4 @settitle T-gnus 6.15 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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282 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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291 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
292 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
295 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
296 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
297 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
298 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
299 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
300 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
301 License'' in the Emacs manual.
303 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
304 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
305 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
307 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
308 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
309 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
310 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
318 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
320 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
321 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
323 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
324 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
325 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
326 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
327 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
328 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
329 License'' in the Emacs manual.
331 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
332 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
333 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
335 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
336 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
337 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
338 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
344 @title T-gnus 6.15 Manual
346 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
349 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
350 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
351 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
353 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
354 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
355 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
356 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
357 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
358 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
359 License'' in the Emacs manual.
361 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
362 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
363 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
365 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
366 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
367 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
368 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
377 @top The gnus Newsreader
381 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
382 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
383 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
386 T-gnus provides @sc{mime} features based on @sc{semi} API. So T-gnus
387 supports your right to read strange messages including big images or
388 other various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
389 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
390 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
391 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
393 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.15.
404 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
405 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
407 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
408 being accused of plagiarism:
410 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
411 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
412 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
413 can even read news with it!
415 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
416 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
417 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
418 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
419 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
425 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
426 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
427 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
428 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
429 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
430 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
431 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
432 * Various:: General purpose settings.
433 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
434 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
435 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
436 * Key Index:: Key Index.
439 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
443 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
444 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
445 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
446 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
447 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
448 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
449 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
450 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
451 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
452 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
453 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
457 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
458 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
459 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
463 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
464 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
465 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
466 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
467 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
468 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
469 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
470 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
471 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
472 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
473 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
474 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
475 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
476 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
477 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
478 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
479 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
483 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
484 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
485 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
489 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
490 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
491 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
492 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
493 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
497 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
498 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
499 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
500 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
501 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
505 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
506 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
507 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
508 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
509 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
510 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
511 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
512 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
513 * Threading:: How threads are made.
514 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
515 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
516 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
517 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
518 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
519 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
520 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
521 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
522 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
523 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
524 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
525 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
526 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
527 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
528 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
529 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
530 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
531 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
532 or reselecting the current group.
533 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
534 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
535 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
536 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
538 Summary Buffer Format
540 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
541 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
542 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
543 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
547 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
548 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
550 Reply, Followup and Post
552 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
553 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
554 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
555 * Canceling and Superseding::
559 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
560 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
561 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
563 * Generic Marking Commands::
564 * Setting Process Marks::
568 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
569 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
570 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
574 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
575 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
577 Customizing Threading
579 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
580 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
581 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
582 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
586 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
587 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
588 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
589 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
590 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
591 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
595 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
596 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
597 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
601 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
602 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
603 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
604 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
605 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
606 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
607 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
608 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
609 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
610 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
612 Alternative Approaches
614 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
615 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
617 Various Summary Stuff
619 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
620 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
621 * Summary Generation Commands::
622 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
626 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
627 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
628 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
629 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
630 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
634 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
635 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
636 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
637 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
638 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
639 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
640 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
641 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
645 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
646 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
647 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
648 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
649 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
650 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
651 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
652 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
656 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
657 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
658 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
659 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
660 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
661 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
662 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
666 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
667 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
671 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
672 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
673 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
677 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
678 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
679 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
680 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
681 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
682 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
683 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
684 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
685 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
686 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
687 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
688 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
689 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
693 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
694 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
695 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
697 Choosing a Mail Back End
699 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
700 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
701 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
702 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
703 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
704 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
709 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
710 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
711 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
712 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
713 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
714 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
718 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
719 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
720 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
721 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
722 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
726 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
727 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
728 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
729 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
730 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
734 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
738 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
739 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
740 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
744 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
745 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
749 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
750 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
751 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
752 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
753 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
754 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
755 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
756 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
757 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
758 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
759 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
763 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
764 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
765 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
769 * Group Agent Commands::
770 * Summary Agent Commands::
771 * Server Agent Commands::
775 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
776 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
777 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
778 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
779 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
780 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
781 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
782 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
783 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
784 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
785 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
786 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
787 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
788 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
789 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
790 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
791 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
795 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
796 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
797 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
798 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
802 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
803 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
804 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
808 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
809 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
810 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
811 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
812 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
813 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
814 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
815 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
816 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
817 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
818 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
819 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
820 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
821 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
822 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
823 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
824 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
825 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
826 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
830 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
831 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
832 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
833 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
834 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
835 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
836 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
837 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
841 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
842 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
843 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
844 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
845 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
849 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
850 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
851 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
852 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
853 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
857 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
858 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
859 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
860 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
861 * Filtering Spam Using spam.el::
862 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)::
866 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
867 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
868 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
869 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
870 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
871 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
872 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
873 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
874 * Frequently Asked Questions::
878 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
879 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
880 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
881 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
882 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
883 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
884 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
885 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
886 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
890 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
891 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
892 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
893 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
894 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
898 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
899 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
900 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
901 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
905 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
906 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
907 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
908 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
909 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
910 * Group Info:: The group info format.
