13311 The name of the server.
13314 The port number of the server.
13317 The user name to use.
13320 The password to use.
13323 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13324 corresponding keywords.
13327 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13328 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13331 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13332 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13335 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
13336 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
13337 mail should be moved to.
13339 @item :authentication
13340 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13341 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13345 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this can be the symbol
13346 @code{ssl}, the symbol @code{tls} or others. The default is @code{nil}
13347 and use insecure connections. Note that for SSL/TLS, you need external
13348 programs and libraries:
13352 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL@. Requires OpenSSL (the program
13353 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
13354 library @samp{ssl.el}.
13356 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to SSL)@.
13357 Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13362 Non-@code{nil} if mail is to be left on the server and UIDL used for
13363 message retrieval. The default is @code{nil}.
13367 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13368 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
13370 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server,
13371 using the default user name, and default fetcher:
13377 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13380 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13381 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13384 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13387 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13391 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13392 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13393 contains exactly one mail.
13399 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13400 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13403 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13404 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13406 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13407 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13408 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13411 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13412 from locking problems).
13416 Two example maildir mail sources:
13419 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13420 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13424 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13429 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
13430 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
13431 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
13432 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
13433 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
13435 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
13436 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13442 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
13443 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13446 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13447 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
13450 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
13454 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
13458 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13459 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13460 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
13461 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13463 @item :authentication
13464 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13465 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13466 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13467 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13470 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13471 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
13472 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13478 The valid format specifier characters are:
13482 The name of the server.
13485 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
13488 The port number of the server.
13491 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13492 corresponding keywords.
13495 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13496 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13499 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13500 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13501 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
13502 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13503 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13504 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13507 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13508 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13509 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13510 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13513 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
13514 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
13518 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
13521 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13523 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13527 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{www.hotmail.com},
13528 @uref{webmail.netscape.com}, @uref{www.netaddress.com},
13529 @uref{mail.yahoo.com}.
13531 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13532 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13534 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13540 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13541 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13544 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13548 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13552 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
13553 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
13557 An example webmail source:
13560 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13562 :password "secret")
13567 @item Common Keywords
13568 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13574 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
13575 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
13580 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13585 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13586 useful when you use local mail and news.
13591 @subsubsection Function Interface
13593 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13594 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13595 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13596 consider the following mail-source setting:
13599 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13600 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13603 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13604 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13605 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13606 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13607 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13609 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13612 @node Mail Source Customization
13613 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13615 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13616 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13620 @item mail-source-crash-box
13621 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13622 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
13623 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13625 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13626 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13627 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
13628 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
13629 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
13630 (This will only happen, when receiving new mail). You may also set
13631 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
13632 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
13634 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13635 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13636 If non-@code{nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
13637 files. This variable only applies when
13638 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
13640 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
13641 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
13642 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
13644 @item mail-source-directory
13645 @vindex mail-source-directory
13646 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
13647 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
13648 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
13651 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13652 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13653 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13654 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13655 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13656 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13658 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13659 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13660 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13662 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13663 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13664 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
13665 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13670 @node Fetching Mail
13671 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13673 @vindex mail-sources
13674 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13675 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13676 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13677 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13679 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13680 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13683 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
13684 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
13689 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13690 :password "secret")))
13693 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13697 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13698 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13701 :password "secret")))
13705 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13706 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13707 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13708 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13709 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13710 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13714 @node Mail Back End Variables
13715 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13717 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13721 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13722 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13723 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13724 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13726 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13727 @item nnmail-split-hook
13728 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
13729 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
13730 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
13731 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13732 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13733 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13734 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13735 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13736 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13739 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13740 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13741 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13742 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13743 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13744 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13745 starting to handle the new mail) and
13746 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13747 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13748 default file modes the new mail files get:
13751 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13752 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13754 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13755 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13758 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13759 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13760 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13761 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13762 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13763 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13764 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13766 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13767 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13768 @findex delete-file
13769 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13771 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13772 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13773 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13774 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13775 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13777 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13778 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13779 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13780 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13781 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
13783 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
13784 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
13785 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
13790 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13791 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13792 @cindex mail splitting
13793 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13795 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13796 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13797 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13798 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13799 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13800 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13802 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13805 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
13806 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
13807 ;; @r{from real errors.}
13808 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13810 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
13811 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
13812 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
13813 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13814 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13815 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
13816 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13817 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13818 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
13819 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
13820 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
13821 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
13822 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13823 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13824 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
13825 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13826 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
13830 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
13831 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
13832 the five possible split syntaxes:
13837 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
13838 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
13842 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
13843 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
13844 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
13845 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
13846 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
13847 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
13848 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
13849 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13852 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13853 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
13854 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
13855 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
13858 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13859 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
13862 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
13863 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
13866 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
13867 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
13868 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
13869 function should return a @var{split}.
13872 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13873 body of the messages:
13876 (defun split-on-body ()
13878 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
13879 (goto-char (point-min))
13880 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13884 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
13885 when the @code{:} function is run.
13888 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the
13889 first element is @code{!}, then @var{split} will be processed, and
13890 @var{func} will be called as a function with the result of @var{split}
13891 as argument. @var{func} should return a split.
13894 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13898 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13899 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13900 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13901 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13902 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13904 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13905 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case they
13906 are expanded as specified by the variable
13907 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
13908 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
13911 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13912 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13913 when all this splitting is performed.
13915 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13916 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13917 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13920 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13923 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13924 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13926 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13927 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13928 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13929 groupings 1 through 9.
13931 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13932 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13933 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13934 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13935 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13936 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13937 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13938 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13939 it once per thread.
13941 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
13942 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
13943 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
13944 using the colon feature, like so:
13946 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
13947 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
13949 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13950 ;; @r{other splits go here}
13954 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13955 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
13956 in the file specified by the variable
13957 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
13958 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
13959 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
13960 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
13961 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
13962 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
13963 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
13964 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
13965 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
13966 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
13967 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
13968 300 kBytes in size.)
13969 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13970 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13971 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13972 messages goes into the new group.
13974 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
13975 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
13976 outgoing messages are written to an `outgoing' group, you could set
13977 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
13978 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
13982 @node Group Mail Splitting
13983 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13984 @cindex mail splitting
13985 @cindex group mail splitting
13987 @findex gnus-group-split
13988 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13989 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13990 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13991 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13992 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13993 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13994 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13995 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13997 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13998 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13999 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
14000 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
14002 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
14003 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
14004 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
14005 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
14006 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
14007 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
14008 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
14010 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
14011 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
14012 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
14013 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
14014 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
14015 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
14016 @code{gnus-group-split}.
14018 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
14019 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
14020 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
14021 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
14022 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
14023 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
14024 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
14025 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
14026 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
14027 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
14028 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
14029 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
14030 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
14032 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
14037 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
14038 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
14040 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
14041 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
14042 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
14043 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
14045 ((split-spec . catch-all))
14048 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
14049 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
14050 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
14053 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
14054 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
14055 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
14059 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
14060 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
14061 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
14065 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
14068 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
14069 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
14070 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
14071 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
14072 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
14073 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
14074 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
14075 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
14076 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
14078 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
14079 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
14080 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
14081 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
14082 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
14083 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
14084 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
14085 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
14086 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
14088 @findex gnus-group-split-update
14089 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
14090 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
14091 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
14092 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
14093 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
14096 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
14099 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
14100 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
14101 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
14102 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
14103 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
14106 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
14107 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
14108 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
14109 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
14111 @node Incorporating Old Mail
14112 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
14113 @cindex incorporating old mail
14114 @cindex import old mail
14116 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
14117 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
14118 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
14121 Doing so can be quite easy.
14123 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
14124 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
14125 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
14126 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
14127 your @code{nnml} groups.
14133 Go to the group buffer.
14136 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
14137 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14140 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
14143 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
14144 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14147 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
14148 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
14151 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
14152 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
14153 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
14154 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
14155 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
14157 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
14158 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
14159 using the new mail back end.
14162 @node Expiring Mail
14163 @subsection Expiring Mail
14164 @cindex article expiry
14166 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
14167 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
14168 different approach to mail reading.
14170 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
14171 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
14172 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
14173 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
14174 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
14175 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
14178 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
14179 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
14180 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
14181 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
14182 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
14183 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
14184 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
14185 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
14186 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
14188 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
14189 two features, called `auto-expire' and `total-expire', that can help you
14190 with this. In a nutshell, `auto-expire' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
14191 for you when you select an article. And `total-expire' means that Gnus
14192 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
14193 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
14194 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
14197 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
14198 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
14199 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
14200 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
14201 into its own group.)
14203 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
14204 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
14205 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
14206 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
14207 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
14208 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
14209 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring @pxref{Adaptive
14210 Scoring}. Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
14213 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14214 Groups that match the regular expression
14215 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
14216 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
14217 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
14219 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
14220 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
14221 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
14222 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
14223 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14225 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
14227 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
14228 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
14229 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
14232 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
14233 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
14234 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
14235 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
14236 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
14238 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
14239 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
14242 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14243 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
14246 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
14247 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
14249 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
14250 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
14251 don't really mix very well.
14253 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
14254 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
14255 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
14256 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
14259 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
14260 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
14261 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
14262 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
14265 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14267 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14269 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
14271 ((string= group "mail.junk")
14273 ((string= group "important")
14279 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
14280 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
14282 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
14283 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
14284 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
14287 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
14288 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14290 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
14291 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
14292 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
14293 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
14294 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
14295 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
14296 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
14297 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
14298 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
14299 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
14300 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
14301 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
14302 name or @code{delete}.
14304 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
14306 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
14309 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14310 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14311 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
14312 expire mail to groups according to the variable
14313 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
14316 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14317 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14318 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
14319 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
14320 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
14323 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
14324 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
14325 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
14326 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
14327 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
14328 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14330 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14331 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14332 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14333 easier for procmail users.
14335 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14336 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14337 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14338 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14339 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14340 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14341 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14342 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14343 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14344 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14345 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14346 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14347 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14350 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14352 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14353 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14354 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14355 auto-expire turned on.
14359 @subsection Washing Mail
14360 @cindex mail washing
14361 @cindex list server brain damage
14362 @cindex incoming mail treatment
14364 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
14365 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
14366 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
14367 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
14368 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
14369 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
14371 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
14372 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
14373 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
14376 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
14377 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
14378 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
14379 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
14382 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14383 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14384 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
14385 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
14386 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
14389 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14390 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14391 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
14392 Emacs running on MS machines.
14396 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14397 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14398 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
14399 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
14402 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14403 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14404 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
14405 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
14407 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
14408 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
14409 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
14410 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
14411 into a feature by documenting it.)
14413 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14414 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14415 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
14416 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
14417 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
14418 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
14419 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
14422 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
14423 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
14426 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
14427 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14430 This can also be done non-destructively with
14431 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14433 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14434 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14435 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14437 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14438 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14440 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14441 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14442 @code{References} headers.
14446 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14447 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14448 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14452 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14453 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14454 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14461 @subsection Duplicates
14463 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14464 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14465 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14466 @cindex duplicate mails
14467 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14468 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14469 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14470 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14471 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14472 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14473 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14474 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14475 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14476 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14477 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14478 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14479 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14481 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14482 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14483 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14484 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14486 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14489 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14490 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14494 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14495 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
14496 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14497 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
14498 (any mail "mail.misc")
14499 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14505 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14506 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14507 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14511 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14512 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14513 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14514 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14515 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14518 @node Not Reading Mail
14519 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14521 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14522 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14523 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14525 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14526 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14527 mail, which should help.
14529 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14530 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14531 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14532 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14533 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14534 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14535 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old Rmail
14536 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14537 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14538 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14539 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14541 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14542 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14546 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14547 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14549 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14550 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14551 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14553 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14554 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14555 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14559 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14560 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
14561 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14562 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14563 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
14564 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14565 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14569 @node Unix Mail Box
14570 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14572 @cindex unix mail box
14574 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14575 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14576 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14577 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14578 which group it belongs in.
14580 Virtual server settings:
14583 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14584 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14585 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14588 @item nnmbox-active-file
14589 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14590 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14591 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14593 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14594 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14595 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14596 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14601 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14605 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14606 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14607 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{Rmail
14608 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14609 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14611 Virtual server settings:
14614 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14615 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14616 The name of the Rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14618 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14619 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14620 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14621 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14623 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14624 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14625 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14631 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14633 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
14635 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14636 format. It should be used with some caution.
14638 @vindex nnml-directory
14639 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14640 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14641 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14642 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14644 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14647 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14648 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14649 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14650 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14651 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14652 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
14653 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
14654 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
14656 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
14657 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
14658 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
14659 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
14661 @cindex self contained nnml servers
14663 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
14664 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14665 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14666 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
14667 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
14668 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
14669 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
14670 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
14673 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
14674 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
14675 them next time it starts.
14677 Virtual server settings:
14680 @item nnml-directory
14681 @vindex nnml-directory
14682 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
14683 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
14686 @item nnml-active-file
14687 @vindex nnml-active-file
14688 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
14689 @file{~/Mail/active}.
14691 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
14692 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
14693 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14694 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
14696 @item nnml-get-new-mail
14697 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14698 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
14701 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
14702 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
14703 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
14704 default is @code{nil}.
14706 @item nnml-nov-file-name
14707 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
14708 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
14710 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14711 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14712 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
14714 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
14715 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
14716 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14717 default is @code{nil}.
14719 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14720 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14721 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14723 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
14724 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
14725 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14730 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14731 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of whack,
14732 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14733 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14734 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14735 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14736 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14741 @subsubsection MH Spool
14743 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14745 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14746 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
14747 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
14748 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
14750 Virtual server settings:
14753 @item nnmh-directory
14754 @vindex nnmh-directory
14755 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
14756 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14759 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
14760 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14761 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
14765 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
14766 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
14767 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
14768 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
14769 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
14770 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
14771 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
14776 @subsubsection Maildir
14780 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
14781 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
14782 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
14783 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. nnmaildir also
14784 stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory within a
14787 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
14788 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
14789 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
14790 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
14791 can still do that with nnmaildir, but the more common configuration is
14792 to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs that appear as
14795 nnmaildir is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will never
14796 corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never corrupt its
14797 data in the filesystem.
14799 nnmaildir stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each maildir. So you
14800 can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to another, and you will
14803 Virtual server settings:
14807 For each of your nnmaildir servers (it's very unlikely that you'd need
14808 more than one), you need to create a directory and populate it with
14809 maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not choose a
14810 directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir will be
14811 represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the filename of the
14812 symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames in the directory
14813 starting with `.' are ignored. The directory is scanned when you
14814 first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in the group buffer;
14815 if any maildirs have been removed or added, nnmaildir notices at these
14818 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
14819 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
14820 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
14821 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
14822 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
14823 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
14824 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
14825 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
14826 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
14827 if nnmaildir uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical value.
14829 @item target-prefix
14830 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
14831 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
14832 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
14835 When you create a group on an nnmaildir server, the maildir is created
14836 with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
14837 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
14838 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
14839 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
14840 the group @code{foo}, nnmaildir will create
14841 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
14842 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
14843 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
14845 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
14846 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
14847 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
14848 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
14849 symlinks pointing to them will be).
14851 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
14852 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
14853 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
14854 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
14855 @code{force} argument.
14857 @item directory-files
14858 This should be a function with the same interface as
14859 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
14860 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
14861 parameter is optional; the default is
14862 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
14863 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
14864 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
14865 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
14866 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
14867 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
14870 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
14871 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
14872 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
14873 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
14874 value is @code{nil}.
14876 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
14877 an nnmaildir group. The results might happen to be useful, but that
14878 would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be different
14879 in the future. If your split rules create new groups, remember to
14880 supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
14883 @subsubsection Group parameters
14885 nnmaildir uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore all
14886 this; the default behavior for nnmaildir is the same as the default
14887 behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after one week,
14888 etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this functionality is
14889 unique to nnmaildir, so you can ignore it if you're just trying to
14890 duplicate the behavior you already have with another back end.
14892 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
14893 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
14894 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
14895 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
14896 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
14897 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
14898 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
14899 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
14900 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
14904 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article before
14905 it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
14906 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
14907 nnmaildir falls back to the usual
14908 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (overrideable by
14909 the @code{expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) group parameters. If you
14910 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
14911 60 60)]}; nnmaildir will evaluate the form and use the result. An
14912 article's age is measured starting from the article file's
14913 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
14914 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
14915 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
14918 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
14920 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
14922 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
14923 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
14924 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an nnmaildir group, the
14925 article will be just as old in the destination group as it was in the
14926 source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
14927 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
14928 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
14929 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
14930 article. So that form can refer to
14931 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
14932 article. @emph{If this parameter is not set, nnmaildir does not fall
14933 back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
14934 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
14937 If this is set to @code{t}, nnmaildir will treat the articles in this
14938 maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed from
14939 @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in @file{new/},
14940 not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles cannot be
14941 edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the @file{new/}
14942 directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox containing
14943 a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the maildir outside
14944 @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for a shared
14945 mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or have write
14946 permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't contain
14947 extra copies of the articles.
14949 @item directory-files
14950 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
14951 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
14952 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
14953 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
14955 @item distrust-Lines:
14956 If non-@code{nil}, nnmaildir will always count the lines of an
14957 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
14958 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
14961 A list of mark symbols, such as
14962 @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever Gnus asks nnmaildir for
14963 article marks, nnmaildir will say that all articles have these
14964 marks, regardless of whether the marks stored in the filesystem
14965 say so. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will probably be
14966 removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
14967 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
14970 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
14971 Gnus asks nnmaildir for article marks, nnmaildir will say that no
14972 articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks stored in
14973 the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
14974 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
14975 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
14976 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
14978 @item nov-cache-size
14979 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To speed
14980 things up, nnmaildir keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory for a limited number of
14981 articles in each group. (This is probably not worthwhile, and will
14982 probably be removed in the future.) This parameter's value is noticed
14983 only the first time a group is seen after the server is opened---i.e.,
14984 when you first start Gnus, typically. The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized
14985 until the server is closed and reopened. The default is an estimate
14986 of the number of articles that would be displayed in the summary
14987 buffer: a count of articles that are either marked with @code{tick} or
14988 not marked with @code{read}, plus a little extra.