911 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
912 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
913 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
917 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
918 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
919 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
920 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
921 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
922 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
926 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
927 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
931 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
932 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
938 @chapter Starting gnus
943 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
944 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
947 @findex gnus-other-frame
948 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
949 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
950 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
952 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
953 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
954 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
956 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
957 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
960 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
961 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
962 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
963 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
964 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
965 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
966 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
967 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
968 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
969 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
970 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
974 @node Finding the News
975 @section Finding the News
978 @vindex gnus-select-method
980 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
981 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
982 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
983 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
986 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
987 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
990 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
993 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
996 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
999 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1000 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1001 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1003 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1005 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
1006 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
1007 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1008 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1009 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
1010 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
1012 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1013 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1014 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1015 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1017 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1018 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1019 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1020 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1021 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
1022 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1023 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1024 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1025 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1028 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1030 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1031 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1032 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1033 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1034 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1035 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1037 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1039 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1040 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1041 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1042 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1043 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1044 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1047 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1048 you would typically set this variable to
1051 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1055 @node The First Time
1056 @section The First Time
1057 @cindex first time usage
1059 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1060 be subscribed by default.
1062 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1063 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1064 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1065 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1068 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1069 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1070 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1072 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1073 help you with most common problems.
1075 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1076 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1080 @node The Server is Down
1081 @section The Server is Down
1082 @cindex server errors
1084 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1085 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1086 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1088 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1089 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1090 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1091 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1092 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1093 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1094 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1096 @findex gnus-no-server
1097 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1099 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1100 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1101 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1102 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1103 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1104 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1105 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1109 @section Slave Gnusae
1112 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1113 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1114 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1115 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1117 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1118 @code{.newsrc} file.
1120 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1121 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1122 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1123 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1124 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1125 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1126 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1128 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1129 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1130 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1131 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1132 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1133 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1134 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1135 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1137 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1138 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1140 If the @code{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1141 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1142 file. If you answer "yes", the unsaved changes to the master will be
1143 incorporated into the slave. If you answer "no", the slave may see some
1144 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1146 @node Fetching a Group
1147 @section Fetching a Group
1148 @cindex fetching a group
1150 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1151 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1152 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1153 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1154 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1155 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1161 @cindex subscription
1163 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1164 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1165 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1166 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1167 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1168 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1169 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1170 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1171 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1174 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1175 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1176 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1180 @node Checking New Groups
1181 @subsection Checking New Groups
1183 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1184 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1185 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1186 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1187 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1188 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1189 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1190 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1191 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1192 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1194 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1195 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1196 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1197 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1198 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1199 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1200 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1201 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1202 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1203 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1204 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1206 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1207 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1208 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1209 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1210 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1211 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1214 @node Subscription Methods
1215 @subsection Subscription Methods
1217 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1218 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1219 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1221 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1222 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1224 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1228 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1229 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1230 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1231 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1232 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1234 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1235 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1236 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1237 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1239 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1240 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1241 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1243 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1244 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1245 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1246 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1247 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1248 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1249 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1250 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1251 up. Or something like that.
1253 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1254 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1255 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1256 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1257 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1259 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1260 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1261 Kill all new groups.
1263 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1264 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1265 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1266 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1267 topic parameter that looks like
1273 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1276 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1281 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1282 A closely related variable is
1283 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1284 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1285 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1286 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1289 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1290 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1291 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1292 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1295 @node Filtering New Groups
1296 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1298 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1299 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1300 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1303 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1306 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1307 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1308 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1309 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1310 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1311 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1312 subscribing these groups.
1313 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1314 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1316 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1317 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1318 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1319 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1320 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1321 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1322 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1323 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1325 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1326 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1327 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1328 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1329 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1330 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1331 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1332 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1333 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1334 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1337 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1338 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1341 @node Changing Servers
1342 @section Changing Servers
1343 @cindex changing servers
1345 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1346 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1347 very flaky and you want to use another.
1349 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1350 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1354 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1355 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1356 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1357 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1360 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1361 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1362 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1363 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1365 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1366 @findex gnus-change-server
1367 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1368 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1369 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1370 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1371 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1373 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1374 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1375 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1376 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1377 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1379 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1380 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1381 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1382 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1383 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1384 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1386 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1387 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1388 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1389 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1391 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1392 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1393 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1394 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1395 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1396 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1397 cache for all groups).
1401 @section Startup Files
1402 @cindex startup files
1407 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1408 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1410 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1411 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1412 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1413 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1414 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1415 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1416 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1418 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1419 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1420 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1421 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1422 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1423 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1425 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1426 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1427 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1428 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1429 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1430 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1431 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1432 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1433 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1434 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1436 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1437 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1438 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1439 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1440 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1441 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1442 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1443 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1444 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1445 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1446 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1447 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1449 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1450 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1451 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1452 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1454 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1455 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1456 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1457 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1458 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1459 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1460 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1461 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1462 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1463 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1466 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1467 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1469 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1470 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1473 @vindex gnus-init-file
1474 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1475 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1476 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1477 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1478 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1479 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1480 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1481 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1482 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1488 @cindex dribble file
1491 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1492 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1493 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1494 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1495 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1498 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1499 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1502 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1503 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1504 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1506 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1507 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1508 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1509 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1510 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1511 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1513 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1514 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1515 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1518 @node The Active File
1519 @section The Active File
1521 @cindex ignored groups
1523 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1524 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1525 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1527 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1528 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1529 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1530 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1531 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1532 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1533 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1536 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1537 @c if you set it to anything else.
1539 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1541 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1542 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1543 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1545 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1546 you actually subscribe to.
1548 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1549 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1550 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1551 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1553 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1554 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1555 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1556 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1557 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1558 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1560 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1561 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1562 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1565 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1566 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1567 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1568 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1569 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1570 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1572 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1573 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1575 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1576 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1578 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1579 secondary select methods.
1582 @node Startup Variables
1583 @section Startup Variables
1587 @item gnus-load-hook
1588 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1589 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1590 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1591 times you start gnus.
1593 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1594 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1595 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1597 @item gnus-startup-hook
1598 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1599 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1601 @item gnus-started-hook
1602 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1603 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1606 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1607 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1608 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1609 generating the group buffer.
1611 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1612 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1613 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1614 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1615 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1616 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1617 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1618 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1620 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1621 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1622 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1623 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1624 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1625 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1627 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1628 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1629 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1631 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1632 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1633 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1635 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1636 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1637 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1638 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1644 @chapter Group Buffer
1645 @cindex group buffer
1647 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1649 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1650 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1651 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1652 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1653 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1654 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1655 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1656 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1657 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1658 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1659 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1660 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1661 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1662 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1663 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1664 @c human rights at 9...
1667 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1668 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1669 long as gnus is active.
1673 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1674 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1675 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1676 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1677 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1678 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1679 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1680 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1686 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1687 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1688 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1689 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1690 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1691 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1692 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1693 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1694 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1695 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1696 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1697 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1698 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1699 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1700 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1701 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1702 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1706 @node Group Buffer Format
1707 @section Group Buffer Format
1710 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1711 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1712 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1716 @node Group Line Specification
1717 @subsection Group Line Specification
1718 @cindex group buffer format
1720 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1721 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1723 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1726 25: news.announce.newusers
1727 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1732 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1733 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1734 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1735 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1737 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1738 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1739 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1740 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1741 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1742 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1744 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1746 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1747 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1748 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1749 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1750 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1752 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1753 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1754 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1756 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1761 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1764 Whether the group is subscribed.
1767 Level of subscribedness.
1770 Number of unread articles.
1773 Number of dormant articles.
1776 Number of ticked articles.
1779 Number of read articles.
1782 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1783 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1785 Gnus uses this estimation because the @sc{nntp} protocol provides
1786 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1787 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1788 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1789 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1790 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1791 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1792 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1795 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1798 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1807 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1808 comment element in the group parameters.
1811 Newsgroup description.
1814 @samp{m} if moderated.
1817 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1826 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1830 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1833 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1834 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1835 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1836 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1837 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1840 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1842 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1846 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1849 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1853 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1854 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1855 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1856 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1857 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1858 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1863 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1864 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1865 group, or a bogus native group.
1868 @node Group Modeline Specification
1869 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1870 @cindex group modeline
1872 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1873 The mode line can be changed by setting
1874 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1875 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1879 The native news server.
1881 The native select method.
1885 @node Group Highlighting
1886 @subsection Group Highlighting
1887 @cindex highlighting
1888 @cindex group highlighting
1890 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1891 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1892 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1893 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1894 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1896 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1900 (cond (window-system
1901 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1902 (defface my-group-face-1
1903 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1904 (defface my-group-face-2
1905 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1906 (defface my-group-face-3
1907 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1908 (defface my-group-face-4
1909 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1910 (defface my-group-face-5
1911 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1913 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1914 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1915 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1916 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1917 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1918 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1921 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1923 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1930 The number of unread articles in the group.
1934 Whether the group is a mail group.
1936 The level of the group.
1938 The score of the group.
1940 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1942 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1943 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1945 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1946 topic being inserted.
1949 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1950 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1951 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1953 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1954 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1955 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1956 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1957 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1960 @node Group Maneuvering
1961 @section Group Maneuvering
1962 @cindex group movement
1964 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1965 expected, hopefully.
1971 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1972 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1973 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1979 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1980 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1981 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1985 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1986 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1990 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1991 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1995 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1996 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1997 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2001 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2002 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2003 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2006 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2012 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2013 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2014 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2019 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2020 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2021 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2025 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2026 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2027 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2030 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2031 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2032 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2033 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2037 @node Selecting a Group
2038 @section Selecting a Group
2039 @cindex group selection
2044 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2045 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2046 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2047 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2048 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2049 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2050 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2051 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2052 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2053 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2055 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2056 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2057 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2059 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2060 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2065 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2066 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2067 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2068 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2069 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2073 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2074 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2075 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2076 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2077 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2078 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2079 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2080 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2081 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2082 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2085 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2086 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2087 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2088 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2089 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2092 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2093 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2094 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2095 doing any processing of its contents
2096 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2097 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2098 manner will have no permanent effects.
2102 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2103 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
2104 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2105 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2106 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2107 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2108 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2109 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2112 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2113 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2114 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2115 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2116 Which article this is is controlled by the
2117 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2123 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2126 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2129 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2131 @item unseen-or-unread
2132 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2133 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2137 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2141 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2142 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2144 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2145 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2146 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2147 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2151 @node Subscription Commands
2152 @section Subscription Commands
2153 @cindex subscription
2161 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2162 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2163 Toggle subscription to the current group
2164 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2170 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2171 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2172 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2173 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2179 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2180 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2181 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2187 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2188 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2191 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2192 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2193 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2194 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2195 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2201 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2202 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2206 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2207 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2210 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2211 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2212 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2213 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2214 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2215 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2216 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2217 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2218 @file{.newsrc} file.