14991 @subsubsection Article identification
14992 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
14993 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
14994 contains no colons. nnmaildir ignores, but preserves, the
14995 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
14996 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
14997 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
14998 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
14999 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
15000 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
15001 request the article in the summary buffer.
15003 @subsubsection NOV data
15004 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used to
15005 generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
15006 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
15007 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
15008 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically when the
15009 article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can force
15010 nnmaildir to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a single article simply by
15011 deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV} file, but @emph{beware}: this will also
15012 cause nnmaildir to assign a new article number for this article, which
15013 may cause trouble with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
15015 @subsubsection Article marks
15016 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
15017 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
15018 When Gnus asks nnmaildir for a group's marks, nnmaildir looks for such
15019 files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus asks nnmaildir
15020 to store a new set of marks, nnmaildir creates and deletes the
15021 corresponding files as needed. (Actually, rather than create a new
15022 file for each mark, it just creates hard links to
15023 @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
15025 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
15026 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
15027 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
15028 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
15029 this while Gnus is running and your nnmaildir server is open, it's
15030 best to exit all summary buffers for nnmaildir groups and type @kbd{s}
15031 in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or @kbd{M-g} in the
15032 group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not pick up the
15033 changes, and might undo them.
15037 @subsubsection Mail Folders
15039 @cindex mbox folders
15040 @cindex mail folders
15042 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
15043 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
15044 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
15047 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
15049 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
15050 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15051 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15052 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
15053 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
15054 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
15055 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
15056 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
15057 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
15058 @code{nnfolder} directory).
15060 Virtual server settings:
15063 @item nnfolder-directory
15064 @vindex nnfolder-directory
15065 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
15066 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
15069 @item nnfolder-active-file
15070 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
15071 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
15073 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15074 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15075 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15076 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
15078 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
15079 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
15080 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
15083 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15084 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15085 @cindex backup files
15086 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
15087 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
15088 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
15089 your @file{.emacs} file:
15092 (defun turn-off-backup ()
15093 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
15095 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
15098 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15099 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15100 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
15101 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
15102 extract some information from it before removing it.
15104 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15105 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15106 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15107 default is @code{nil}.
15109 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15110 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15111 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
15113 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
15114 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
15115 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
15116 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15118 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15119 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15120 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15121 default is @code{nil}.
15123 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15124 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15125 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
15127 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
15128 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
15129 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
15130 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15135 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
15136 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
15137 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
15138 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
15139 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
15140 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
15143 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
15144 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
15146 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
15147 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
15148 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
15149 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
15150 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
15152 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
15153 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
15154 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
15155 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
15156 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
15157 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
15158 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
15159 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
15162 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
15163 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
15164 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
15165 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
15170 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
15171 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
15172 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
15173 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
15174 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
15175 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
15176 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
15177 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
15178 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
15179 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
15180 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
15181 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
15182 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
15187 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
15188 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
15189 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
15190 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
15191 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
15192 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
15193 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
15194 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
15195 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
15196 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
15197 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
15198 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
15199 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
15200 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
15202 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
15203 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
15208 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
15209 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
15210 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
15211 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
15212 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
15213 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
15214 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
15215 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
15216 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
15217 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
15218 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
15219 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
15220 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
15221 provided by the active file and overviews.
15223 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
15224 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
15225 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
15226 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
15227 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
15230 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
15231 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
15236 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
15237 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
15238 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
15239 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
15240 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
15241 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
15242 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
15246 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
15247 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
15248 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
15249 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
15250 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
15251 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
15252 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
15253 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
15254 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
15256 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
15257 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
15258 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
15259 friendly mail back end all over.
15263 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
15264 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
15267 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
15268 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
15269 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
15270 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
15271 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
15272 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
15273 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
15274 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
15277 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
15278 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
15279 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
15280 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
15281 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
15282 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
15283 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
15284 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
15285 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
15286 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
15287 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
15289 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
15290 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
15291 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
15292 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
15293 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
15296 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
15297 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
15298 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
15299 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
15300 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
15301 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
15302 removed in the future.
15304 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
15305 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
15306 on your file system.
15308 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
15309 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
15314 @node Browsing the Web
15315 @section Browsing the Web
15317 @cindex browsing the web
15321 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
15322 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
15323 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
15324 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
15325 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
15326 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
15327 even know what a news group is.
15329 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
15330 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
15331 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
15332 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
15333 you mad in the end.
15335 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
15338 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
15339 interfaces to these sources.
15343 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
15344 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
15345 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
15346 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
15347 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
15348 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
15351 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
15353 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
15354 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
15355 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
15356 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
15357 though, you should be ok.
15359 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
15360 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
15361 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
15362 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
15363 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
15365 @node Archiving Mail
15366 @subsection Archiving Mail
15367 @cindex archiving mail
15368 @cindex backup of mail
15370 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
15371 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
15372 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
15373 marks is fairly simple.
15375 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
15376 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
15379 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
15380 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
15381 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
15382 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
15383 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
15384 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
15385 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
15386 before you restore the data.
15388 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
15389 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
15390 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
15391 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
15392 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
15393 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
15394 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
15395 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
15396 is unnecessary in that case.
15399 @subsection Web Searches
15404 @cindex Usenet searches
15405 @cindex searching the Usenet
15407 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
15408 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
15409 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
15410 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
15411 searches without having to use a browser.
15413 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
15414 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
15415 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
15416 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
15417 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
15419 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
15420 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
15421 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
15422 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
15423 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
15424 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
15425 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
15426 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
15427 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
15428 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
15431 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
15432 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
15433 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
15434 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
15435 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
15436 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
15438 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
15439 to use @code{nnweb}.
15441 Virtual server variables:
15446 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
15447 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
15448 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
15451 @vindex nnweb-search
15452 The search string to feed to the search engine.
15454 @item nnweb-max-hits
15455 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
15456 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
15459 @item nnweb-type-definition
15460 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
15461 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
15462 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
15467 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
15471 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
15474 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
15477 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
15481 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
15488 @subsection Slashdot
15492 @uref{http://slashdot.org/, Slashdot} is a popular news site, with
15493 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
15494 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
15496 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
15497 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
15500 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15501 '((nnslashdot "")))
15504 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
15505 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
15506 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
15507 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
15508 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
15511 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
15512 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
15514 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
15515 comments), some light @acronym{HTML}izations will be performed. In
15516 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
15517 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
15518 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @acronym{HTML}
15519 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
15520 @acronym{HTML} forms.
15522 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
15525 @item nnslashdot-threaded
15526 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
15527 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
15528 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
15529 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
15530 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
15531 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
15533 @item nnslashdot-login-name
15534 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
15535 The login name to use when posting.
15537 @item nnslashdot-password
15538 @vindex nnslashdot-password
15539 The password to use when posting.
15541 @item nnslashdot-directory
15542 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
15543 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
15544 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
15546 @item nnslashdot-active-url
15547 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
15548 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
15549 news articles and comments. The default is@*
15550 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
15552 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
15553 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
15554 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
15556 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
15558 @item nnslashdot-article-url
15559 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
15560 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
15562 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
15564 @item nnslashdot-threshold
15565 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
15566 The score threshold. The default is -1.
15568 @item nnslashdot-group-number
15569 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
15570 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
15571 updated. The default is 0.
15578 @subsection Ultimate
15580 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
15582 @uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/, The Ultimate Bulletin Board} is
15583 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
15584 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
15585 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15587 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
15588 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
15589 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
15590 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
15591 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
15592 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
15593 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
15595 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
15598 @item nnultimate-directory
15599 @vindex nnultimate-directory
15600 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is@*
15601 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
15606 @subsection Web Archive
15608 @cindex Web Archive
15610 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
15611 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
15612 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
15613 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15616 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
15617 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
15618 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
15619 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET @var{an_egroup} RET egroups RET
15620 www.egroups.com RET @var{your@@email.address} RET}. (Substitute the
15621 @var{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
15622 @var{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
15623 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
15625 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
15628 @item nnwarchive-directory
15629 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
15630 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is@*
15631 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
15633 @item nnwarchive-login
15634 @vindex nnwarchive-login
15635 The account name on the web server.
15637 @item nnwarchive-passwd
15638 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
15639 The password for your account on the web server.
15647 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
15648 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
15649 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15652 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
15653 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
15656 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
15659 @item nnrss-directory
15660 @vindex nnrss-directory
15661 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
15662 @file{~/News/rss/}.
15666 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
15667 the summary buffer.
15670 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
15671 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
15673 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
15675 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
15676 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
15679 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
15682 (require 'browse-url)
15684 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
15686 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
15689 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
15690 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
15693 (browse-url (cdr url))
15694 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
15695 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
15697 (eval-after-load "gnus"
15698 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
15699 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
15700 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
15703 @node Customizing w3
15704 @subsection Customizing w3
15710 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
15711 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
15712 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
15714 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
15715 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
15716 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
15719 (eval-after-load "w3"
15721 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
15722 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
15723 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
15724 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
15726 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
15729 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
15730 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
15737 @cindex @acronym{IMAP}
15739 @acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
15740 think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
15741 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
15742 specify the network address of the server.
15744 @acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
15745 everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
15746 @acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
15747 similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
15748 @acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
15749 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
15751 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
15752 entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
15753 the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
15754 not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
15756 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
15757 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
15758 manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
15759 usage explained in this section.
15761 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP} servers
15762 might look something like the following. (Note that for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you
15763 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
15766 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15767 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
15768 ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
15770 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15771 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
15772 ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
15774 (nnimap-server-port 143)
15775 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15776 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
15777 ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
15778 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
15779 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
15780 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
15781 (nnimap-stream network))
15782 ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
15784 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
15785 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
15786 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
15789 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
15790 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
15791 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
15792 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
15794 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
15799 @item nnimap-address
15800 @vindex nnimap-address
15802 The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
15803 server name if not specified.
15805 @item nnimap-server-port
15806 @vindex nnimap-server-port
15807 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
15809 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
15812 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15813 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
15816 @item nnimap-list-pattern
15817 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
15818 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
15819 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
15820 interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
15821 @acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
15822 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
15824 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
15825 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
15826 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
15829 Example server specification:
15832 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15833 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
15834 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
15837 @item nnimap-stream
15838 @vindex nnimap-stream
15839 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
15840 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
15841 of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
15842 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
15844 Example server specification:
15847 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15848 (nnimap-stream ssl))
15851 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
15855 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
15856 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
15858 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
15860 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
15861 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
15864 @dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
15865 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
15867 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
15868 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
15870 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
15872 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
15875 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
15876 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
15877 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
15878 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
15879 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
15880 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
15881 restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
15882 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
15883 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
15886 For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
15887 needed. It is available from
15888 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
15890 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
15891 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
15892 authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
15893 sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
15894 exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
15895 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
15896 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
15899 @vindex imap-ssl-program
15900 For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
15901 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
15902 and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
15903 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
15904 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
15905 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
15908 @vindex imap-shell-program
15909 @vindex imap-shell-host
15910 For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
15911 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
15913 @item nnimap-authenticator
15914 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
15916 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
15917 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
15919 Example server specification:
15922 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15923 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
15926 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
15930 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
15931 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
15933 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
15936 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
15937 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
15939 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
15941 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
15943 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your email address as password.
15946 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
15948 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
15949 Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers has decided that things that
15950 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
15951 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
15952 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
15953 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
15956 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
15957 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
15958 running in circles yet?
15960 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
15961 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
15964 The possible options are:
15969 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
15972 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
15973 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
15974 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
15975 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
15977 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
15982 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
15983 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
15985 If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
15986 well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
15987 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
15988 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
15989 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
15992 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
15993 enable per-user persistent dormant flags, using something like:
15996 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
15997 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15998 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
15999 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16002 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
16003 as ticked for other users.
16005 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
16007 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
16009 This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
16010 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
16011 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
16012 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
16014 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
16015 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
16016 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
16017 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
16019 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
16020 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
16022 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
16023 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
16024 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
16027 @item nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16028 @vindex nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16030 Unselect mailboxes before looking for new mail in them. Some servers
16031 seem to need this under some circumstances; it was reported that
16037 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
16038 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
16039 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
16040 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
16041 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
16046 @node Splitting in IMAP
16047 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
16048 @cindex splitting imap mail
16050 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
16051 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
16052 @acronym{IMAP} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
16053 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @acronym{IMAP}
16054 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
16058 Here are the variables of interest:
16062 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
16063 @cindex splitting, crosspost
16065 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
16067 If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
16068 mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
16069 found will be used.
16071 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
16073 @item nnimap-split-inbox
16074 @cindex splitting, inbox
16076 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
16078 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
16079 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
16080 splitting is disabled!
16083 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
16084 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
16087 No nnmail equivalent.
16089 @item nnimap-split-rule
16090 @cindex splitting, rules
16091 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
16093 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
16096 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
16097 sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
16098 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
16099 Neither did I, we need examples.
16102 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16104 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
16105 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
16106 ("INBOX.private" "")))
16109 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
16110 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
16111 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
16113 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
16114 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
16118 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
16121 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
16122 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
16124 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
16125 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
16126 containing the headers of the article. It should return a
16127 non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
16129 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
16130 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
16131 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
16132 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
16133 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
16134 them every time you fetch new mail.)
16136 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
16137 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
16138 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
16140 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
16141 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
16142 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16144 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
16146 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
16147 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
16148 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
16151 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16152 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
16153 ("junk" "From:.*Simon"))))
16154 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
16155 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
16156 ("junk" my-junk-func))))))
16159 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
16160 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
16161 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
16162 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
16163 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
16164 group/function elements.
16166 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16168 @item nnimap-split-predicate
16170 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
16172 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
16173 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
16175 This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
16176 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
16177 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
16180 @item nnimap-split-fancy
16181 @cindex splitting, fancy
16182 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
16183 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
16185 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16186 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
16187 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
16189 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
16190 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16191 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
16192 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16197 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
16198 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
16201 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
16203 @item nnimap-split-download-body
16204 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
16205 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
16207 Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
16208 This is generally not required, and will slow things down
16209 considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
16210 splitting function that analyses the body to split the article.
16214 @node Expiring in IMAP
16215 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
16216 @cindex expiring imap mail
16218 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
16219 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
16220 Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
16221 IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
16222 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
16223 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
16226 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
16227 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
16228 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
16229 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
16230 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
16231 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
16232 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
16233 messages. Most do, fortunately.
16237 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
16238 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16240 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
16241 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
16243 @item nnmail-expiry-target
16245 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
16246 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
16247 that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
16248 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
16252 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
16253 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
16254 @cindex editing imap acls
16255 @cindex Access Control Lists
16256 @cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
16258 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
16260 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
16261 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
16262 @acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
16265 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
16266 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
16267 editing window with detailed instructions.
16269 Some possible uses:
16273 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
16274 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
16275 follow the list without subscribing to it.
16277 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
16278 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
16279 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
16283 @node Expunging mailboxes
16284 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
16288 @cindex manual expunging
16290 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
16292 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
16293 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
16294 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
16296 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
16299 @node A note on namespaces
16300 @subsection A note on namespaces
16301 @cindex IMAP namespace
16304 The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
16305 by the following text in the RFC:
16308 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
16310 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
16311 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
16312 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
16313 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
16315 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
16316 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
16317 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
16318 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
16319 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
16320 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
16323 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
16324 @acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
16325 prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
16327 Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
16328 mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
16329 in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
16330 created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
16331 without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
16332 not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
16333 mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
16334 you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
16337 See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
16338 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
16339 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
16341 @node Other Sources
16342 @section Other Sources
16344 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
16345 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
16349 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
16350 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
16351 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
16352 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
16353 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
16357 @node Directory Groups
16358 @subsection Directory Groups
16360 @cindex directory groups
16362 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
16363 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
16366 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
16367 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
16368 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
16369 back end to read directories. Big deal.
16371 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
16372 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
16373 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
16374 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
16375 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
16377 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
16379 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
16380 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
16381 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
16382 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
16385 @node Anything Groups
16386 @subsection Anything Groups
16389 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
16390 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
16391 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
16394 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
16395 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
16396 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
16397 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
16398 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
16399 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
16400 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
16401 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
16402 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
16403 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
16406 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
16407 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
16408 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
16409 in the article buffer, just as usual.
16411 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
16412 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
16413 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
16414 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
16416 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
16417 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
16418 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
16419 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
16420 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
16421 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
16422 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
16423 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
16428 @item nneething-map-file-directory
16429 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
16430 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
16431 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
16433 @item nneething-exclude-files
16434 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
16435 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
16436 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
16438 @item nneething-include-files
16439 @vindex nneething-include-files
16440 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
16441 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
16443 @item nneething-map-file
16444 @vindex nneething-map-file
16445 Name of the map files.
16449 @node Document Groups
16450 @subsection Document Groups
16452 @cindex documentation group
16455 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
16456 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
16463 The Babyl (Rmail) mail box.
16468 The standard Unix mbox file.
16470 @cindex MMDF mail box
16472 The MMDF mail box format.
16475 Several news articles appended into a file.
16478 @cindex rnews batch files
16479 The rnews batch transport format.
16480 @cindex forwarded messages
16483 Forwarded articles.
16486 Netscape mail boxes.
16489 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
16491 @item standard-digest
16492 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
16495 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
16497 @item lanl-gov-announce
16498 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
16500 @item rfc822-forward
16501 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
16504 The Outlook mail box.
16507 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
16510 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
16513 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
16516 An RFC934-forwarded message.
16522 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
16525 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
16531 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
16532 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
16533 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
16536 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
16537 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
16538 group. And that's it.