2222 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2232 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2233 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2234 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2235 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2236 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2237 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2242 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2243 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2244 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2248 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2249 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2250 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2252 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2253 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2254 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2255 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2256 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2257 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2264 @section Group Levels
2268 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2269 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2270 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2271 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2272 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2274 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2280 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2281 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2282 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2283 prompted for a level.
2286 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2287 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2288 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2289 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2290 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2291 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2292 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2293 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2294 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2295 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2296 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2297 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2298 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2299 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2300 reasons of efficiency.
2302 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2303 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2305 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2306 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2307 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2308 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2309 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2310 groups are hidden, in a way.
2312 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2313 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2314 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2315 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2316 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2317 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2319 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2320 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2321 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2322 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2323 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2324 list of killed groups.)
2326 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2327 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2328 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2330 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2331 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2332 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2333 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2334 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2335 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2336 relevant valid ranges.
2338 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2339 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2340 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2341 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2342 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2343 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2346 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2347 one with the best level.
2349 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2350 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2351 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2354 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2355 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2356 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2357 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2360 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2361 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2362 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2363 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2365 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2366 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2367 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2368 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2369 to 5. The default is 6.
2373 @section Group Score
2378 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2379 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2380 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2383 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2384 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2385 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2386 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2387 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2388 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2389 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2390 least significant part.))
2392 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2393 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2394 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2395 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2396 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2397 action after each summary exit, you can add
2398 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2399 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2400 slow things down somewhat.
2403 @node Marking Groups
2404 @section Marking Groups
2405 @cindex marking groups
2407 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2408 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2409 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2410 bidding on those groups.
2412 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2413 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2414 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2422 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2423 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2429 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2430 Remove the mark from the current group
2431 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2435 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2436 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2440 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2441 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2445 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2446 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2450 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2451 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2452 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2455 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2457 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2458 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2459 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2460 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2461 the command to be executed.
2464 @node Foreign Groups
2465 @section Foreign Groups
2466 @cindex foreign groups
2468 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2469 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2470 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2471 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2478 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2479 @cindex making groups
2480 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2481 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2482 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2486 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2487 @cindex renaming groups
2488 Rename the current group to something else
2489 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2490 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2496 @findex gnus-group-customize
2497 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2501 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2502 @cindex renaming groups
2503 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2504 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2508 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2509 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2510 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2514 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2515 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2516 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2520 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2522 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2523 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2528 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2529 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2533 @cindex (ding) archive
2534 @cindex archive group
2535 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2536 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2537 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2538 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2539 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2540 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2541 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2545 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2547 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2548 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2549 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2550 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2554 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2556 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2557 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2558 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2562 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2563 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2565 Make a group based on some file or other
2566 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2567 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2568 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2569 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2570 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2571 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2572 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2573 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2574 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2578 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2579 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2580 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2581 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2585 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2589 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2590 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2591 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2592 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2593 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2594 @xref{Web Searches}.
2596 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2597 to a particular group by using a match string like
2598 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2601 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2602 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2603 This function will delete the current group
2604 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2605 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2606 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2607 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2608 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2612 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2613 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2614 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2618 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2619 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2620 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2623 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2626 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2627 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2628 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2629 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2630 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2631 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2635 @node Group Parameters
2636 @section Group Parameters
2637 @cindex group parameters
2639 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2640 Here's an example group parameter list:
2643 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2647 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2648 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2649 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2650 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2652 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2653 is an alist of regexps and values.
2655 The following group parameters can be used:
2660 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2663 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2666 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2667 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2668 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2669 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2670 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2672 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2673 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2674 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2675 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2676 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2677 list address instead.
2679 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2683 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2686 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2689 It is totally ignored
2690 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2691 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2693 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2694 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2695 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2696 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2697 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2699 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2700 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2701 sending the message.
2703 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2704 @cindex Mail List Groups
2705 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2706 entering summary buffer.
2708 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2713 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2714 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2715 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2716 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2717 headers for your posts to these lists. Look here @pxref{(message)Mailing
2718 Lists} for a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2720 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2721 directly uses this group parameter.
2725 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2726 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2727 of whether it has any unread articles.
2729 @item broken-reply-to
2730 @cindex broken-reply-to
2731 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2732 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2733 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2734 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2735 broken behavior. So there!
2739 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2740 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2744 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2745 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2746 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2751 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2752 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2753 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2754 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2755 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2756 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2757 (@pxref{Archived Messages}). CAVEAT:: It yields an error putting
2758 @code{(gcc-self . t)} in groups of a @code{nntp} server or so, because
2759 a @code{nntp} server doesn't accept artciles.
2763 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2764 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2765 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2767 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2770 @cindex total-expire
2771 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2772 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2773 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2774 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2777 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2781 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2782 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2783 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2784 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2785 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2786 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2787 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2790 @cindex score file group parameter
2791 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2792 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2793 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2796 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2797 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2798 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2799 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2802 @cindex admin-address
2803 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2804 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2805 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2806 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2810 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2811 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2815 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2818 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2819 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2822 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2826 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2828 Here are some examples:
2832 Display only unread articles.
2835 Display everything except expirable articles.
2837 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2838 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2842 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2843 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2844 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2845 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2846 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2850 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2851 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2852 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2856 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2857 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2858 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2862 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2863 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2864 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2866 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2868 @item ignored-charsets
2869 @cindex ignored-charset
2870 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2871 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2872 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2874 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2877 @cindex posting-style
2878 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2879 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2880 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2881 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2882 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2884 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2885 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2886 like this in the group parameters:
2891 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2896 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2897 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2901 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2902 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2903 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2904 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2905 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2909 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2910 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2911 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2912 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2914 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2915 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2916 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2917 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2920 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2921 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2925 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2928 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2929 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2930 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2931 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2932 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2933 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2934 @code{eval}ed there.
2936 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
2937 A use for this feature, is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
2938 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
2939 @samp{nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps} has the tag
2940 @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this tag can be
2941 removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for the group by
2942 putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")} into the group
2943 parameters for the group.
2946 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2947 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2948 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2949 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2950 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2954 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2955 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2956 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2957 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2958 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2960 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2961 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2965 (setq gnus-parameters
2967 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2968 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2969 (gnus-summary-line-format
2970 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2974 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2978 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2982 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2985 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2986 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2989 @node Listing Groups
2990 @section Listing Groups
2991 @cindex group listing
2993 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3001 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3002 List all groups that have unread articles
3003 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3004 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3005 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
3006 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3013 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3014 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3015 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3016 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3017 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3018 unsubscribed groups).
3022 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3023 List all unread groups on a specific level
3024 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3025 with no unread articles.
3029 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3030 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3031 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3032 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3037 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3038 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3042 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3043 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3044 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3048 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3049 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3053 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3054 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3055 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3056 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3057 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3058 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3059 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3060 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3064 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3065 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3066 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3070 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3071 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3072 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3076 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3077 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3081 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3082 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3086 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3087 List groups limited within the current selection
3088 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3092 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3093 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3097 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3098 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3102 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3103 @cindex visible group parameter
3104 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3105 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3106 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3107 get the same effect.
3109 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3110 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3111 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3112 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3113 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3116 @node Sorting Groups
3117 @section Sorting Groups
3118 @cindex sorting groups
3120 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3121 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3122 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3123 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3124 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3125 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3130 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3131 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3132 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3134 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3135 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3136 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3138 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3139 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3140 Sort by group level.
3142 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3143 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3144 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3146 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3147 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3148 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3149 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3151 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3152 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3153 Sort by number of unread articles.
3155 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3156 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3157 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3159 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3160 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3161 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3166 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3167 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3171 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3172 some sorting criteria:
3176 @kindex G S a (Group)
3177 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3178 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3179 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3182 @kindex G S u (Group)
3183 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3184 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3185 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3188 @kindex G S l (Group)
3189 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3190 Sort the group buffer by group level
3191 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3194 @kindex G S v (Group)
3195 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3196 Sort the group buffer by group score
3197 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3200 @kindex G S r (Group)
3201 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3202 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3203 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3206 @kindex G S m (Group)
3207 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3208 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3209 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3213 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3214 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3216 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3217 commands will sort in reverse order.
3219 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3223 @kindex G P a (Group)
3224 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3225 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3226 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3229 @kindex G P u (Group)
3230 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3231 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3232 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3235 @kindex G P l (Group)
3236 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3237 Sort the groups by group level
3238 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3241 @kindex G P v (Group)
3242 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3243 Sort the groups by group score
3244 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3247 @kindex G P r (Group)
3248 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3249 Sort the groups by group rank
3250 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3253 @kindex G P m (Group)
3254 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3255 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3256 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3259 @kindex G P s (Group)
3260 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3261 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3265 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3269 @node Group Maintenance
3270 @section Group Maintenance
3271 @cindex bogus groups
3276 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3277 Find bogus groups and delete them
3278 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3282 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3283 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3284 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3285 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3286 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3290 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3291 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3292 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3293 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3294 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3295 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3298 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3299 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3300 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3301 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3306 @node Browse Foreign Server
3307 @section Browse Foreign Server
3308 @cindex foreign servers
3309 @cindex browsing servers
3314 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3315 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3316 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3317 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3320 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3321 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3322 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3323 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3325 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3330 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3331 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3335 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3336 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3339 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3340 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3341 Enter the current group and display the first article
3342 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3345 @kindex RET (Browse)
3346 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3347 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3351 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3352 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3353 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3359 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3360 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3364 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3365 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3369 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3370 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3371 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3376 @section Exiting gnus
3377 @cindex exiting gnus
3379 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3384 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3385 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3386 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3387 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3391 @findex gnus-group-exit
3392 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3393 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3397 @findex gnus-group-quit
3398 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3399 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3402 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3403 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3404 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3405 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3406 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3411 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3412 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3413 trying to customize meta-variables.