16540 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
16541 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
16542 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
16543 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
16544 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
16545 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
16546 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
16547 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
16548 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
16549 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
16551 Virtual server variables:
16554 @item nndoc-article-type
16555 @vindex nndoc-article-type
16556 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
16557 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
16558 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
16559 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
16560 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
16562 @item nndoc-post-type
16563 @vindex nndoc-post-type
16564 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
16565 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
16570 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
16574 @node Document Server Internals
16575 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
16577 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
16578 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
16579 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
16580 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
16582 First, here's an example document type definition:
16586 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
16587 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
16590 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
16591 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
16592 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
16593 types can be defined with very few settings:
16596 @item first-article
16597 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
16598 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
16601 @item article-begin
16602 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
16603 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
16605 @item head-begin-function
16606 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
16609 @item nndoc-head-begin
16610 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
16613 @item nndoc-head-end
16614 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
16615 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
16617 @item body-begin-function
16618 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
16622 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
16625 @item body-end-function
16626 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
16630 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
16633 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
16634 regexp will be totally ignored.
16638 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
16639 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
16640 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
16641 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
16642 something that's palatable for Gnus:
16645 @item prepare-body-function
16646 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
16647 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
16648 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
16650 @item article-transform-function
16651 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
16652 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
16653 body of the article.
16655 @item generate-head-function
16656 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
16657 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
16658 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
16659 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
16663 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
16668 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16669 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16670 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
16671 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
16672 (head-end . "^ ?$")
16673 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
16674 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
16675 (subtype digest guess))
16678 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
16679 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
16680 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
16681 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
16682 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
16684 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
16685 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
16686 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
16687 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
16688 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
16689 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
16690 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
16691 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
16692 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
16693 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
16694 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
16695 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
16703 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
16704 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
16705 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
16707 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
16708 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
16709 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
16712 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
16713 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
16714 that interested in doing things properly.
16716 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
16717 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
16720 First some terminology:
16725 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
16726 get news and/or mail from.
16729 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
16730 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
16733 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
16737 @item message packets
16738 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
16739 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
16740 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16742 @item response packets
16743 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
16744 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
16745 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16755 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
16756 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
16757 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
16758 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
16761 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
16764 You put the packet in your home directory.
16767 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
16768 the native or secondary server.
16771 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
16772 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
16775 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
16779 You transfer this packet to the server.
16782 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
16785 You then repeat until you die.
16789 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
16790 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
16793 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
16794 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
16795 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
16799 @node SOUP Commands
16800 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
16802 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
16806 @kindex G s b (Group)
16807 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
16808 Pack all unread articles in the current group
16809 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
16810 process/prefix convention.
16813 @kindex G s w (Group)
16814 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
16815 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
16818 @kindex G s s (Group)
16819 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
16820 Send all replies from the replies packet
16821 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
16824 @kindex G s p (Group)
16825 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
16826 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
16829 @kindex G s r (Group)
16830 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
16831 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
16834 @kindex O s (Summary)
16835 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
16836 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
16837 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
16838 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16843 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
16848 @item gnus-soup-directory
16849 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
16850 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
16851 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
16853 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
16854 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
16855 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
16856 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
16858 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
16859 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
16860 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
16861 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
16863 @item gnus-soup-packer
16864 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
16865 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16866 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
16868 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
16869 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
16870 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16871 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16873 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
16874 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
16875 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
16877 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16878 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16879 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
16880 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
16886 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
16889 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
16890 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
16891 you can read them at leisure.
16893 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
16897 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
16898 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
16899 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
16900 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
16902 @item nnsoup-directory
16903 @vindex nnsoup-directory
16904 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
16905 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
16907 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
16908 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
16909 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
16910 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
16912 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
16913 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
16914 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
16915 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
16916 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
16918 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
16919 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
16920 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
16921 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
16923 @item nnsoup-active-file
16924 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
16925 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
16926 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
16927 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
16928 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
16930 @item nnsoup-packer
16931 @vindex nnsoup-packer
16932 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
16933 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
16935 @item nnsoup-unpacker
16936 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
16937 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
16938 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16940 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
16941 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
16942 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
16945 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
16946 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
16947 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
16950 @item nnsoup-always-save
16951 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
16952 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
16958 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
16960 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
16961 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
16962 more for that to happen.
16964 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
16965 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
16966 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
16969 In specific, this is what it does:
16972 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
16973 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
16976 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
16977 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
16978 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
16981 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
16982 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
16983 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
16986 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
16987 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
16988 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
16990 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
16996 @item nngateway-address
16997 @vindex nngateway-address
16998 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
17000 @item nngateway-header-transformation
17001 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
17002 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
17003 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
17004 transformation should be called, and defaults to
17005 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
17006 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
17009 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
17010 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
17011 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
17014 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
17017 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
17020 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
17023 The following pre-defined functions exist:
17025 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17028 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17029 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17030 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
17032 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17034 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17035 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17036 @code{nngateway-address}.
17044 (setq gnus-post-method
17046 "mail2news@@replay.com"
17047 (nngateway-header-transformation
17048 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
17051 So, to use this, simply say something like:
17054 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
17059 @node Combined Groups
17060 @section Combined Groups
17062 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
17066 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
17067 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
17071 @node Virtual Groups
17072 @subsection Virtual Groups
17074 @cindex virtual groups
17075 @cindex merging groups
17077 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
17080 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
17081 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
17082 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
17084 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
17085 regexp to match component groups.
17087 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
17088 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
17089 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
17090 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
17091 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
17092 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
17093 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
17094 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
17096 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
17097 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
17100 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
17103 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
17104 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
17106 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
17107 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
17108 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
17109 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
17112 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
17115 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
17116 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
17117 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
17119 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
17120 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
17121 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
17122 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
17123 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
17125 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
17126 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
17127 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
17129 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
17130 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
17131 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
17132 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
17133 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
17134 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
17135 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
17136 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
17137 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
17138 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
17139 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
17141 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
17142 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
17143 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
17144 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
17145 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
17146 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
17147 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
17149 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
17150 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
17152 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
17153 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
17157 @node Kibozed Groups
17158 @subsection Kibozed Groups
17162 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @acronym{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
17163 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
17164 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @acronym{NNTP} server down to a halt
17165 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
17167 @kindex G k (Group)
17168 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
17171 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
17172 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
17173 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between
17174 @code{nnkiboze} and @code{nnvirtual} end.
17176 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an
17177 @code{nnkiboze} group must have a score file to say what articles are
17178 to be included in the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
17180 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
17181 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
17182 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
17183 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time.
17184 Lots of time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the
17185 headers from all the articles in all the component groups and run them
17186 through the scoring process to determine if there are any articles in
17187 the groups that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
17189 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
17190 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
17191 @acronym{NNTP} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
17192 Stranger things have happened.
17194 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
17195 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
17197 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
17198 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
17199 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
17200 contains the @acronym{NOV} header lines for all the articles in the group,
17201 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
17202 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
17204 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
17205 their @acronym{NOV} lines removed from the @acronym{NOV} file.
17208 @node Gnus Unplugged
17209 @section Gnus Unplugged
17214 @cindex Gnus unplugged
17216 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
17217 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
17218 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
17219 read news. Believe it or not.
17221 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
17222 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
17223 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
17224 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
17225 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
17227 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
17228 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
17229 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
17230 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
17231 reading news on a machine.
17233 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
17234 fact, you don't even have to configure anything.
17236 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
17239 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
17240 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
17241 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
17242 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
17243 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
17244 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
17245 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
17246 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
17247 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
17248 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
17249 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
17250 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
17255 @subsection Agent Basics
17257 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
17259 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
17260 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
17261 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
17262 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
17264 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
17265 connected to the net continuously.
17267 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
17268 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
17270 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
17271 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
17272 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
17273 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
17274 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
17276 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
17277 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
17278 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
17279 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
17280 they're kinda like plugged always).
17282 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
17283 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
17284 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
17287 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
17288 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
17289 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
17290 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
17291 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
17293 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
17298 @findex gnus-unplugged
17299 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
17300 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
17301 already fetched while in this mode.
17304 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
17305 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
17306 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
17307 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
17308 Source Specifiers}).
17311 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
17312 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
17313 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
17314 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
17315 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
17318 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
17319 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
17320 then you read the news offline.
17323 And then you go to step 2.
17326 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
17332 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
17333 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
17334 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
17335 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
17336 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
17337 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
17338 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
17339 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
17342 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
17343 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
17344 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
17345 is probably best to start with a category @xref{Agent Categories}.
17347 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
17348 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
17349 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
17350 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
17351 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
17352 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
17356 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
17360 @node Agent Categories
17361 @subsection Agent Categories
17363 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
17364 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
17365 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
17366 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
17367 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
17368 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
17369 you're interested in the articles anyway.
17371 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
17372 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
17373 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
17374 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
17375 buffer for creating and managing categories.
17377 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
17378 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
17379 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
17380 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
17381 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
17384 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
17385 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
17386 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
17387 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
17388 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
17389 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
17393 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
17394 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
17395 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
17399 @node Category Syntax
17400 @subsubsection Category Syntax
17402 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
17403 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
17404 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
17408 @item gnus-agent-cat-name
17409 The name of the category.
17411 @item gnus-agent-cat-groups
17412 The list of groups that are in this category.
17414 @item gnus-agent-cat-predicate
17415 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
17416 are eligible for downloading; and
17418 @item gnus-agent-cat-score-file
17419 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
17420 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
17421 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
17423 @item gnus-agent-cat-enable-expiration
17424 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
17425 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
17426 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
17427 only groups that should not be expired.
17429 @item gnus-agent-cat-days-until-old
17430 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
17431 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
17433 @item gnus-agent-cat-low-score
17434 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
17436 @item gnus-agent-cat-high-score
17437 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
17439 @item gnus-agent-cat-length-when-short
17440 an integer that overrides the value of
17441 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
17443 @item gnus-agent-cat-length-when-long
17444 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
17447 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
17450 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
17451 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
17452 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
17455 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
17456 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
17457 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
17458 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
17460 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
17461 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
17462 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
17464 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
17465 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
17466 operators sprinkled in between.
17468 Perhaps some examples are in order.
17470 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
17471 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
17477 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
17478 short (for some value of ``short'').
17480 Here's a more complex predicate:
17489 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
17490 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
17493 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
17494 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
17495 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
17497 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
17498 you want to do, you can write your own.
17500 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
17501 bound to the value determined by calling
17502 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
17503 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
17504 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
17505 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
17506 predicate to individual groups.
17510 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
17511 lines; default 100.
17514 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
17515 lines; default 200.
17518 True iff the article has a download score less than
17519 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
17522 True iff the article has a download score greater than
17523 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
17526 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
17527 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
17528 checksum and sees whether articles match.
17537 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
17538 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
17539 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
17542 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
17543 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
17544 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
17545 something along the lines of the following:
17548 (defun my-article-old-p ()
17549 "Say whether an article is old."
17550 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
17551 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
17554 with the predicate then defined as:
17557 (not my-article-old-p)
17560 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
17561 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
17565 (require 'gnus-agent)
17566 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
17567 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
17568 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
17571 and simply specify your predicate as:
17577 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
17578 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
17579 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
17580 just don't give a damn.
17582 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
17583 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
17584 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
17585 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
17586 parameters like so:
17589 (agent-predicate . short)
17592 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
17593 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
17594 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
17596 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
17599 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
17602 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
17603 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
17604 predicate is assumed to be a list.
17607 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
17608 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
17609 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
17610 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
17611 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
17612 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
17614 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
17615 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
17616 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
17617 if it's to be specific to that group.
17619 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
17626 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
17627 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
17633 Category specification
17637 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
17643 Group/Topic Parameter specification
17646 (agent-score ("from"
17647 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
17652 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
17658 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
17659 keywords stated above.
17665 Category specification
17668 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
17674 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
17678 Group Parameter specification
17681 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
17684 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
17689 Use @code{normal} score files
17691 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
17692 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
17693 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
17694 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
17696 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
17697 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
17698 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
17699 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
17703 Category Specification
17710 Group Parameter specification
17713 (agent-score . file)
17718 @node Category Buffer
17719 @subsubsection Category Buffer
17721 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
17722 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
17723 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
17725 The following commands are available in this buffer:
17729 @kindex q (Category)
17730 @findex gnus-category-exit
17731 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
17734 @kindex e (Category)
17735 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
17736 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
17737 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
17740 @kindex k (Category)
17741 @findex gnus-category-kill
17742 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
17745 @kindex c (Category)
17746 @findex gnus-category-copy
17747 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
17750 @kindex a (Category)
17751 @findex gnus-category-add
17752 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
17755 @kindex p (Category)
17756 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
17757 Edit the predicate of the current category
17758 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
17761 @kindex g (Category)
17762 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
17763 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
17764 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
17767 @kindex s (Category)
17768 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
17769 Edit the download score rule of the current category
17770 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
17773 @kindex l (Category)
17774 @findex gnus-category-list
17775 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
17779 @node Category Variables
17780 @subsubsection Category Variables
17783 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
17784 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
17785 Hook run in category buffers.
17787 @item gnus-category-line-format
17788 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
17789 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
17790 Variables}). Valid elements are:
17794 The name of the category.
17797 The number of groups in the category.
17800 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
17801 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
17802 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
17804 @item gnus-agent-short-article
17805 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
17806 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
17808 @item gnus-agent-long-article
17809 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
17810 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
17812 @item gnus-agent-low-score
17813 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
17814 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
17817 @item gnus-agent-high-score
17818 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
17819 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
17822 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
17823 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
17824 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
17825 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
17826 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
17827 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
17828 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
17829 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
17833 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
17834 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
17835 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
17836 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
17837 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
17838 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
17839 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
17844 @node Agent Commands
17845 @subsection Agent Commands
17846 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
17847 @kindex J j (Agent)
17849 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
17850 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
17851 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
17855 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
17856 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
17857 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
17863 @node Group Agent Commands
17864 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
17868 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
17869 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
17870 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
17871 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
17874 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
17875 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
17876 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
17879 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
17880 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
17881 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
17882 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
17885 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
17886 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
17887 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
17888 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
17891 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
17892 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
17893 Add the current group to an Agent category
17894 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
17895 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17898 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
17899 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
17900 Remove the current group from its category, if any
17901 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
17902 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17905 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
17906 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17907 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
17913 @node Summary Agent Commands
17914 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
17918 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
17919 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
17920 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
17923 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
17924 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
17925 Remove the downloading mark from the article
17926 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
17930 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
17931 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
17932 Toggle whether to download the article
17933 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
17937 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
17938 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
17939 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
17942 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
17943 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
17944 Download all eligible (See @pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
17945 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
17948 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
17949 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-series
17950 Download all processable articles in this group.
17951 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-series}).
17954 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
17955 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
17956 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
17957 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
17962 @node Server Agent Commands
17963 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
17967 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
17968 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
17969 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
17970 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
17973 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
17974 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
17975 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
17976 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
17981 @node Agent as Cache
17982 @subsection Agent as Cache
17984 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
17985 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
17986 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
17987 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
17988 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
17989 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
17990 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
17991 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
17992 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
17994 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
17995 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
17996 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
17997 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
17998 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
18001 @subsection Agent Expiry
18003 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18004 @findex gnus-agent-expire
18005 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
18006 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
18007 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
18008 @cindex agent expiry
18009 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
18012 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
18013 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
18014 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
18015 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
18016 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
18017 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
18018 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
18019 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
18021 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
18022 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
18023 synchronized with the group.
18025 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
18026 prevent expiration in selected groups.
18028 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
18029 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
18030 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
18031 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
18032 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
18033 be kept indefinitely.
18035 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
18036 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
18037 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
18038 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
18040 @node Agent Regeneration
18041 @subsection Agent Regeneration
18043 @cindex agent regeneration
18044 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
18045 @cindex regeneration
18047 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
18048 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
18049 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
18050 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
18051 internal inconsistencies.
18053 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
18054 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
18055 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
18056 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
18057 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
18058 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
18060 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
18061 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
18062 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
18063 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
18064 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
18065 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
18067 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
18068 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
18069 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
18070 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
18071 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
18072 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
18075 @node Agent and IMAP
18076 @subsection Agent and IMAP
18078 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
18079 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
18080 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
18081 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
18083 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
18084 are kept on the @acronym{IMAP} server, rather than in @file{.newsrc} as is the
18085 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
18086 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
18088 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
18089 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
18090 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
18091 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
18093 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18094 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
18095 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
18096 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
18097 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
18098 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
18100 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
18101 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
18102 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
18103 in the group buffer.
18105 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
18106 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
18111 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
18114 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
18118 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
18119 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
18120 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
18121 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
18122 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
18123 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
18124 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
18125 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
18128 @node Outgoing Messages
18129 @subsection Outgoing Messages
18131 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
18132 stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view
18133 them there after posting, and edit them at will.
18135 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
18136 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
18137 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
18138 messages in the draft group.
18142 @node Agent Variables
18143 @subsection Agent Variables
18146 @item gnus-agent-directory
18147 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
18148 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
18149 @file{~/News/agent/}.
18151 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
18152 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
18153 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
18154 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
18155 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
18158 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
18159 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
18160 Hook run when connecting to the network.
18162 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
18163 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
18164 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
18166 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
18167 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
18168 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
18170 @item gnus-agent-cache
18171 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
18172 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
18173 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
18174 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
18176 @item gnus-agent-go-online
18177 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
18178 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
18179 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
18180 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
18181 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
18182 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
18185 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
18186 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
18187 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
18188 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
18189 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
18190 read. The default is t.
18192 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
18193 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
18194 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
18195 agent will fetch all missing headers. When @code{nil}, the agent will
18196 fetch only new headers. The default is @code{nil}.
18198 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
18199 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
18200 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
18201 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
18202 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
18203 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
18204 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
18205 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
18206 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
18207 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
18208 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
18209 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
18212 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
18213 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
18214 Perhaps not a Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
18215 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
18216 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
18217 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
18218 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
18219 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
18220 is only valid if the Agent is used.