3418 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3419 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3420 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3426 @section Group Topics
3429 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3430 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3431 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3432 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3433 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3434 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3438 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3439 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3450 2: alt.religion.emacs
3453 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3455 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3456 13: comp.sources.unix
3459 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3461 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3462 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3463 is a toggling command.)
3465 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3466 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3467 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3468 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3471 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3472 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3473 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3476 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3480 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3481 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3482 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3483 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3484 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3488 @node Topic Commands
3489 @subsection Topic Commands
3490 @cindex topic commands
3492 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3493 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3494 definitions slightly.
3496 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3497 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3498 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3499 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3500 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3501 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3503 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3510 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3511 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3512 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3516 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3518 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3519 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3520 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3521 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3524 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3525 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3526 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3527 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3531 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3532 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3533 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3534 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3540 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3541 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3542 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3546 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3547 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3548 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3551 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3552 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3553 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3554 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3555 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3557 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3558 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3562 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3563 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3570 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3572 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3573 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3574 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3575 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3576 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3577 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3581 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3587 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3588 Move the current group to some other topic
3589 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3590 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3594 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3595 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3599 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3600 Copy the current group to some other topic
3601 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3602 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3606 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3607 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3608 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3612 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3613 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3614 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3618 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3619 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3620 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3621 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3622 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3623 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3624 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3627 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3628 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3632 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3633 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3634 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3638 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3639 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3640 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3644 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3645 Toggle hiding empty topics
3646 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3650 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3651 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3652 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3655 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3656 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3657 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3658 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3661 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3662 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3663 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3664 expiry process (if any)
3665 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3669 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3670 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3673 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3674 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3675 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3679 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3680 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3681 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3684 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3685 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3686 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3689 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3690 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3691 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3695 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3696 @cindex group parameters
3697 @cindex topic parameters
3699 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3700 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3705 @node Topic Variables
3706 @subsection Topic Variables
3707 @cindex topic variables
3709 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3710 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3712 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3713 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3714 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3727 Number of groups in the topic.
3729 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3731 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3734 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3735 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3736 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3739 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3740 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3742 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3743 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3744 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3748 @subsection Topic Sorting
3749 @cindex topic sorting
3751 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3757 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3758 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3759 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3760 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3763 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3764 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3765 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3766 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3769 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3770 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3771 Sort the current topic by group level
3772 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3775 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3776 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3777 Sort the current topic by group score
3778 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3781 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3782 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3783 Sort the current topic by group rank
3784 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3787 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3788 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3789 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3790 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3793 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3794 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3795 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3796 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3800 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3801 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3802 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3803 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3807 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3808 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3812 @node Topic Topology
3813 @subsection Topic Topology
3814 @cindex topic topology
3817 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3823 2: alt.religion.emacs
3826 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3828 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3829 13: comp.sources.unix
3832 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3833 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3834 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3839 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3840 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3844 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3845 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3846 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3847 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3848 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3849 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3851 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3852 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3853 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3856 @node Topic Parameters
3857 @subsection Topic Parameters
3858 @cindex topic parameters
3860 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3861 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3862 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3864 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3869 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3870 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3871 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3874 @item subscribe-level
3875 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3876 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3877 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3881 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3882 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3883 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3884 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3890 2: alt.religion.emacs
3894 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3896 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3897 13: comp.sources.unix
3901 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3902 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3903 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3904 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3905 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3906 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3908 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3909 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3910 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3911 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3912 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3914 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3915 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3916 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3917 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3918 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3919 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3920 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3921 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3924 @node Misc Group Stuff
3925 @section Misc Group Stuff
3928 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3929 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3930 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3931 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3932 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3939 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3940 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3941 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3945 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3946 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3947 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3948 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3949 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3950 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3951 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3955 @findex gnus-group-mail
3956 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3957 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3958 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3959 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3963 @findex gnus-group-news
3964 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3965 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3966 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3968 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3969 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
3970 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3971 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
3972 for this to work though.
3976 Variables for the group buffer:
3980 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3981 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3982 is called after the group buffer has been
3985 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3986 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3987 is called after the group buffer is
3988 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3991 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3992 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3993 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3994 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3996 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3997 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3998 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3999 whether they are empty or not.
4001 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4002 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4003 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4004 non-ASCII group names.
4008 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4009 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4012 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4013 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4014 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4015 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4016 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
4017 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
4021 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4022 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4027 @node Scanning New Messages
4028 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4029 @cindex new messages
4030 @cindex scanning new news
4036 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4037 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4038 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4039 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4040 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4041 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4046 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4047 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4048 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4049 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4050 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4051 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4052 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4054 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4055 @cindex activating groups
4057 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4058 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4063 @findex gnus-group-restart
4064 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4065 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4066 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
4070 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4071 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4073 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4074 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4078 @node Group Information
4079 @subsection Group Information
4080 @cindex group information
4081 @cindex information on groups
4088 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4089 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4092 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4093 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4094 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4095 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4096 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4097 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4098 for fetching the file.
4100 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
4101 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4105 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4106 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4108 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4109 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4112 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4113 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4114 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4118 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4119 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4120 @cindex control message
4121 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4122 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4123 group if given a prefix argument.
4125 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-nil, Gnus
4126 will open the control messages in a browser using @code{browse-url}.
4127 Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp} and displayed in an
4130 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4131 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode}
4132 (@pxref{(emacs)Compressed Files}).