18222 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
18223 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
18224 Another variable that isn't a Agent variable, yet so closely related
18225 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
18226 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
18227 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
18229 The legal values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
18230 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
18231 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
18232 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
18233 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
18238 @node Example Setup
18239 @subsection Example Setup
18241 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
18242 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
18243 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
18246 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
18247 ;;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
18248 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
18250 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
18251 ;;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
18252 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
18254 ;;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
18255 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
18257 ;;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
18258 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
18259 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
18262 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
18263 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
18266 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
18267 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
18268 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
18269 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
18270 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
18273 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
18274 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
18275 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
18276 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
18277 back all the killed groups.)
18279 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
18280 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
18281 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
18284 @node Batching Agents
18285 @subsection Batching Agents
18286 @findex gnus-agent-batch
18288 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
18289 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
18290 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
18292 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
18293 following incantation:
18297 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
18301 @node Agent Caveats
18302 @subsection Agent Caveats
18304 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
18305 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
18309 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
18311 @strong{No}. If you want this behaviour, add
18312 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
18313 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
18315 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
18316 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
18318 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
18322 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
18323 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
18324 locally stored articles.
18331 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
18332 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
18333 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
18336 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
18337 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
18338 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
18339 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
18340 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
18342 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
18343 before generating the summary buffer.
18345 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
18346 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
18347 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
18349 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
18350 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
18351 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
18352 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
18355 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
18356 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
18357 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
18358 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
18359 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
18360 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
18361 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
18362 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
18363 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
18364 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
18365 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
18366 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
18367 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
18368 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
18369 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
18370 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
18371 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
18375 @node Summary Score Commands
18376 @section Summary Score Commands
18377 @cindex score commands
18379 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
18380 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
18381 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
18382 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
18383 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
18385 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
18386 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
18387 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
18388 score file the current one.
18390 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
18395 @kindex V s (Summary)
18396 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
18397 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
18400 @kindex V S (Summary)
18401 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
18402 Display the score of the current article
18403 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
18406 @kindex V t (Summary)
18407 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
18408 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
18409 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
18410 can use @kbd{q} to quit. @kbd{e} edits the corresponding score file.
18411 When point is on a string within the match element, @kbd{e} will try to
18412 bring you to this string in the score file.
18415 @kindex V w (Summary)
18416 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
18417 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
18420 @kindex V R (Summary)
18421 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
18422 Run the current summary through the scoring process
18423 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
18424 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
18425 effect you're having.
18428 @kindex V c (Summary)
18429 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
18430 Make a different score file the current
18431 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
18434 @kindex V e (Summary)
18435 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
18436 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
18437 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
18441 @kindex V f (Summary)
18442 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
18443 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
18444 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
18447 @kindex V F (Summary)
18448 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
18449 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
18450 after editing score files.
18453 @kindex V C (Summary)
18454 @findex gnus-score-customize
18455 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
18456 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
18460 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
18465 @kindex V m (Summary)
18466 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
18467 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
18468 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
18471 @kindex V x (Summary)
18472 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
18473 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
18474 expunge all articles below this score
18475 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
18478 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
18479 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
18482 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
18483 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
18487 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
18488 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
18490 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
18491 keys are available:
18495 Score on the author name.
18498 Score on the subject line.
18501 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
18504 Score on the @code{References} line.
18510 Score on the number of lines.
18513 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
18516 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
18517 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
18520 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
18521 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
18522 @file{ADAPT} files.)
18531 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
18537 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
18538 what headers you are scoring on.
18550 Substring matching.
18553 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
18582 Greater than number.
18587 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
18588 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
18589 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
18594 Temporary score entry.
18597 Permanent score entry.
18600 Immediately scoring.
18604 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
18605 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
18606 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
18610 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
18611 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
18612 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
18613 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
18615 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
18616 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
18617 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
18618 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
18619 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
18621 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
18622 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
18623 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
18624 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
18625 current score file.
18627 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
18628 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
18629 pretend they are keymaps or not.
18632 @node Group Score Commands
18633 @section Group Score Commands
18634 @cindex group score commands
18636 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
18641 @kindex W f (Group)
18642 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
18643 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
18644 all the time. This command will flush the cache
18645 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
18649 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
18651 @findex gnus-batch-score
18652 @cindex batch scoring
18654 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
18658 @node Score Variables
18659 @section Score Variables
18660 @cindex score variables
18664 @item gnus-use-scoring
18665 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
18666 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
18667 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
18669 @item gnus-kill-killed
18670 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
18671 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
18672 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
18673 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
18674 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
18675 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
18676 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
18678 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
18679 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
18680 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
18681 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
18682 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
18684 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
18685 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
18686 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
18687 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
18689 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
18690 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
18691 @cindex score cache
18692 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
18693 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
18694 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
18695 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
18696 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
18697 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
18698 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
18701 @item gnus-save-score
18702 @vindex gnus-save-score
18703 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
18704 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
18705 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
18707 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
18708 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
18709 across group visits.
18711 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
18712 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
18713 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
18714 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
18715 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
18716 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
18717 manually entered data.
18719 @item gnus-summary-default-score
18720 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
18721 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
18723 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
18724 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
18725 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
18726 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
18727 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
18728 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
18730 @item gnus-score-over-mark
18731 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
18732 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
18733 default. Default is @samp{+}.
18735 @item gnus-score-below-mark
18736 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
18737 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
18738 default. Default is @samp{-}.
18740 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
18741 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
18742 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
18743 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
18745 Predefined functions available are:
18748 @item gnus-score-find-single
18749 @findex gnus-score-find-single
18750 Only apply the group's own score file.
18752 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
18753 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
18754 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
18755 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
18756 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
18757 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
18758 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
18759 then a regexp match is done.
18761 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
18762 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
18764 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
18765 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
18766 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
18767 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
18769 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
18770 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
18771 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
18772 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
18773 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
18777 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
18778 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
18779 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
18780 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
18781 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
18782 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
18783 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
18786 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
18787 overall score file, you could use the value
18789 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
18790 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
18793 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
18794 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
18795 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
18796 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
18797 are expired. It's 7 by default.
18799 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
18800 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
18801 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
18802 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
18803 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
18804 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
18805 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
18806 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
18808 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
18809 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
18810 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
18812 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
18813 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
18814 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
18815 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
18816 threading---according to the current value of
18817 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
18818 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
18819 simplified in this manner.
18824 @node Score File Format
18825 @section Score File Format
18826 @cindex score file format
18828 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
18829 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
18830 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
18832 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
18836 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
18838 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
18840 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
18842 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
18847 (mark-and-expunge -10)
18851 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
18852 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
18853 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
18854 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
18858 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
18859 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
18861 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
18862 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
18863 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
18865 Six keys are supported by this alist:
18870 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
18871 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
18872 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
18873 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
18874 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
18875 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
18876 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
18877 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
18878 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
18879 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
18880 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
18881 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
18882 to articles that matches these score entries.
18884 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
18885 score entry has one to four elements.
18889 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
18890 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
18894 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
18895 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
18896 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
18897 is successful. If this element is not present, the
18898 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
18899 instead. This is 1000 by default.
18902 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
18903 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
18904 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
18905 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
18906 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
18909 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
18910 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
18911 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
18912 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
18915 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
18916 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
18917 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
18918 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
18919 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
18920 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
18921 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
18922 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
18923 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
18924 instead, if you feel like.
18927 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
18928 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
18929 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
18930 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
18931 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
18932 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
18935 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
18939 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
18940 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
18942 These predicates are true if
18945 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
18948 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
18949 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
18956 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
18957 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
18958 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
18959 it's not. I think.)
18961 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
18962 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
18963 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
18964 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
18967 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
18968 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
18969 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
18970 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
18971 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
18972 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
18973 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
18977 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
18978 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
18979 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
18980 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
18981 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
18982 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
18983 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
18984 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
18987 @item Head, Body, All
18988 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
18992 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
18993 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
18994 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
18995 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
18996 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
18997 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
18998 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
19002 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
19003 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
19004 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
19005 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
19006 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
19007 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
19008 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
19009 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
19010 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
19011 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
19012 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
19016 @cindex score file atoms
19018 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19019 lower than this number will be marked as read.
19022 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19023 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
19025 @item mark-and-expunge
19026 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19027 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
19030 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
19031 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
19032 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
19033 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
19034 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
19037 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
19038 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
19041 @item exclude-files
19042 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
19043 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
19047 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
19048 ignored when handling global score files.
19051 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
19052 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
19053 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
19054 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
19057 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
19058 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
19059 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
19060 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
19062 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
19066 (mark-and-expunge -100)
19069 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
19070 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
19071 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
19072 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
19073 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
19075 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
19076 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
19077 scoring rules exist.
19080 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
19081 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
19082 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
19083 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
19084 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
19085 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
19086 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
19087 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
19088 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
19089 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
19090 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
19094 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
19095 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
19096 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
19097 file for a number of groups.
19100 @cindex local variables
19101 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
19102 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
19103 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
19104 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
19105 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
19110 @node Score File Editing
19111 @section Score File Editing
19113 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
19114 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
19115 with a mode for that.
19117 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
19118 additional commands:
19123 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
19124 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
19125 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
19126 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
19129 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
19130 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
19131 Insert the current date in numerical format
19132 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
19133 you were wondering.
19136 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
19137 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
19138 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
19139 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
19140 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
19145 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
19147 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
19148 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
19150 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
19151 e} to begin editing score files.
19154 @node Adaptive Scoring
19155 @section Adaptive Scoring
19156 @cindex adaptive scoring
19158 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
19159 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
19160 stupidity, to be precise.
19162 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
19163 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
19164 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
19165 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
19166 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
19167 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
19168 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
19169 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
19170 variable to @code{(word line)}.
19172 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
19173 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
19174 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
19175 might look something like this:
19178 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
19179 '((gnus-unread-mark)
19180 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
19181 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
19182 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
19183 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
19184 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
19185 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
19186 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
19187 (gnus-ancient-mark)
19188 (gnus-low-score-mark)
19189 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
19192 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
19193 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
19194 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
19195 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
19196 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
19197 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
19200 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
19201 will be applied to each article.
19203 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
19204 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
19205 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
19206 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
19208 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
19209 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
19210 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
19211 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
19213 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
19214 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
19215 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
19216 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
19218 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
19219 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
19220 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
19221 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
19222 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
19223 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
19225 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
19226 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
19227 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
19229 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
19230 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
19231 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
19233 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
19234 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
19235 let you use different rules in different groups.
19237 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
19238 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
19239 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
19242 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
19243 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
19244 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
19245 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
19246 the length of the match is less than
19247 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
19248 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
19251 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
19252 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
19253 headers. If you adapt on words, the
19254 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
19255 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
19258 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
19259 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
19260 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
19261 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
19262 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
19265 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
19266 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
19267 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
19268 score with 30 points.
19270 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
19271 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
19272 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
19273 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
19274 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
19276 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
19277 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
19278 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
19279 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
19280 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
19282 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
19283 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
19284 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
19285 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
19287 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
19288 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
19289 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
19290 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
19292 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
19293 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
19294 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
19295 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
19296 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
19298 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
19299 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
19300 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
19302 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
19303 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
19304 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
19305 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
19308 @node Home Score File
19309 @section Home Score File
19311 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
19312 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
19313 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
19314 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
19316 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
19317 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
19318 could perhaps use the same home score file.
19320 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
19321 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
19326 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
19330 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
19331 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
19335 A list. The elements in this list can be:
19339 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
19340 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
19343 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
19344 be used as the home score file.
19347 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
19350 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
19355 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
19358 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19359 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
19362 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
19363 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
19365 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
19367 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19368 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
19371 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
19372 Other functions include
19375 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
19376 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
19377 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
19378 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
19382 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
19383 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
19384 their own home score files:
19387 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19388 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
19389 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
19390 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
19391 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
19394 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
19395 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
19396 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
19397 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
19398 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
19400 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
19401 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
19402 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
19403 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
19404 precedence over this variable.
19407 @node Followups To Yourself
19408 @section Followups To Yourself
19410 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
19411 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
19412 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
19413 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
19414 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
19415 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
19419 @item gnus-score-followup-article
19420 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
19421 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
19424 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
19425 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
19426 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
19430 @vindex message-sent-hook
19431 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
19432 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
19434 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
19438 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
19439 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
19443 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
19444 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
19447 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
19448 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
19453 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
19457 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
19458 is system-dependent.
19461 @node Scoring On Other Headers
19462 @section Scoring On Other Headers
19463 @cindex scoring on other headers
19465 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
19466 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
19467 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
19468 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
19469 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
19471 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
19472 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
19473 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
19474 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
19475 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
19477 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
19480 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
19481 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
19484 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
19485 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
19486 time if you have much mail.
19488 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
19489 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
19495 @section Scoring Tips
19496 @cindex scoring tips
19502 @cindex scoring crossposts
19503 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
19504 the @code{Xref} header.
19506 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
19509 @item Multiple crossposts
19510 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
19511 more than, say, 3 groups:
19514 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
19518 @item Matching on the body
19519 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
19520 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
19521 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
19522 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
19523 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
19524 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
19525 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
19528 @item Marking as read
19529 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
19530 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
19531 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
19535 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
19537 @item Negated character classes
19538 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
19539 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
19540 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
19544 @node Reverse Scoring
19545 @section Reverse Scoring
19546 @cindex reverse scoring
19548 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
19549 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
19550 like this in your score file:
19554 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
19559 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
19560 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
19563 @node Global Score Files
19564 @section Global Score Files
19565 @cindex global score files
19567 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
19568 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
19569 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
19571 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
19572 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
19573 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
19575 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
19576 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
19577 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
19578 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
19579 files are applicable to which group.
19581 To use the score file
19582 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
19583 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
19587 (setq gnus-global-score-files
19588 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
19589 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
19592 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
19594 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
19595 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
19596 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
19597 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
19599 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
19600 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
19602 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
19603 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
19604 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
19605 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
19606 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
19607 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
19609 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
19615 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
19617 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
19619 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
19621 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
19622 lowered out of existence.
19624 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
19625 articles completely.
19628 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
19629 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
19630 old articles for a long time.
19633 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
19634 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
19635 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
19636 holding our breath yet?
19640 @section Kill Files
19643 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
19644 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
19645 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
19647 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
19648 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
19649 files into score files.
19651 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
19652 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
19653 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
19654 that isn't a very good idea.
19656 Normal kill files look like this:
19659 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19660 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
19664 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
19665 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
19667 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
19668 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
19671 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
19676 @kindex M-k (Summary)
19677 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
19678 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
19681 @kindex M-K (Summary)
19682 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
19683 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
19686 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
19691 @kindex M-k (Group)
19692 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
19693 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
19696 @kindex M-K (Group)
19697 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
19698 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
19701 Kill file variables:
19704 @item gnus-kill-file-name
19705 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
19706 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
19707 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
19708 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
19709 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
19710 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
19712 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
19713 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
19714 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
19715 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
19718 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
19719 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
19720 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
19721 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
19722 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
19723 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
19724 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
19725 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
19726 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
19728 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
19729 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
19730 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
19735 @node Converting Kill Files
19736 @section Converting Kill Files
19738 @cindex converting kill files
19740 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
19741 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
19742 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
19745 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
19746 You can fetch it from
19747 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
19749 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
19750 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
19751 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
19759 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/, GroupLens} is a
19760 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
19761 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
19762 news articles generated every day.
19764 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
19765 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
19766 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
19767 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
19768 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
19769 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
19770 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
19771 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
19774 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
19775 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
19778 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
19779 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
19780 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
19781 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
19785 @node Using GroupLens
19786 @subsection Using GroupLens
19788 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local
19789 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html, Better Bit
19790 Bureau (BBB)} is the only better bit in town at the moment.
19792 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
19796 @item gnus-use-grouplens
19797 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
19798 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
19799 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
19801 @item grouplens-pseudonym
19802 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
19803 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
19804 with the Better Bit Bureau.
19806 @item grouplens-newsgroups
19807 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
19808 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
19812 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
19813 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
19814 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
19815 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
19816 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
19817 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
19820 @node Rating Articles
19821 @subsection Rating Articles
19823 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
19824 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
19825 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
19826 yourself is, ``on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
19829 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
19834 @kindex r (GroupLens)
19835 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
19836 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
19839 @kindex k (GroupLens)
19840 @findex grouplens-score-thread
19841 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
19842 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
19843 threads in rec.humor.
19847 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
19848 the score of the article you're reading.
19853 @kindex n (GroupLens)
19854 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
19855 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
19858 @kindex , (GroupLens)
19859 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
19860 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
19864 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
19865 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
19868 @node Displaying Predictions
19869 @subsection Displaying Predictions
19871 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
19872 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
19873 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
19874 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
19875 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
19877 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
19878 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
19879 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
19880 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
19881 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
19882 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
19883 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
19884 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
19885 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
19886 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
19887 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
19888 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
19889 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
19891 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
19892 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
19893 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
19894 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
19896 The following are valid values for that variable.
19899 @item prediction-spot
19900 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
19903 @item confidence-interval
19904 A numeric confidence interval.
19906 @item prediction-bar
19907 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
19909 @item confidence-bar
19910 Numerical confidence.
19912 @item confidence-spot
19913 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
19915 @item prediction-num
19916 Plain-old numeric value.
19918 @item confidence-plus-minus
19919 Prediction +/- confidence.
19924 @node GroupLens Variables
19925 @subsection GroupLens Variables
19929 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
19930 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
19931 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
19932 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
19935 @item grouplens-bbb-host
19936 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
19939 @item grouplens-bbb-port
19940 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
19942 @item grouplens-score-offset
19943 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
19944 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
19947 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
19948 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
19949 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
19954 @node Advanced Scoring
19955 @section Advanced Scoring
19957 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
19958 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
19959 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
19960 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
19961 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
19963 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
19967 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
19968 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
19969 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
19973 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
19974 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
19976 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
19977 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
19978 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
19979 non-@code{nil} value.
19981 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
19982 operator, and various match operators.
19989 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19990 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
19991 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
19996 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19997 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
19998 then this operator will return @code{false}.
20003 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
20004 logical negation of the value of its argument.
20008 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
20009 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
20010 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
20011 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
20012 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
20013 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
20014 the ancestry you want to go.
20016 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
20017 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
20018 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
20019 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
20020 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
20023 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
20024 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
20026 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
20027 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
20030 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
20031 when he's talking about Gnus:
20036 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20037 ("subject" "Gnus"))
20044 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
20048 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20055 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
20056 really don't want to read what he's written:
20060 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20061 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
20065 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
20066 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
20067 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
20074 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
20075 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
20076 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
20077 ("body" "white.*socks"))
20081 The possibilities are endless.
20084 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
20085 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
20087 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
20088 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
20089 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
20090 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
20091 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
20092 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
20093 @samp{subject}) first.
20095 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
20096 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
20107 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
20108 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
20114 ("subject" "Gnus")))
20121 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
20122 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
20127 @section Score Decays
20128 @cindex score decays
20131 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
20132 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
20133 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
20134 use them in any sensible way.
20136 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
20137 @findex gnus-decay-score
20138 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
20139 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
20140 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
20141 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
20142 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
20143 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
20144 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
20145 definition of that function:
20148 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
20150 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
20151 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
20154 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
20156 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
20158 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
20161 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
20162 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
20163 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
20164 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
20168 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
20171 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
20174 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
20178 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
20179 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
20180 the new score, which should be an integer.
20182 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
20183 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
20188 @include message.texi
20189 @chapter Emacs MIME
20190 @include emacs-mime.texi
20192 @include sieve.texi
20194 @c @include pgg.texi
20202 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
20203 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
20204 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
20205 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
20206 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
20207 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
20208 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
20209 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
20210 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
20211 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
20212 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
20213 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
20214 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
20215 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
20216 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
20217 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
20218 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
20219 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
20220 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
20224 @node Process/Prefix
20225 @section Process/Prefix
20226 @cindex process/prefix convention
20228 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
20229 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
20231 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
20232 command to be performed on.
20236 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
20237 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
20238 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
20239 with the current one.
20241 @vindex transient-mark-mode
20242 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
20243 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
20245 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
20246 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
20249 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
20250 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
20252 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
20255 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
20256 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
20257 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
20258 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
20260 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
20261 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
20262 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
20263 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
20264 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
20265 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
20266 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
20267 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
20269 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
20270 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
20271 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
20272 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
20273 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
20277 @section Interactive
20278 @cindex interaction
20282 @item gnus-novice-user
20283 @vindex gnus-novice-user
20284 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
20285 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
20286 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
20287 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
20290 @item gnus-expert-user
20291 @vindex gnus-expert-user
20292 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
20293 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
20294 matter how strange.
20296 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
20297 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
20298 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
20299 is @code{t} by default.
20301 @item gnus-interactive-exit
20302 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
20303 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
20308 @node Symbolic Prefixes
20309 @section Symbolic Prefixes
20310 @cindex symbolic prefixes
20312 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
20313 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
20314 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
20315 rule of 900 to the current article.
20317 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
20318 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
20319 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
20320 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
20321 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
20322 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
20323 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
20325 @kindex M-i (Summary)
20326 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
20327 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
20328 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
20329 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
20330 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
20331 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
20332 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
20333 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
20335 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
20336 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
20337 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
20339 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
20343 @node Formatting Variables
20344 @section Formatting Variables
20345 @cindex formatting variables
20347 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
20348 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
20349 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
20350 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
20351 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
20354 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
20355 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
20356 lots of percentages everywhere.
20359 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
20360 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
20361 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
20362 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
20363 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
20364 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
20365 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
20366 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
20369 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
20370 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
20371 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
20372 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
20373 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
20374 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
20375 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
20376 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
20378 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
20379 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
20381 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
20382 @findex gnus-update-format
20383 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
20384 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
20385 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
20386 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
20390 @node Formatting Basics
20391 @subsection Formatting Basics
20393 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
20394 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
20395 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
20397 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
20398 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
20399 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
20400 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
20401 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
20404 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
20405 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
20406 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
20407 less than 4 characters wide.
20409 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
20410 @samp{%&user-date;}.
20413 @node Mode Line Formatting
20414 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
20416 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
20417 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
20418 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
20419 with the following two differences:
20424 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
20427 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
20428 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
20429 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
20430 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
20431 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
20432 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
20433 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
20438 @node Advanced Formatting
20439 @subsection Advanced Formatting
20441 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
20442 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
20443 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
20444 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
20446 These are the valid modifiers:
20451 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
20455 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
20460 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
20463 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
20468 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
20471 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
20474 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
20477 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
20483 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
20488 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
20489 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
20490 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
20491 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
20492 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
20493 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
20494 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
20496 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
20497 last operation, padding.
20499 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
20500 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
20501 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
20502 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
20503 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
20504 the look of your lines.
20505 @xref{Compilation}.
20508 @node User-Defined Specs
20509 @subsection User-Defined Specs
20511 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
20512 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
20513 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
20514 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
20515 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
20516 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
20517 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
20518 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
20519 should protect against that.
20521 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
20522 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
20524 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
20525 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
20526 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
20527 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
20531 @node Formatting Fonts
20532 @subsection Formatting Fonts
20534 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
20535 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
20536 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
20537 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
20540 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
20541 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
20542 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
20543 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
20544 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
20545 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
20547 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
20548 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
20549 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
20550 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
20551 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
20552 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
20553 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
20554 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
20555 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
20556 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
20557 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
20560 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
20563 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
20564 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
20565 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
20567 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
20568 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
20569 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
20570 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
20571 ;; @r{Set the color.}
20572 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
20573 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
20575 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
20576 (setq gnus-group-line-format
20577 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
20580 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
20581 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
20583 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
20584 mode-line variables.
20586 @node Positioning Point
20587 @subsection Positioning Point
20589 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
20590 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
20591 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
20593 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
20595 @findex gnus-goto-colon
20596 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
20597 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
20599 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
20600 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
20601 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
20606 @subsection Tabulation
20608 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
20609 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
20610 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
20611 about lining up the following text afterwards.
20613 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
20614 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
20616 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20617 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
20618 This is the soft tabulator.
20620 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20621 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
20622 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
20625 @node Wide Characters
20626 @subsection Wide Characters
20628 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
20629 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
20630 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
20632 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
20633 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
20634 these countries, that's not true.
20636 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
20637 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
20638 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
20639 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
20643 @node Window Layout
20644 @section Window Layout
20645 @cindex window layout
20647 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
20649 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
20650 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
20651 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
20652 @code{t} by default.
20654 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
20655 glitches. Use at your own peril.
20657 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
20658 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
20659 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
20662 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
20663 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
20664 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20668 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
20669 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
20670 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
20671 possible names is listed below.
20673 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
20674 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
20677 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20681 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
20682 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
20683 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
20684 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
20685 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
20686 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
20687 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
20688 size spec per split.
20690 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
20691 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
20692 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
20693 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
20694 present) gets focus.
20696 Here's a more complicated example:
20699 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
20700 (summary 0.25 point)
20701 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
20705 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
20706 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
20707 occupy, not a percentage.
20709 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
20710 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
20711 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
20712 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
20713 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
20716 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
20719 (article (horizontal 1.0
20724 (summary 0.25 point)
20729 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
20730 @code{horizontal} thingie?
20732 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
20733 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
20734 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
20735 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
20736 the screen is to be given to this strip.
20738 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
20739 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
20740 lines from the splits.
20742 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
20747 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
20748 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
20749 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
20750 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
20751 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
20752 size = number | frame-params
20753 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
20757 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
20758 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
20759 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
20760 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
20762 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
20763 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
20764 @cindex window height
20765 @cindex window width
20766 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
20767 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
20768 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
20769 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
20770 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
20771 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
20773 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
20774 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
20775 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
20776 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
20778 @findex gnus-configure-frame
20779 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
20780 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
20781 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
20782 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
20783 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
20784 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
20785 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
20786 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
20787 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
20788 configuration list.
20791 (gnus-configure-frame
20795 (article 0.3 point))
20803 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
20804 @code{frame} split:
20807 (gnus-configure-frame
20810 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
20812 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
20813 (user-position . t)
20814 (left . -1) (top . 1))
20819 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
20820 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
20821 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
20822 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
20823 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
20824 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
20825 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
20826 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
20828 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
20829 be found in its default value.
20831 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
20832 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
20833 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
20837 (message (horizontal 1.0
20838 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
20840 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
20845 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
20846 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
20847 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
20852 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
20853 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
20854 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
20855 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
20856 (name . "Message"))
20857 (message 1.0 point))))
20860 @findex gnus-add-configuration
20861 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
20862 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
20863 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
20864 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
20867 (gnus-add-configuration
20868 '(article (vertical 1.0
20870 (summary .25 point)
20874 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
20875 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
20876 Gnus has been loaded.
20878 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
20879 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
20880 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
20881 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
20882 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
20884 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
20885 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
20886 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
20889 @subsection Example Window Configurations
20893 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
20894 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
20909 (gnus-add-configuration
20912 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
20914 (summary 0.16 point)
20917 (gnus-add-configuration
20920 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
20921 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
20927 @node Faces and Fonts
20928 @section Faces and Fonts
20933 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
20934 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
20935 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
20940 @section Compilation
20941 @cindex compilation
20942 @cindex byte-compilation
20944 @findex gnus-compile
20946 Remember all those line format specification variables?
20947 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
20948 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
20949 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
20950 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
20951 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
20952 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
20953 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
20956 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
20957 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
20958 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
20959 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
20960 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
20963 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
20964 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
20965 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
20966 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
20967 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
20972 @section Mode Lines
20975 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
20976 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
20977 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
20978 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
20979 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
20980 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
20981 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
20984 @cindex display-time
20986 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
20987 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
20988 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
20989 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
20990 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
20991 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
20992 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
20993 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
20996 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
20998 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
20999 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
21001 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
21002 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
21003 (length display-time-string)))))
21006 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
21007 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
21008 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
21009 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
21010 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
21013 @node Highlighting and Menus
21014 @section Highlighting and Menus
21016 @cindex highlighting
21019 @vindex gnus-visual
21020 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
21021 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
21022 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
21025 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
21026 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
21029 @item group-highlight
21030 Do highlights in the group buffer.
21031 @item summary-highlight
21032 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
21033 @item article-highlight
21034 Do highlights in the article buffer.
21036 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
21038 Create menus in the group buffer.
21040 Create menus in the summary buffers.
21042 Create menus in the article buffer.
21044 Create menus in the browse buffer.
21046 Create menus in the server buffer.
21048 Create menus in the score buffers.
21050 Create menus in all buffers.
21053 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
21054 buffers, you could say something like:
21057 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
21060 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
21063 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
21066 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
21067 in all Gnus buffers.
21069 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
21072 @item gnus-mouse-face
21073 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
21074 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
21075 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
21079 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
21083 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
21084 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
21085 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
21087 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
21088 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
21089 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
21091 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
21092 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
21093 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
21095 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
21096 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
21097 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
21099 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
21100 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
21101 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
21103 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
21104 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
21105 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
21116 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
21117 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
21118 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
21119 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
21120 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
21124 @vindex gnus-carpal
21125 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
21126 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
21127 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
21132 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21133 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21134 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
21136 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
21137 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
21138 Face used on buttons.
21140 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
21141 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
21142 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
21144 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21145 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21146 Buttons in the group buffer.
21148 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21149 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21150 Buttons in the summary buffer.
21152 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21153 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21154 Buttons in the server buffer.
21156 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21157 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21158 Buttons in the browse buffer.
21161 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
21162 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
21163 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
21171 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
21172 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
21173 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
21174 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
21175 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
21177 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
21178 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
21179 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
21181 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
21182 been idle for thirty minutes:
21185 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
21188 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
21192 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
21195 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
21196 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
21197 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
21199 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
21200 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
21201 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
21202 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
21204 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
21205 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
21206 @var{idle} minutes.
21208 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
21209 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
21212 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
21213 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
21214 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
21216 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
21217 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
21218 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
21219 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
21221 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
21222 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21224 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
21226 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
21229 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
21230 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
21231 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
21232 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
21233 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
21234 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
21235 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
21236 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
21237 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
21238 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
21239 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
21241 @findex gnus-demon-init
21242 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
21243 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
21244 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
21245 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
21246 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
21248 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
21249 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
21250 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
21259 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
21260 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
21262 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
21263 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
21264 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
21265 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
21268 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
21269 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
21270 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
21271 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
21273 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
21274 this will make spam disappear.
21276 There are some variables to customize, of course:
21279 @item gnus-use-nocem
21280 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
21281 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
21284 @item gnus-nocem-groups
21285 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
21286 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
21289 ("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
21290 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")
21293 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
21294 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
21295 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
21296 people you want to listen to. The default is
21298 ("Automoose-1" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
21299 "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo" "hweede@@snafu.de")
21301 fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
21303 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
21304 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
21306 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
21307 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
21308 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
21309 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
21310 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
21311 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
21312 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
21313 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
21314 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
21315 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
21317 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
21318 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
21321 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
21324 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
21325 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
21328 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
21331 The specs are applied left-to-right.
21334 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
21335 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
21337 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
21338 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
21339 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
21340 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
21342 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
21343 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
21346 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
21348 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
21356 This might be dangerous, though.
21358 @item gnus-nocem-directory
21359 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
21360 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
21361 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
21363 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21364 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21365 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
21366 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
21367 might then see old spam.
21369 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
21370 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
21371 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
21372 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
21373 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
21376 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21377 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21378 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
21379 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
21383 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
21384 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
21385 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
21386 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
21393 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
21394 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
21395 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
21397 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
21398 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
21399 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
21400 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
21401 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
21402 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
21403 @code{undo} function.
21405 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
21406 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
21407 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
21408 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
21409 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
21410 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
21411 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
21412 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
21413 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
21414 never be totally undoable.
21416 @findex gnus-undo-mode
21417 @vindex gnus-use-undo
21419 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
21420 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
21421 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
21422 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
21426 @node Predicate Specifiers
21427 @section Predicate Specifiers
21428 @cindex predicate specifiers
21430 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
21431 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
21432 to type all that much.
21434 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
21439 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
21440 gnus-article-unread-p)
21443 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
21444 functions all take one parameter.
21446 @findex gnus-make-predicate
21447 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
21448 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
21449 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
21454 @section Moderation
21457 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
21458 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
21459 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
21462 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
21466 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
21469 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
21471 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
21476 You split your incoming mail by matching on
21477 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
21478 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
21481 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
21482 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
21485 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
21486 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
21490 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
21493 (setq gnus-moderated-list
21494 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
21498 @node Image Enhancements
21499 @section Image Enhancements
21501 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
21502 support images yet.}, is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has
21503 taken advantage of that.
21506 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
21507 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
21508 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
21509 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
21522 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
21523 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
21524 over your shoulder as you read news.
21526 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
21535 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
21536 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
21537 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
21538 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
21539 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
21540 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
21541 @code{GIF} formats.
21544 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
21545 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
21546 point your Web browser at
21547 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
21549 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
21550 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
21552 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
21553 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
21556 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
21560 @item gnus-picon-databases
21561 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
21562 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
21563 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
21564 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
21565 "/usr/local/faces")}.
21567 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
21568 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
21569 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
21570 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
21572 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
21573 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
21574 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
21575 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
21577 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
21578 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
21579 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
21580 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
21581 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
21583 @item gnus-picon-file-types
21584 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
21585 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
21586 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
21591 @subsection Smileys
21596 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
21601 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
21602 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
21604 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
21605 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21608 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
21611 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
21612 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
21613 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
21614 text and maps that to file names.
21616 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
21617 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
21618 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
21619 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
21620 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
21623 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
21628 @item smiley-data-directory
21629 @vindex smiley-data-directory
21630 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
21632 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
21633 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
21634 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
21643 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
21644 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
21645 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
21649 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
21650 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
21651 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
21652 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
21660 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
21661 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
21662 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
21663 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
21665 The variable that controls this is the
21666 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
21667 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
21668 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
21669 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
21670 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
21672 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
21673 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
21674 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
21675 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
21678 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
21679 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
21680 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
21681 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
21682 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
21683 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
21684 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
21685 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
21687 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
21690 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
21691 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
21693 @findex gnus-random-x-face
21694 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
21695 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
21696 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
21697 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
21698 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
21699 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
21700 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
21701 header data as a string.
21703 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
21704 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
21705 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
21706 randomly generated data.
21708 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
21709 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
21710 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
21711 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
21712 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
21714 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
21715 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21718 (setq message-required-news-headers
21719 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21720 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
21723 Using the last function would be something like this:
21726 (setq message-required-news-headers
21727 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21728 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
21729 (gnus-x-face-from-file
21730 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
21735 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
21738 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
21739 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
21740 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
21741 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
21742 unusual directory structure.
21744 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
21745 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
21746 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
21747 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
21749 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
21750 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
21751 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
21752 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
21753 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
21754 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
21756 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
21757 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
21758 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
21763 @subsubsection Toolbar
21767 @item gnus-use-toolbar
21768 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
21769 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
21770 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
21771 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
21773 @item gnus-group-toolbar
21774 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
21775 The toolbar in the group buffer.
21777 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
21778 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
21779 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
21781 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
21782 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
21783 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
21794 @node Fuzzy Matching
21795 @section Fuzzy Matching
21796 @cindex fuzzy matching
21798 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
21799 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
21801 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
21802 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
21803 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
21805 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
21806 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
21807 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
21808 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
21809 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
21812 @node Thwarting Email Spam
21813 @section Thwarting Email Spam
21817 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21819 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
21820 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
21821 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
21822 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
21823 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
21824 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
21825 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
21826 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
21829 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
21830 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
21831 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
21832 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
21833 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
21834 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
21836 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
21839 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
21840 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
21841 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
21842 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
21843 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
21844 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
21847 @node The problem of spam
21848 @subsection The problem of spam
21850 @cindex spam filtering approaches
21851 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
21853 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21855 First, some background on spam.