4136 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4138 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4139 @cindex describing groups
4140 @cindex group description
4141 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4142 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4143 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4147 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4148 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4149 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4156 @findex gnus-version
4157 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4161 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4162 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4165 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4168 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4169 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4173 @node Group Timestamp
4174 @subsection Group Timestamp
4176 @cindex group timestamps
4178 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
4179 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4180 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4183 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4186 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4188 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4189 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4192 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4193 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4196 This will result in lines looking like:
4199 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4200 0: custom 19961002T012713
4203 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4204 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4208 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4209 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4212 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4213 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4217 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4218 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4219 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4220 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4222 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4228 @subsection File Commands
4229 @cindex file commands
4235 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4236 @vindex gnus-init-file
4237 @cindex reading init file
4238 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4239 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4243 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4244 @cindex saving .newsrc
4245 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4246 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4247 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4250 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4251 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4252 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4257 @node Sieve Commands
4258 @subsection Sieve Commands
4259 @cindex group sieve commands
4261 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4262 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4263 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4264 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4265 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4267 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4268 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4269 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4270 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4271 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4272 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4273 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4274 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4275 regenerate the Sieve script.
4277 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4278 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4279 is generated. If it is non-nil (the default) articles is placed in
4280 all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article is only
4281 placed in the group with the first matching rule. For example, the
4282 group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4283 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4284 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is nil. (When
4285 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-nil, it looks the same except that
4286 the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4289 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4290 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4295 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4301 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4302 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4303 @cindex generating sieve script
4304 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4305 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4309 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4310 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4311 @cindex updating sieve script
4312 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4313 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4314 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4319 @node Summary Buffer
4320 @chapter Summary Buffer
4321 @cindex summary buffer
4323 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4324 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4326 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4327 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4329 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4332 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4333 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4334 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4335 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4336 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4337 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4338 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4339 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4340 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4341 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4342 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4343 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4344 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4345 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4346 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4347 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4348 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4349 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4350 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4351 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4352 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4353 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4354 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4355 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4356 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4357 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4358 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4359 or reselecting the current group.
4360 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4361 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4362 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4363 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4367 @node Summary Buffer Format
4368 @section Summary Buffer Format
4369 @cindex summary buffer format
4373 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4374 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4375 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4381 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4382 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4383 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4384 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4387 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4388 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4389 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4390 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4391 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4392 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4393 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4394 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4395 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4396 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4397 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4398 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4399 other function instead:
4402 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4403 'mail-extract-address-components)
4406 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4407 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4408 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4409 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4412 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4413 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4415 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4416 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4417 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4418 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4419 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4421 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4422 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4423 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4424 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4425 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4426 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4428 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4430 The following format specification characters and extended format
4431 specification(s) are understood:
4437 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4438 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4440 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4441 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4442 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4444 Full @code{From} header.
4446 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4448 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4451 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4452 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4453 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4454 may be more thorough.
4456 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4459 Number of lines in the article.
4461 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4462 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4464 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4465 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4467 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4469 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4472 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4473 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4475 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4476 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4478 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4479 for adopted articles.
4481 One space for each thread level.
4483 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4485 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4488 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4489 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4490 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4493 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4495 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4496 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4497 default level. If the difference between
4498 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4499 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4507 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4509 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4515 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4516 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4518 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4519 article has any children.
4525 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4526 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4528 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4529 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4530 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4531 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4532 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4533 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4536 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4537 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4538 There can only be one such area.
4540 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4541 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4542 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4543 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4544 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4545 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4547 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4548 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4550 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4553 @node To From Newsgroups
4554 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4558 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4559 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4560 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4561 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4562 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4566 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4567 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4568 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4572 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4573 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4576 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4577 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4580 @findex gnus-extra-header
4581 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4582 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4583 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4586 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4590 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4591 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4592 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4593 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4594 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4595 headers are used instead.
4599 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4600 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4601 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4602 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4603 this variable, by entering the server buffer using `^', and then `g' on
4604 the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause regeneration.
4606 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4607 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4608 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4609 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4611 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4615 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4617 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4618 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4619 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4620 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4624 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4627 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4628 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4631 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4632 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4633 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4639 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4640 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4643 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4644 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4646 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4647 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4648 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4649 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4651 Here are the elements you can play with:
4657 Unprefixed group name.
4659 Current article number.
4661 Current article score.
4665 Number of unread articles in this group.
4667 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4670 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4671 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4672 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4673 and no unselected ones.
4675 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4676 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4678 Subject of the current article.
4680 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4682 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4684 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4686 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4688 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4690 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4694 @node Summary Highlighting
4695 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4699 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4700 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4701 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4702 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4703 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4705 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4706 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4707 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4708 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4710 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4711 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4712 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4713 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4715 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4716 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4717 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4718 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4719 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4720 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4723 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4724 ((> score default) . bold))
4726 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4727 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4731 @node Summary Maneuvering
4732 @section Summary Maneuvering
4733 @cindex summary movement
4735 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4736 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4738 None of these commands select articles.
4743 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4744 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4745 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4746 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4747 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4751 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4752 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4753 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4754 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4755 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4758 @kindex G g (Summary)
4759 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4760 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4761 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4764 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4765 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4766 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4767 to the group buffer.