21857 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
21858 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it exists
21859 because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail, so only
21860 a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to make it
21861 worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most common
21862 spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for further
21863 spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers}, but terms like
21864 @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, and @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
21866 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
21867 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
21868 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
21869 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
21870 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
21871 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
21872 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
21873 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
21874 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
21877 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering. If you get 200
21878 spam messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you
21879 block @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about
21880 @samp{VIAGRA}, you discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the
21881 message. This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate
21882 e-mail. For instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest
21883 has been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it
21884 @strong{contained} words that were common in spam messages.
21885 Nevertheless, in isolated cases, with great care, direct filtering of
21886 mail can be useful.
21888 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
21889 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
21890 @code{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @samp{X} in
21891 China, Ghana, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
21892 @code{N} systems enter @samp{X} or the spam e-mail from @samp{X} into
21893 a database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the
21894 number of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When
21895 a user of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a
21896 message is spam, he consults one of those @code{N} systems.
21898 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
21899 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
21900 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
21901 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
21902 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
21903 sending spam, and their web sites have been shut down for some time
21904 because of the incident.
21906 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
21907 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
21908 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
21909 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
21910 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
21911 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
21912 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
21913 to store the database of spam analyses.
21915 @node Anti-Spam Basics
21916 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
21920 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21922 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
21923 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
21925 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
21926 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
21927 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
21928 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
21929 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
21930 part of the mail address.)
21933 (setq message-default-news-headers
21934 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
21937 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
21938 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21943 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
21944 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
21945 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
21951 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
21952 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
21953 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
21954 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
21956 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
21957 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
21958 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
21959 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
21960 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
21961 your fancy split rule in this way:
21966 (to "larsi" "misc")
21970 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
21971 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
21972 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
21973 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
21974 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
21976 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
21977 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
21978 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
21979 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
21980 cosmic balance somewhat.
21982 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
21983 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
21984 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
21985 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
21990 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
21991 @cindex SpamAssassin
21992 @cindex Vipul's Razor
21995 The days where the hints in the previous section was sufficient in
21996 avoiding spam is coming to an end. There are many tools out there
21997 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
21998 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
21999 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
22000 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
22001 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
22003 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
22004 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
22005 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
22006 Specifiers}) follows.
22010 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
22013 :postscript "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
22016 Once you managed to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
22017 the mail contain e.g. a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
22018 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
22021 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
22025 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22028 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
22029 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
22033 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
22034 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
22035 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
22036 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
22039 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
22041 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
22043 (let ((buf (or (get-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
22044 (get-buffer " *nnml move*"))))
22046 (progn (message "Oops, cannot find message buffer") nil)
22048 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
22049 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
22053 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
22054 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
22055 spam. And here is the nifty function:
22058 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
22059 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
22061 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
22062 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
22063 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
22067 @subsection Hashcash
22070 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
22071 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
22072 you cannot rely on that everyone in the world uses this technique,
22073 since it is not part of the Internet standards, but it may be useful
22074 in smaller communities.
22076 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
22077 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
22078 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
22079 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
22080 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
22081 instead requires that everyone you communicate with supports the
22082 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
22083 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
22084 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
22085 one of them separately.
22088 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
22089 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
22090 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
22091 header. For more details, and for the external application
22092 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
22093 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
22094 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
22096 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
22100 (require 'hashcash)
22101 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
22104 The @code{hashcash.el} library can be found in the Gnus development
22105 contrib directory. or at
22106 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}.
22108 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
22112 @item hashcash-default-payment
22113 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
22114 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
22115 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
22116 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
22118 @item hashcash-payment-alist
22119 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
22120 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
22121 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
22122 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
22123 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
22124 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
22125 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
22126 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
22130 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
22134 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
22135 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
22136 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
22137 a useful contribution, however.
22139 @node Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
22140 @subsection Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
22141 @cindex spam filtering
22144 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
22145 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
22146 filters incoming mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
22147 @emph{Ham} is the name used throughout @code{spam.el} to indicate
22150 So, what happens when you load @code{spam.el}? First of all, you get
22151 the following keyboard commands:
22161 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
22162 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
22164 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark.
22165 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
22166 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
22167 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
22173 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
22174 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
22176 You must have Bogofilter installed for that command to work properly.
22182 Also, when you load @code{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
22183 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
22186 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
22187 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
22188 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
22189 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
22190 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
22191 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
22192 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
22193 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
22194 will be detected later.
22196 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
22197 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
22198 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
22199 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
22200 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
22201 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
22202 by customizing the corresponding variable
22203 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
22204 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
22205 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
22206 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
22207 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
22208 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
22209 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
22212 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
22214 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
22215 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
22216 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
22217 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
22218 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
22219 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
22220 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to nil. You should
22221 remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary buffer for
22222 every message that is not spam after all. To remove the @samp{$}
22223 mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or @kbd{d} for
22224 declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a group, all
22225 spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam processor which
22226 will study them as spam samples.
22228 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
22229 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
22230 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
22231 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
22232 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
22233 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
22234 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
22235 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
22238 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
22239 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
22240 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks.
22244 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
22245 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
22249 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
22250 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
22251 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
22252 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
22253 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
22254 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
22257 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
22258 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
22259 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
22260 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
22261 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
22262 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
22263 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
22264 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
22265 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with
22266 @code{customize-variable gnus-ham-process-destinations}). The ultimate
22267 location is a group name. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
22268 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
22269 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
22270 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
22272 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
22273 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
22275 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
22276 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
22277 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
22278 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
22279 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
22280 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
22281 customize this variable with @code{customize-variable
22282 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). The ultimate location is a group
22283 name. If the @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set,
22284 the spam articles are only expired.
22286 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
22287 must add the following to your fancy split list
22288 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
22294 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
22295 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
22296 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
22298 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
22299 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
22300 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
22301 but you can customize @code{spam-split-group}.
22303 You can also give @code{spam-split} a parameter,
22304 e.g. @samp{'spam-use-regex-headers}. Why is this useful?
22306 Take these split rules (with @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and
22307 @code{spam-use-blackholes} set):
22310 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
22311 (any "ding" "ding")
22317 Now, the problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the
22318 ding folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam
22319 detected by SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through,
22320 when it's sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to
22321 the ding list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the
22322 invocation of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
22324 You can let SpamAssassin headers supercede ding rules, but all other
22325 @code{spam-split} rules (including a second invocation of the
22326 regex-headers check) will be after the ding rule:
22329 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
22330 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
22331 (any "ding" "ding")
22337 Basically, this lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks
22338 depending on your particular needs. You don't have to throw all mail
22339 into all the spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that
22340 messages to mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have
22341 resource-intensive blackhole checks performed on them. You could also
22342 specify different spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap
22345 You still have to have specific checks such as
22346 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} set to t, even if you specifically
22347 invoke @code{spam-split} with the check. The reason is that when
22348 loading @code{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on
22349 what @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set.
22351 @emph{Note for IMAP users}
22353 The boolean variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} needs to be
22354 set, if you want to split based on the whole message instead of just
22355 the headers. By default, the nnimap back end will only retrieve the
22356 message headers. If you use @code{spam-check-bogofilter},
22357 @code{spam-check-ifile}, or @code{spam-check-stat} (the splitters that
22358 can benefit from the full message body), you should set this variable.
22359 It is not set by default because it will slow @acronym{IMAP} down, and
22360 that is not an appropriate decision to make on behalf of the user.
22362 @xref{Splitting in IMAP}.
22364 @emph{TODO: Currently, spam.el only supports insertion of articles
22365 into a back end. There is no way to tell spam.el that an article is no
22366 longer spam or ham.}
22368 @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
22369 statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
22372 The following are the methods you can use to control the behavior of
22373 @code{spam-split} and their corresponding spam and ham processors:
22376 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
22377 * BBDB Whitelists::
22378 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
22379 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
22381 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
22383 * ifile spam filtering::
22384 * spam-stat spam filtering::
22385 * Extending the spam elisp package::
22388 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
22389 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
22390 @cindex spam filtering
22391 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
22392 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
22395 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
22397 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
22398 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
22399 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
22400 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
22405 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
22407 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
22408 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
22409 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
22410 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
22411 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
22415 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
22417 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
22418 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
22419 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
22423 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
22425 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22426 customizing the group parameters or the
22427 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22428 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
22429 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
22433 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
22435 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22436 customizing the group parameters or the
22437 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22438 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
22439 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
22440 whitelist. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
22441 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22445 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
22446 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
22447 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
22448 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
22449 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
22451 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
22452 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
22453 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
22454 Emacs regular expression syntax.
22456 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
22457 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
22458 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
22459 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
22460 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
22461 @file{blacklist} respectively.
22463 @node BBDB Whitelists
22464 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
22465 @cindex spam filtering
22466 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
22467 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
22470 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
22472 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
22473 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
22474 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
22475 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
22476 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
22477 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
22478 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
22482 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
22484 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
22485 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
22486 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
22487 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
22488 classified as spammers.
22492 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
22494 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22495 customizing the group parameters or the
22496 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22497 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
22498 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
22499 BBDB. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
22500 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22504 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
22505 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
22506 @cindex spam reporting
22507 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
22508 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
22511 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
22513 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22514 customizing the group parameters or the
22515 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22516 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
22517 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators.
22521 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
22522 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
22523 @cindex spam filtering
22524 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
22527 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
22529 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
22530 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
22531 instead of the sender address. You must have the @code{hashcash.el}
22532 package loaded for @code{spam-use-hashcash} to work properly.
22533 Messages without a hashcash payment token will be sent to the next
22534 spam-split rule. This is an explicit filter, meaning that unless a
22535 hashcash token is found, the messages are not assumed to be spam or
22541 @subsubsection Blackholes
22542 @cindex spam filtering
22543 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
22546 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
22548 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
22549 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
22550 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
22551 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
22552 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
22553 contains outdated servers.
22555 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
22556 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
22557 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
22558 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
22559 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
22560 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
22564 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
22566 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
22570 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
22572 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
22573 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
22577 @defvar spam-use-dig
22579 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
22580 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
22584 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
22585 ham processor for blackholes.
22587 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
22588 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
22589 @cindex spam filtering
22590 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
22593 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
22595 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
22596 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
22597 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
22598 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
22599 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
22600 message is spam or ham, respectively.
22604 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
22606 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
22607 the message, positively identify it as spam.
22611 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
22613 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
22614 the message, positively identify it as ham.
22618 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
22619 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
22622 @subsubsection Bogofilter
22623 @cindex spam filtering
22624 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
22627 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
22629 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
22632 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
22633 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
22634 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
22635 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
22636 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
22637 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
22639 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on an internal
22640 threshold, set at compilation time. That threshold can't be
22643 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
22644 processing will be turned off.
22646 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
22650 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
22652 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
22653 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
22654 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
22655 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
22656 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
22657 installation documents for details.
22659 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
22663 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
22664 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22665 customizing the group parameters or the
22666 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22667 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
22668 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
22671 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
22672 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22673 customizing the group parameters or the
22674 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22675 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
22676 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
22677 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
22678 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22681 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
22683 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
22684 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
22685 database directory.
22689 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to ifile in intent and
22690 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
22691 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
22692 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
22693 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
22694 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
22696 @node ifile spam filtering
22697 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
22698 @cindex spam filtering
22699 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
22702 @defvar spam-use-ifile
22704 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use ifile, a
22705 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
22709 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
22711 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
22712 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
22713 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
22717 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
22719 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
22720 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
22721 the default value of @samp{spam}.
22724 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
22726 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
22727 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
22731 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
22732 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
22733 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
22734 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
22737 @node spam-stat spam filtering
22738 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
22739 @cindex spam filtering
22740 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
22744 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat}.
22746 @defvar spam-use-stat
22748 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
22749 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
22753 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
22754 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22755 customizing the group parameters or the
22756 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22757 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
22758 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
22761 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
22762 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22763 customizing the group parameters or the
22764 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22765 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
22766 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
22767 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
22768 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22771 This enables spam.el to cooperate with spam-stat.el. spam-stat.el
22772 provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database, which unlike ifile or
22773 Bogofilter does not require external programs. A spam and a ham
22774 processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for @code{spam-split}
22777 @node Extending the spam elisp package
22778 @subsubsection Extending the spam elisp package
22779 @cindex spam filtering
22780 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
22781 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
22783 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
22784 incoming mail, provide the following:
22792 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
22793 "True if blackbox should be used.")
22798 (spam-use-blackbox . spam-check-blackbox)
22800 to @code{spam-list-of-checks}.
22805 Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
22806 @samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}. See the existing
22807 @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can do.
22809 Make sure to add @code{spam-use-blackbox} to
22810 @code{spam-list-of-statistical-checks} if Blackbox is a statistical
22811 mail analyzer that needs the full message body to operate.
22815 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
22822 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
22823 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
22826 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
22827 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
22828 Only applicable to spam groups.")
22830 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
22831 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
22832 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
22840 (defun spam-blackbox-register-spam-routine ()
22841 (spam-generic-register-routine
22842 ;; @r{the spam function}
22844 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
22845 (when (stringp from)
22846 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer from))))
22847 ;; @r{the ham function}
22850 (defun spam-blackbox-register-ham-routine ()
22851 (spam-generic-register-routine
22852 ;; @r{the spam function}
22854 ;; @r{the ham function}
22856 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
22857 (when (stringp from)
22858 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender from))))))
22861 Write the @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender} and
22862 @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer} functions. You can add
22863 more complex code than fetching the message sender, but keep in mind
22864 that retrieving the whole message takes significantly longer than the
22865 sender through @code{spam-fetch-field-from-fast}, because the message
22866 senders are kept in memory by Gnus.
22871 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
22872 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
22873 @cindex Paul Graham
22874 @cindex Graham, Paul
22875 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
22876 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
22877 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
22879 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
22880 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
22881 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
22882 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
22883 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
22884 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
22885 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
22886 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
22887 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
22890 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
22891 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
22892 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
22893 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
22894 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
22895 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
22896 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
22897 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
22899 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
22900 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
22901 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
22902 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
22903 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
22906 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
22907 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
22908 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
22911 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
22912 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
22914 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
22915 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
22916 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
22917 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
22918 need several hundred emails in both collections.
22920 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
22921 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
22922 per mail. Use the following:
22924 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
22925 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
22926 is treated as one spam mail.
22929 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
22930 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
22931 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
22934 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
22935 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
22936 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
22937 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
22938 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
22939 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
22941 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
22942 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
22943 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
22944 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
22945 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
22948 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
22949 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
22950 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
22951 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
22954 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
22955 reset the dictionary.
22957 @defun spam-stat-reset
22958 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
22961 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
22962 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
22963 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
22964 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
22965 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
22966 only non-spam mails.
22968 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
22969 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
22970 to update the dictionary incrementally.
22973 @defun spam-stat-save
22974 Save the dictionary.
22977 @defvar spam-stat-file
22978 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
22979 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
22982 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
22983 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
22985 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
22986 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22989 (require 'spam-stat)
22993 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
22996 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
22997 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
22998 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
22999 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
23001 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
23002 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
23003 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
23004 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
23007 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
23008 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
23012 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
23013 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
23016 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
23017 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
23018 expression are considered potential spam.
23021 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
23022 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
23023 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
23027 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
23028 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
23029 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
23030 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
23031 mails, when creating the dictionary!
23034 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
23035 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
23036 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
23040 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
23041 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
23042 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
23043 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
23044 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
23048 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
23049 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
23050 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
23051 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
23056 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
23057 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
23059 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
23061 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
23062 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
23063 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
23066 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
23067 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
23068 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
23071 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
23072 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
23073 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
23074 already been processed as non-spam.
23077 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
23078 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
23079 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
23080 been processed as spam.
23083 @defun spam-stat-save
23084 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
23085 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
23088 @defun spam-stat-load
23089 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
23090 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
23093 @defun spam-stat-score-word
23094 Return the spam score for a word.
23097 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
23098 Return the spam score for a buffer.
23101 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
23102 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
23103 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
23106 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
23107 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23110 (require 'spam-stat)
23114 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
23117 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
23118 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
23119 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
23120 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
23121 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
23122 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
23123 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
23124 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
23125 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
23126 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
23127 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
23128 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
23129 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
23130 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
23133 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
23136 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
23137 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
23138 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
23139 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
23140 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
23141 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
23144 @node Various Various
23145 @section Various Various
23151 @item gnus-home-directory
23152 @vindex gnus-home-directory
23153 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
23154 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
23156 @item gnus-directory
23157 @vindex gnus-directory
23158 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
23159 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
23160 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
23162 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
23163 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
23164 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
23165 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
23167 @item gnus-default-directory
23168 @vindex gnus-default-directory
23169 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
23170 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
23171 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
23172 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
23173 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
23174 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
23177 @vindex gnus-verbose
23178 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
23179 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
23180 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
23181 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
23182 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
23184 @item gnus-verbose-backends
23185 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
23186 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
23187 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
23189 @item nnheader-max-head-length
23190 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
23191 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
23192 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
23193 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
23194 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
23195 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
23196 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
23197 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
23198 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
23200 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
23201 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
23202 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
23203 read when doing the operation described above.
23205 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
23206 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
23208 @cindex invalid characters in file names
23209 @cindex characters in file names
23210 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
23211 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
23212 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
23216 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
23221 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
23222 Windows (phooey) systems.
23224 @item gnus-hidden-properties
23225 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
23226 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
23227 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
23228 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
23230 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
23231 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
23232 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
23233 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
23234 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
23236 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
23237 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
23238 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
23240 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
23241 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
23243 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
23244 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
23245 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
23246 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
23249 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
23257 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
23258 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
23260 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
23262 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
23268 Not because of victories @*
23271 but for the common sunshine,@*
23273 the largess of the spring.
23277 but for the day's work done@*
23278 as well as I was able;@*
23279 not for a seat upon the dais@*
23280 but at the common table.@*
23285 @chapter Appendices
23288 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
23289 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
23290 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
23291 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
23292 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
23293 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
23294 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
23295 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
23296 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
23303 @cindex installing under XEmacs
23305 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
23306 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
23307 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
23308 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
23309 @samp{xemacs-base}, @samp{sh-script} and @samp{fsf-compat}. The
23310 @samp{misc-games} package is required for Morse decoding.
23317 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
23318 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
23320 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
23321 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
23322 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
23323 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
23324 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
23326 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
23327 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
23328 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
23329 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
23330 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
23331 appropriate name, don't you think?)
23333 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
23334 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
23335 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
23336 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
23339 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
23340 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
23341 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
23342 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
23343 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
23344 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
23345 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
23346 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
23347 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
23351 @node Gnus Versions
23352 @subsection Gnus Versions
23354 @cindex September Gnus
23356 @cindex Quassia Gnus
23357 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
23360 @cindex Gnus versions
23362 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
23363 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
23364 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
23366 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
23367 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
23369 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
23370 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
23372 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
23373 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
23375 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
23376 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
23379 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
23381 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
23382 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
23383 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
23384 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
23385 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
23386 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
23389 @node Other Gnus Versions
23390 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
23393 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
23394 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
23395 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
23396 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
23398 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
23399 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
23400 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
23401 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
23408 What's the point of Gnus?
23410 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
23411 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
23412 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
23413 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
23414 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
23415 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
23416 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
23417 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
23418 keep track of millions of people who post?
23420 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
23421 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
23422 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
23423 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
23424 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
23425 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
23426 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
23427 every one of you to explore and invent.
23429 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
23430 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
23433 @node Compatibility
23434 @subsection Compatibility
23436 @cindex compatibility
23437 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
23438 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
23439 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
23444 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
23448 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
23451 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
23454 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
23455 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
23456 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
23457 important variables have their values copied into their global
23458 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
23459 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
23461 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
23462 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
23463 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
23464 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
23465 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
23469 @cindex highlighting
23470 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
23471 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
23472 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
23473 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
23474 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
23475 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
23478 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
23479 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
23480 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
23481 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
23483 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
23484 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
23485 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
23486 to stop doing it the old way.
23488 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
23490 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
23492 @cindex reporting bugs
23494 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
23495 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
23496 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
23498 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
23499 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
23500 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
23501 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
23506 @subsection Conformity
23508 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
23509 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
23517 There are no known breaches of this standard.
23521 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
23523 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
23524 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
23525 We do have some breaches to this one.
23531 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
23532 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
23533 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
23534 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
23535 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
23540 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
23541 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
23542 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
23543 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
23545 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
23546 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
23547 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
23549 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
23550 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
23552 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
23555 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
23556 published as a Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
23557 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
23558 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
23559 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
23562 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
23563 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
23564 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
23565 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
23567 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
23568 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
23570 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
23571 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
23572 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
23573 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
23574 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
23575 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
23576 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
23577 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
23581 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
23582 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
23587 @subsection Emacsen
23593 Gnus should work on :
23601 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
23605 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
23606 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
23607 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
23608 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
23609 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
23611 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
23612 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
23613 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
23617 @node Gnus Development
23618 @subsection Gnus Development
23620 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
23621 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
23622 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
23623 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
23624 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
23625 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
23626 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
23627 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
23629 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
23630 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
23631 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
23632 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
23633 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
23636 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
23637 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
23638 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
23639 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
23640 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
23642 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
23643 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
23644 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
23645 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
23646 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
23647 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
23648 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
23649 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
23650 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
23651 can't be assumed to do so.
23656 @subsection Contributors
23657 @cindex contributors
23659 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
23660 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
23661 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
23662 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
23663 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
23664 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
23665 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
23666 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
23667 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
23668 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
23670 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
23676 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
23679 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
23680 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
23681 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
23682 functionality and stuff.
23685 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
23686 well as numerous other things).
23689 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
23692 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
23695 Justin Sheehy--the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
23698 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
23701 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
23702 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
23705 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
23708 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
23709 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
23712 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
23715 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
23718 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
23721 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
23724 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
23725 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
23728 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
23731 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
23734 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
23737 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
23741 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
23744 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
23747 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
23750 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
23751 well as autoconf support.
23755 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
23756 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
23758 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
23773 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
23775 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
23779 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
23789 Alexei V. Barantsev,
23804 Massimo Campostrini,
23809 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
23810 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
23814 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
23817 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
23823 Michael Welsh Duggan,
23828 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
23832 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
23840 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
23842 Michelangelo Grigni,
23846 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
23848 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
23850 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
23857 François Felix Ingrand,
23858 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
23859 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
23861 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
23871 Peter Skov Knudsen,
23872 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
23874 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
23875 Thor Kristoffersen,
23878 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
23896 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
23897 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
23904 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
23909 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
23913 John McClary Prevost,
23919 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
23924 Christian von Roques,
23927 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
23934 Philippe Schnoebelen,
23936 Randal L. Schwartz,
23950 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
23955 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
23975 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
23976 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
23977 (550kB and counting).
23979 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
23982 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
23983 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
23987 @subsection New Features
23988 @cindex new features
23991 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
23992 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
23993 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
23994 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
23995 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
23996 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10.
23999 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
24000 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
24001 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
24004 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
24006 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
24011 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
24012 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
24015 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
24016 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
24019 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
24022 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
24023 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
24024 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
24027 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
24028 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
24029 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
24030 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
24033 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
24034 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
24037 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
24038 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
24039 (@pxref{The Active File}).
24042 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
24043 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
24046 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
24047 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
24048 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
24051 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
24052 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
24053 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
24056 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
24057 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
24060 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
24061 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
24064 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
24065 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
24068 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
24069 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
24072 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
24073 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
24076 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
24077 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
24080 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
24083 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
24084 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
24087 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
24088 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
24091 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
24092 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
24095 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
24098 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
24099 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
24102 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
24106 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
24110 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
24111 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
24114 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
24120 @node September Gnus
24121 @subsubsection September Gnus
24125 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
24129 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
24134 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
24135 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
24139 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
24140 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
24144 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
24148 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
24149 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
24152 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
24156 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
24159 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
24162 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
24165 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
24169 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
24170 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
24173 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
24177 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
24181 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
24185 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
24189 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
24192 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
24193 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
24196 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
24200 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
24201 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
24204 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
24207 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
24208 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
24209 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
24212 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
24216 The Gnus cache is much faster.
24219 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
24223 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
24224 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
24227 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
24228 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
24231 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
24232 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
24235 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
24236 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
24237 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
24240 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
24241 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
24244 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
24247 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
24250 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
24253 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
24256 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
24257 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
24260 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
24264 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
24267 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
24272 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
24275 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
24279 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
24282 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
24286 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
24289 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
24292 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
24293 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
24296 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
24297 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
24301 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
24302 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
24305 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
24309 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
24310 buffer to allow easier treatment.
24313 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
24316 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
24320 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
24324 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
24325 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
24328 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
24332 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
24333 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
24336 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
24337 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
24340 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
24344 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
24347 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
24350 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
24356 @subsubsection Red Gnus
24358 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
24362 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
24369 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
24372 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
24373 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
24376 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
24377 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
24381 Article washing status can be displayed in the
24382 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
24385 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
24388 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
24389 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
24392 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
24396 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
24397 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
24401 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
24402 Server Internals}).
24405 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
24409 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
24412 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
24413 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
24416 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
24417 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
24418 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
24421 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
24422 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
24425 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
24426 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
24429 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
24433 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
24434 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
24437 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
24438 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
24441 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
24445 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
24448 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
24452 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
24453 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
24456 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
24457 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
24460 A new command for reading collections of documents
24461 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
24462 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
24465 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
24469 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
24470 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
24473 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
24474 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
24475 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
24478 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
24479 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
24483 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
24487 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
24491 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
24496 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
24500 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
24504 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
24505 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
24508 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
24514 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
24516 New features in Gnus 5.6:
24521 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
24522 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
24523 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
24526 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
24527 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
24528 group, which is created automatically.
24531 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
24535 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
24538 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
24539 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
24542 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
24546 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
24549 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
24550 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
24553 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
24556 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section ``Symbolic
24557 Prefixes'' in the Gnus manual for details.
24560 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
24561 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
24564 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
24565 control over simplification.
24568 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
24571 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
24575 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
24578 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
24581 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
24582 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
24583 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
24586 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
24587 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
24590 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
24594 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
24595 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
24598 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
24599 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
24602 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
24606 A history of where mails have been split is available.
24609 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
24612 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
24613 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
24616 A new function for citing in Message has been
24617 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
24620 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
24623 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
24627 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
24628 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
24631 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
24632 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
24635 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
24638 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
24642 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
24643 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
24645 New features in Gnus 5.8:
24650 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
24651 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
24653 If you used procmail like in
24656 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
24657 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
24658 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
24659 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
24662 this now has changed to
24666 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
24670 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
24673 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
24674 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
24677 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
24678 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
24681 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
24682 called to position point.
24685 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
24686 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
24689 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
24690 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
24693 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
24694 subtly different manner.
24697 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
24698 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
24699 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
24702 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
24707 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
24710 New features in Gnus 5.10:
24715 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
24716 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
24719 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
24721 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
24722 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
24723 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
24724 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
24725 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
24726 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
24727 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
24728 isn't save in general.
24733 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
24734 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
24735 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
24736 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
24741 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} installs key bindings in dired buffers to send
24742 a file as an attachment (@kbd{C-c C-a}), open a file using the approriate
24743 mailcap entry (@kbd{C-c C-l}), and print a file using the mailcap entry
24744 (@kbd{C-c P}). It is enabled with
24746 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
24750 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
24753 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
24758 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
24759 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
24761 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
24762 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
24766 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
24767 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
24770 Retrieval of charters and control messages
24772 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
24773 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
24778 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
24779 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
24780 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
24783 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
24784 decompressed when activated.
24787 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
24788 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
24791 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
24794 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
24795 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
24798 Warn about email replies to news
24800 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
24801 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
24805 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
24806 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
24810 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
24811 opposed to old but unread messages).
24814 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
24815 Gcc articles as read.
24818 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
24821 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
24822 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
24825 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
24826 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
24829 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
24830 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
24833 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
24834 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
24837 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
24839 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
24840 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
24841 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
24842 @file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
24845 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
24847 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
24848 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
24849 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, iff you want
24850 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
24851 the second parameter.
24853 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
24854 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
24855 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
24856 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
24857 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
24858 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
24859 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
24860 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
24861 cycle used under Unix systems.
24863 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} superfluous, so it has
24867 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
24869 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
24870 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
24871 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
24872 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
24873 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
24877 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
24879 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
24880 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
24881 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
24882 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
24886 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
24888 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
24889 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
24890 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
24891 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
24893 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
24894 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
24895 message cited below.
24898 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
24901 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
24903 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
24904 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
24905 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
24906 variable in @file{~/.emacs} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
24907 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
24910 (setq gnus-parameters
24912 (gnus-show-threads nil)
24913 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
24914 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
24915 (to-group . "\\1"))))
24919 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now iconized for Emacs too.
24921 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.emacs} to
24925 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
24927 Earlier it was generated iff the user configurable email address was
24928 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
24929 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversally) the
24930 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
24931 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
24932 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
24933 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
24934 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
24935 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
24938 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
24940 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
24941 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
24942 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
24943 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
24944 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
24945 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
24948 References and X-Draft-Headers are no longer generated when you start
24949 composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
24953 Improved anti-spam features.
24955 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
24956 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
24957 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
24958 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
24959 are also new. @xref{Thwarting Email Spam}.
24962 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers.
24965 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
24966 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
24969 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
24972 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
24974 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
24975 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
24976 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
24977 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
24978 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
24979 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
24980 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
24981 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
24982 when getting new mail, remove the function.
24985 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
24987 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
24988 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
24989 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
24990 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
24991 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
24992 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
24993 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
24994 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
24995 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
24996 was inserted directly.
24999 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
25001 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
25002 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
25008 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
25009 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
25010 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
25011 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
25012 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
25013 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
25014 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
25015 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
25016 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
25017 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
25018 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
25019 behaviour of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
25020 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
25021 is not needed any more.
25024 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
25026 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
25027 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
25028 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
25029 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
25030 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
25034 @file{deuglify.el} (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article})
25036 A new file from Raymond Scholz @email{rscholz@@zonix.de} for deuglifying
25037 broken Outlook (Express) articles.
25040 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
25042 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
25043 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
25044 lisp directory into load-path.
25046 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
25047 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
25050 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
25052 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
25055 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
25057 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
25058 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
25059 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
25060 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
25063 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
25065 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
25067 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
25068 'bbdb-complete-name)
25072 Externalizing and deleting of attachments.
25074 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
25075 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
25076 local files as external parts.
25078 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
25079 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
25080 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
25081 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
25082 that support editing.
25085 @code{gnus-default-charset}
25087 The default value is determined from the
25088 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
25089 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
25090 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
25093 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
25095 Add a new format of match like
25097 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
25098 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
25100 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
25102 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
25103 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
25107 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
25109 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
25110 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
25111 need add those two headers too.
25114 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
25116 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
25117 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
25118 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
25121 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
25122 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
25123 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
25127 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
25129 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
25132 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
25134 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
25137 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
25139 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
25140 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
25141 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
25144 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
25146 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
25150 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
25152 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
25153 used to determine if you wrote a article or not (for cancelling and
25154 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
25155 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
25156 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
25157 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
25158 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
25159 The behaviour can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
25162 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
25164 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
25165 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
25166 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
25167 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
25168 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
25171 Extended format specs.
25173 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
25174 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
25175 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
25176 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
25177 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
25178 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
25181 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
25183 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
25184 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
25185 out other articles.
25187 @item Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
25189 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
25190 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
25191 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
25192 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
25195 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
25197 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
25198 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
25199 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
25202 The nnml and nnfolder backends store marks for each groups.
25204 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
25205 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
25206 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
25207 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
25208 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
25209 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
25210 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
25211 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
25212 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
25213 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
25214 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
25217 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
25218 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
25221 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
25222 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
25223 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
25224 message, Message Manual}).
25227 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
25228 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
25230 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
25231 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
25232 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
25234 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
25238 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
25239 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
25241 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
25242 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
25243 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
25244 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
25247 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
25250 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
25253 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
25254 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
25261 @section The Manual
25265 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
25266 either @code{texi2dvi}
25268 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
25269 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
25271 to get what you hold in your hands now.
25273 The following conventions have been used:
25278 This is a @samp{string}
25281 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
25284 This is a @file{file}
25287 This is a @code{symbol}
25291 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
25295 (setq flargnoze "yes")
25298 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
25301 (setq flumphel 'yes)
25304 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
25305 ever get them confused.
25309 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
25310 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
25311 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
25312 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
25313 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
25314 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
25315 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
25321 @node On Writing Manuals
25322 @section On Writing Manuals
25324 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
25325 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
25326 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
25327 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
25328 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
25329 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
25332 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
25333 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
25334 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
25337 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
25338 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
25343 @section Terminology
25345 @cindex terminology
25350 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
25351 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
25352 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
25353 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
25354 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
25358 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
25359 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
25360 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
25361 not posting, and replying is not following up.
25365 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
25369 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
25374 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
25375 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
25376 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
25377 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
25378 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a `front end' and a number of
25379 `back ends'. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
25380 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
25381 Gnus. The front end then `talks' to a back end and says things like
25382 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
25385 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
25386 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
25387 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
25388 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
25389 `spool directory' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
25390 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
25392 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
25393 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
25394 access the articles.
25396 However, sometimes the term `back end' is also used where `server'
25397 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term `select
25398 method' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
25403 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
25404 default, way of getting news.
25408 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
25409 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
25414 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
25415 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
25419 A message that has been posted as news.
25422 @cindex mail message
25423 A message that has been mailed.
25427 A mail message or news article
25431 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
25436 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
25441 A line from the head of an article.
25445 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
25446 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
25448 @item @acronym{NOV}
25449 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
25450 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
25451 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
25452 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
25453 normal @sc{head} format.
25457 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
25458 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
25459 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
25460 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
25461 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
25462 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
25464 @item killed groups
25465 @cindex killed groups
25466 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
25467 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
25469 @item zombie groups
25470 @cindex zombie groups
25471 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
25474 @cindex active file
25475 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
25476 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
25477 is rather large, as you might surmise.
25480 @cindex bogus groups
25481 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
25482 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
25483 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
25486 @cindex activating groups
25487 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
25488 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
25489 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
25493 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
25495 @item select method
25496 @cindex select method
25497 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
25500 @item virtual server
25501 @cindex virtual server
25502 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
25503 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
25504 whole is a virtual server.
25508 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
25509 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
25512 @item ephemeral groups
25513 @cindex ephemeral groups
25514 @cindex temporary groups
25515 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
25516 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
25517 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
25520 @cindex solid groups
25521 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
25522 group buffer are solid groups.
25524 @item sparse articles
25525 @cindex sparse articles
25526 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
25527 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
25531 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
25532 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
25536 @cindex thread root
25537 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
25538 articles in the thread.
25542 An article that has responses.
25546 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
25550 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
25551 specified by RFC 1153.
25557 @node Customization
25558 @section Customization
25559 @cindex general customization
25561 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
25562 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
25563 for some quite common situations.
25566 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
25567 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
25568 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
25569 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
25573 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
25574 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
25576 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
25577 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
25578 Gnus has to get from the @acronym{NNTP} server.
25582 @item gnus-read-active-file
25583 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
25584 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
25585 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
25586 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
25587 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
25589 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
25590 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
25591 the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast. Not all @acronym{NNTP} servers
25592 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
25596 @node Slow Terminal Connection
25597 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
25599 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
25600 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
25601 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
25605 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
25606 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
25607 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
25608 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
25609 horizontal and vertical recentering.
25611 @item gnus-visible-headers
25612 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
25613 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
25614 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
25615 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
25617 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
25619 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
25620 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
25621 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
25624 @item gnus-use-full-window
25625 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
25626 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
25627 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
25628 want to read them anyway.
25630 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
25631 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
25635 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
25636 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
25637 lines, which might save some time.
25641 @node Little Disk Space
25642 @subsection Little Disk Space
25645 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
25646 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
25650 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
25651 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
25652 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
25653 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
25656 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
25657 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
25658 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
25659 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
25662 @item gnus-save-killed-list
25663 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
25664 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
25665 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
25666 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
25672 @subsection Slow Machine
25673 @cindex slow machine
25675 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
25676 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
25678 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
25679 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
25681 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
25682 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
25683 summary buffer faster.
25687 @node Troubleshooting
25688 @section Troubleshooting
25689 @cindex troubleshooting
25691 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
25699 Make sure your computer is switched on.
25702 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
25703 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
25707 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
25708 like @samp{T-gnus 6.16.* (based on Gnus v5.10.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
25709 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you get
25710 something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some old
25711 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
25714 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
25715 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
25718 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
25719 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
25720 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
25721 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
25722 something like that.
25725 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
25728 @cindex reporting bugs
25730 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
25732 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
25733 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
25734 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
25735 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
25737 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
25738 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
25739 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
25740 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
25743 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
25744 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
25745 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
25746 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
25747 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
25748 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
25750 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
25751 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
25752 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
25756 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
25757 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
25760 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
25761 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
25762 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
25763 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
25764 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
25765 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
25766 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
25767 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
25768 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
25769 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
25770 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
25771 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
25772 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
25773 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
25778 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate a elisp error but
25779 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
25780 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
25781 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
25782 helps isolating the real problem areas).
25784 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
25785 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
25786 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
25787 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
25788 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
25789 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
25790 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
25791 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
25792 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
25793 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
25794 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
25795 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
25796 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
25799 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
25800 @cindex ding mailing list
25801 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
25802 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
25803 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
25804 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
25808 @node Gnus Reference Guide
25809 @section Gnus Reference Guide
25811 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
25812 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
25813 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
25814 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
25817 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
25818 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
25819 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
25820 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
25821 and general methods of operation.
25824 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
25825 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
25826 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
25827 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
25828 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
25829 * Group Info:: The group info format.
25830 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
25831 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
25832 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
25836 @node Gnus Utility Functions
25837 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
25838 @cindex Gnus utility functions
25839 @cindex utility functions
25841 @cindex internal variables
25843 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
25844 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
25845 Below is a list of the most common ones.
25849 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
25850 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
25851 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
25853 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
25854 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
25855 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
25857 @item gnus-group-real-name
25858 @findex gnus-group-real-name
25859 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
25862 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
25863 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
25864 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
25865 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
25867 @item gnus-get-info
25868 @findex gnus-get-info
25869 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
25871 @item gnus-group-unread
25872 @findex gnus-group-unread
25873 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
25877 @findex gnus-active
25878 The active entry for @var{group}.
25880 @item gnus-set-active
25881 @findex gnus-set-active
25882 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
25884 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
25885 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
25886 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
25889 @item gnus-continuum-version
25890 @findex gnus-continuum-version
25891 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
25892 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
25895 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
25896 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
25897 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
25899 @item gnus-news-group-p
25900 @findex gnus-news-group-p
25901 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
25903 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
25904 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
25905 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
25907 @item gnus-server-to-method
25908 @findex gnus-server-to-method
25909 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
25911 @item gnus-server-equal
25912 @findex gnus-server-equal
25913 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
25915 @item gnus-group-native-p
25916 @findex gnus-group-native-p
25917 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
25919 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
25920 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
25921 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
25923 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
25924 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
25925 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
25927 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
25928 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
25929 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
25930 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
25932 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
25933 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
25934 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
25936 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
25937 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
25938 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
25940 @item gnus-check-backend-function
25941 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
25942 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
25943 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
25946 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
25950 @item gnus-read-method
25951 @findex gnus-read-method
25952 Prompts the user for a select method.
25957 @node Back End Interface
25958 @subsection Back End Interface
25960 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
25961 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
25962 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
25963 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
25964 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
25965 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
25967 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
25968 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
25969 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
25970 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
25971 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
25972 been opened, the function should fail.
25974 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
25975 name. Take this example:
25979 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
25980 (nntp-port-number 4324))
25983 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
25984 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
25986 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
25987 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
25988 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
25990 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
25991 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
25992 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
25994 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
25995 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
25996 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
25997 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
25998 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
25999 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
26002 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
26003 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
26004 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
26005 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
26008 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
26009 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
26010 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
26011 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
26012 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
26013 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
26014 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
26015 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
26016 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
26017 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
26019 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
26020 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
26021 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
26022 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
26023 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
26024 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
26025 of numbers as long as possible.
26027 Note that by convention, backends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
26028 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
26029 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
26031 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
26034 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
26037 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
26038 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
26039 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
26040 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
26041 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
26042 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
26046 @node Required Back End Functions
26047 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
26051 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
26053 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
26054 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
26055 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
26056 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
26058 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
26059 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
26060 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
26061 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
26063 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
26064 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
26065 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
26066 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
26067 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
26068 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
26069 number, do maximum fetches.
26071 Here's an example HEAD:
26074 221 1056 Article retrieved.
26075 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
26076 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
26077 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
26078 Subject: Re: Something very droll
26079 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
26080 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
26082 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
26083 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
26084 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
26088 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
26089 these in the data buffer.
26091 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
26095 head = error / valid-head
26096 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
26097 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
26098 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
26099 header = <text> eol
26103 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
26105 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
26106 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
26110 nov-buffer = *nov-line
26111 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
26112 field = <text except TAB>
26115 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
26119 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
26121 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
26122 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
26124 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
26125 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
26126 server. In fact, it should do so.
26128 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
26129 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
26132 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
26134 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
26135 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
26138 There should be no data returned.
26141 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
26143 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
26144 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
26145 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
26146 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
26148 There should be no data returned.
26151 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
26153 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
26154 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
26155 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
26156 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
26158 There should be no data returned.
26161 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
26163 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
26165 There should be no data returned.
26168 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
26170 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
26171 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
26172 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
26173 it would be nice if that were possible.
26175 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
26176 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
26177 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
26178 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
26179 into its article buffer.
26181 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
26182 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
26183 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
26184 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
26185 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
26186 on successful article retrieval.
26189 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
26191 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
26192 making @var{group} the current group.
26194 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
26197 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
26200 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
26203 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
26204 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
26205 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
26206 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
26207 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
26208 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
26209 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
26210 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
26211 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
26215 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
26216 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
26217 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
26221 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
26223 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
26224 a no-op on most back ends.
26226 There should be no data returned.
26229 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
26231 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
26234 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
26237 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
26238 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
26241 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
26242 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
26243 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
26244 and the highest as 0.
26247 active-file = *active-line
26248 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
26250 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
26253 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
26254 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
26255 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
26258 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
26260 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
26261 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
26262 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
26263 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
26264 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
26265 clear if the posting could not be completed.
26267 There should be no result data from this function.
26272 @node Optional Back End Functions
26273 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
26277 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
26279 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
26280 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
26281 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
26283 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
26284 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
26285 former is in the same format as the data from
26286 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
26287 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
26290 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
26294 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
26296 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
26297 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
26298 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
26299 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
26300 should return a non-@code{nil} value.
26302 There should be no result data from this function.
26305 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
26307 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
26308 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
26309 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
26310 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
26311 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
26312 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
26313 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
26314 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
26316 There should be no result data from this function.
26319 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
26321 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
26322 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
26323 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
26324 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
26325 propagate the mark information to the server.
26327 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
26330 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
26333 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
26334 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
26335 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
26336 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
26337 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
26338 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
26339 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
26340 possible, not limit itself to these.
26342 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
26343 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
26344 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
26345 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
26347 An example action list:
26350 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
26351 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
26352 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
26355 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
26356 mark on (currently not used for anything).
26358 There should be no result data from this function.
26360 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
26362 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
26363 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
26364 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
26365 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
26366 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
26368 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
26369 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
26370 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
26373 There should be no result data from this function.
26376 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
26378 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
26379 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
26380 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
26381 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
26382 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
26383 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
26384 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
26385 local if that's practical.
26387 There should be no result data from this function.
26390 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
26392 The result data from this function should be a description of
26396 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
26398 description = <text>
26401 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
26403 The result data from this function should be the description of all
26404 groups available on the server.
26407 description-buffer = *description-line
26411 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
26413 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
26414 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
26415 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
26416 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
26417 in the active buffer format.
26419 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
26420 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
26421 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
26422 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
26423 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
26424 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
26425 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
26428 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
26430 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
26432 There should be no return data.
26435 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
26437 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
26438 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
26439 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
26440 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
26441 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
26444 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
26447 There should be no result data returned.
26450 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
26452 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
26453 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
26455 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
26456 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
26457 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
26458 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
26459 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
26460 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
26462 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
26463 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
26466 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
26467 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
26469 The group should exist before the backend is asked to accept the
26470 article for that group.
26472 There should be no data returned.
26475 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
26477 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
26478 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
26479 this function in short order.
26481 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
26482 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
26484 There should be no data returned.
26487 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
26489 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
26490 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
26492 There should be no data returned.
26495 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
26497 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
26498 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
26499 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
26501 There should be no data returned.
26504 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
26506 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
26507 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
26509 There should be no data returned.
26514 @node Error Messaging
26515 @subsubsection Error Messaging
26517 @findex nnheader-report
26518 @findex nnheader-get-report
26519 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
26520 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
26521 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
26522 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
26523 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
26524 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
26527 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
26529 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
26532 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
26533 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
26534 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
26535 takes one argument---the server symbol.
26537 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
26538 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
26539 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
26542 @node Writing New Back Ends
26543 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
26545 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
26546 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
26547 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
26548 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
26549 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
26552 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
26553 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
26554 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
26556 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
26557 package called @code{nnoo}.
26559 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
26560 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
26566 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
26567 parameters. For instance:
26570 (nnoo-declare nndir
26574 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
26575 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
26578 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
26579 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
26580 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
26582 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
26583 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
26584 a function in those back ends.
26587 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
26588 "Where nndir will look for groups."
26589 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
26592 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
26593 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
26594 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
26596 @item nnoo-define-basics
26597 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
26601 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
26605 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
26606 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
26607 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
26609 @item nnoo-map-functions
26610 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
26611 functions from the parent back ends.
26614 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
26615 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
26616 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
26619 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
26620 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
26621 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
26622 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
26625 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
26626 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
26627 haven't already been defined.
26633 nnmh-request-newgroups)
26637 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
26638 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
26639 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
26644 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
26647 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
26648 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
26652 (require 'nnheader)
26656 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
26658 (nnoo-declare nndir
26661 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
26662 "Where nndir will look for groups."
26663 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
26665 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
26666 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
26669 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
26671 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
26672 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
26673 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
26675 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
26676 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
26678 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
26680 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
26682 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
26683 (setq nndir-directory
26684 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
26686 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
26687 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
26688 (push `(nndir-current-group
26689 ,(file-name-nondirectory
26690 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
26692 (push `(nndir-top-directory
26693 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
26695 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
26697 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
26698 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
26699 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
26700 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
26701 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
26705 nnmh-status-message
26707 nnmh-request-newgroups))
26713 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
26714 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
26716 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
26717 @findex gnus-declare-backend
26718 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
26719 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
26720 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
26722 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
26723 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
26728 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
26731 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
26733 The abilities can be:
26737 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
26739 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
26741 This back end supports both mail and news.
26743 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
26746 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
26747 articles and groups.
26749 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
26750 true for almost all back ends.
26751 @item prompt-address
26752 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
26753 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
26754 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
26758 @node Mail-like Back Ends
26759 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
26761 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
26762 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
26763 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
26764 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
26767 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
26768 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
26769 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
26772 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
26773 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
26776 This function takes four parameters.
26780 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
26783 @item exit-function
26784 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
26786 @item temp-directory
26787 Where the temporary files should be stored.
26790 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
26791 performed for one group only.
26794 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
26795 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
26796 find the article number assigned to this article.
26798 The function also uses the following variables:
26799 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
26800 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
26801 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
26802 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
26806 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
26807 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
26811 @node Score File Syntax
26812 @subsection Score File Syntax
26814 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
26815 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
26816 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
26818 Here's a typical score file:
26822 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
26829 BNF definition of a score file:
26832 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
26833 element = rule / atom
26834 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
26835 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
26836 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
26837 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
26839 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
26840 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
26841 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
26842 date-header = "date"
26843 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
26844 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
26845 score = "nil" / <integer>
26846 date = "nil" / <natural number>
26847 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
26848 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
26849 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
26850 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
26851 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
26852 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
26853 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
26854 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
26855 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
26856 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
26857 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
26858 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
26859 exclude-files / read-only / touched
26860 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
26861 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
26862 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
26863 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
26864 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
26865 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
26866 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
26867 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
26868 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
26869 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
26870 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
26871 eval = "eval" space <form>
26872 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
26875 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
26878 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
26879 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
26880 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
26881 one looong line, then that's ok.
26883 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
26884 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
26888 @subsection Headers
26890 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
26891 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
26892 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
26893 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
26895 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
26896 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
26897 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
26898 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
26899 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
26900 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
26901 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
26903 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
26904 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
26905 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
26906 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
26907 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
26909 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
26910 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
26916 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
26917 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
26919 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
26920 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
26921 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
26922 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
26924 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
26928 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
26931 is transformed into
26934 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
26937 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
26938 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
26941 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
26944 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
26945 is slightly tricky:
26948 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
26954 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
26957 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
26963 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
26970 and is equal to the previous range.
26972 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
26973 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
26974 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
26978 range = simple-range / normal-range
26979 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
26980 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
26981 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
26982 number *[ " " contents ]
26985 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
26986 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
26987 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
26988 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
26989 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
26994 @subsection Group Info
26996 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
26997 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
26998 describes the group.
27000 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
27001 second is a more complex one:
27004 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
27006 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
27007 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
27009 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
27012 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
27013 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
27014 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
27015 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
27016 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
27017 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
27018 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
27019 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
27020 this section is about.
27022 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
27023 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
27024 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
27026 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
27029 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
27030 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
27031 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
27032 group = quote <string> quote
27033 ralevel = rank / level
27034 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
27035 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
27036 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
27038 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
27039 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
27040 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
27041 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
27044 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
27045 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
27048 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
27049 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
27052 @item gnus-info-group
27053 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
27054 @findex gnus-info-group
27055 @findex gnus-info-set-group
27056 Get/set the group name.
27058 @item gnus-info-rank
27059 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
27060 @findex gnus-info-rank
27061 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
27062 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
27064 @item gnus-info-level
27065 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
27066 @findex gnus-info-level
27067 @findex gnus-info-set-level
27068 Get/set the group level.
27070 @item gnus-info-score
27071 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
27072 @findex gnus-info-score
27073 @findex gnus-info-set-score
27074 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
27076 @item gnus-info-read
27077 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
27078 @findex gnus-info-read
27079 @findex gnus-info-set-read
27080 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
27082 @item gnus-info-marks
27083 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
27084 @findex gnus-info-marks
27085 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
27086 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
27088 @item gnus-info-method
27089 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
27090 @findex gnus-info-method
27091 @findex gnus-info-set-method
27092 Get/set the group select method.
27094 @item gnus-info-params
27095 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
27096 @findex gnus-info-params
27097 @findex gnus-info-set-params
27098 Get/set the group parameters.
27101 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
27102 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
27104 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
27105 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
27106 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
27107 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
27110 @node Extended Interactive
27111 @subsection Extended Interactive
27112 @cindex interactive
27113 @findex gnus-interactive
27115 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
27116 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
27117 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
27120 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
27121 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
27126 The best thing to do would have been to implement
27127 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
27128 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
27129 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
27130 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
27131 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
27132 @code{interactive}.
27134 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
27139 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
27140 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
27144 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
27145 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
27146 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
27149 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
27153 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
27157 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
27163 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
27164 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
27168 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
27169 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
27170 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
27172 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
27173 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
27174 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
27175 Gnus, that's very useful.
27177 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
27178 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
27179 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
27180 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
27181 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
27182 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
27183 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
27184 following function:
27187 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
27191 (,function ,@@args))
27195 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
27196 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
27197 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
27200 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
27201 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
27202 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
27204 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
27205 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
27206 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
27209 @node Various File Formats
27210 @subsection Various File Formats
27213 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
27214 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
27218 @node Active File Format
27219 @subsubsection Active File Format
27221 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
27222 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
27225 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
27228 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
27229 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
27230 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
27231 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
27232 no.general 1000 900 y
27235 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
27238 active = *group-line
27239 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
27240 group = <non-white-space string>
27242 high-number = <non-negative integer>
27243 low-number = <positive integer>
27244 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
27247 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
27248 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
27251 @node Newsgroups File Format
27252 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
27254 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
27255 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
27256 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
27259 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
27260 Here's the definition:
27264 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
27265 group = <non-white-space string>
27267 description = <string>
27272 @node Emacs for Heathens
27273 @section Emacs for Heathens
27275 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
27276 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
27277 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
27278 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
27279 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
27280 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
27281 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
27285 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
27286 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
27291 @subsection Keystrokes
27295 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
27298 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
27301 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
27302 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
27303 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
27304 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
27305 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
27306 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
27308 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
27309 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
27310 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
27311 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
27312 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
27313 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
27314 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
27316 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
27317 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
27318 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
27319 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
27320 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
27321 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
27322 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
27324 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
27325 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
27326 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
27327 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
27328 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
27334 @subsection Emacs Lisp
27336 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
27337 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
27338 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
27339 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
27341 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
27342 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
27343 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
27344 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
27345 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
27346 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
27347 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
27350 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
27351 write the following:
27354 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
27357 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
27358 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
27359 you can go and fill your @file{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
27362 If you have put that thing in your @file{.emacs} file, it will be read
27363 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
27364 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
27365 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
27366 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
27368 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
27369 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
27370 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
27374 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
27378 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
27381 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
27382 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
27385 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
27388 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
27389 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
27392 @include gnus-faq.texi
27412 @c Local Variables:
27414 @c coding: iso-8859-1