4769 Variables related to summary movement:
4773 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4774 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4775 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4776 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4777 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4778 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4779 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4780 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4781 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4782 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4783 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4784 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4785 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4786 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4788 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4789 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4790 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4791 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4792 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4793 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4794 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4796 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4798 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4799 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4800 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4801 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4802 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4804 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4805 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4806 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4807 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4808 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4809 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4810 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4811 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4814 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4815 the given number of lines from the top.
4820 @node Choosing Articles
4821 @section Choosing Articles
4822 @cindex selecting articles
4825 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4826 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4830 @node Choosing Commands
4831 @subsection Choosing Commands
4833 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4834 and they all select and display an article.
4836 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4837 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4841 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4842 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4843 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4844 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4849 @kindex G n (Summary)
4850 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4851 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4852 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4857 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4858 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4859 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4864 @kindex G N (Summary)
4865 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4866 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4871 @kindex G P (Summary)
4872 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4873 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4876 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4877 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4878 Go to the next article with the same subject
4879 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4882 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4883 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4884 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4885 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4889 @kindex G f (Summary)
4891 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4892 Go to the first unread article
4893 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4897 @kindex G b (Summary)
4899 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4900 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4901 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4902 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4907 @kindex G l (Summary)
4908 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4909 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4912 @kindex G o (Summary)
4913 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4915 @cindex article history
4916 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4917 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4918 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4919 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4920 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4921 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4926 @kindex G j (Summary)
4927 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4928 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4929 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4934 @node Choosing Variables
4935 @subsection Choosing Variables
4937 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4940 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4941 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4942 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4943 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4944 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4945 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4947 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4948 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4949 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4950 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4952 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4953 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4954 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4955 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4956 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4957 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4958 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4959 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4960 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4961 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4962 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4963 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4964 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4965 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4970 @node Paging the Article
4971 @section Scrolling the Article
4972 @cindex article scrolling
4977 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4978 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4979 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4980 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4981 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4984 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4985 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4986 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4989 @kindex RET (Summary)
4990 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4991 Scroll the current article one line forward
4992 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4995 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4996 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4997 Scroll the current article one line backward
4998 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5002 @kindex A g (Summary)
5004 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5005 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5006 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5007 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5008 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5009 the way it came from the server.
5011 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5012 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5013 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5016 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5021 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5026 @kindex A < (Summary)
5027 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5028 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5029 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5034 @kindex A > (Summary)
5035 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5036 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5040 @kindex A s (Summary)
5042 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5043 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5044 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5048 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5049 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5054 @node Reply Followup and Post
5055 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5058 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5059 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5060 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5061 * Canceling and Superseding::
5065 @node Summary Mail Commands
5066 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5068 @cindex composing mail
5070 Commands for composing a mail message:
5076 @kindex S r (Summary)
5078 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5079 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5080 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5081 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5082 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5087 @kindex S R (Summary)
5088 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5089 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5090 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5091 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5092 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5095 @kindex S w (Summary)
5096 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5097 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5098 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5099 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5100 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5103 @kindex S W (Summary)
5104 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5105 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5106 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5107 the process/prefix convention.
5110 @kindex S v (Summary)
5111 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5112 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5113 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5114 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5115 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5116 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5119 @kindex S V (Summary)
5120 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5121 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5122 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5123 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5126 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5127 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5128 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5129 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5132 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5133 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5134 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5135 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5136 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5140 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5141 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5142 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5143 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5144 Forward the current article to some other person
5145 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5146 headers of the forwarded article.
5151 @kindex S m (Summary)
5152 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5153 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5154 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5155 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5156 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5161 @kindex S i (Summary)
5162 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5163 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5164 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5165 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5167 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5168 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
5169 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5170 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5171 for this to work though.
5174 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5175 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5176 @cindex bouncing mail
5177 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5178 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5179 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5180 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5181 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5182 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
5183 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5184 very well fail, though.
5187 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5188 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5189 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5190 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5191 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5192 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5193 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5194 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5195 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5196 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5198 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5199 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5200 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5201 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5202 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5204 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5205 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5208 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5209 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
5210 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5211 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
5212 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5215 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5216 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5217 @cindex crossposting
5218 @cindex excessive crossposting
5219 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5220 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5222 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5223 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5224 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5225 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5226 command understands the process/prefix convention
5227 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5231 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5232 Manual}, for more information.
5235 @node Summary Post Commands
5236 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5238 @cindex composing news
5240 Commands for posting a news article:
5246 @kindex S p (Summary)
5247 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5248 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5249 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5250 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5251 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5256 @kindex S f (Summary)
5257 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5258 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5259 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5263 @kindex S F (Summary)
5265 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5266 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5267 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5268 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5269 process/prefix convention.
5272 @kindex S n (Summary)
5273 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5274 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5275 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5278 @kindex S N (Summary)
5279 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5280 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5281 message through mail and include the original message
5282 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5283 the process/prefix convention.
5286 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5287 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5288 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5289 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5290 headers of the forwarded article.
5293 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5294 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
5296 @cindex making digests
5297 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5298 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5299 process/prefix convention.
5302 @kindex S u (Summary)
5303 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5304 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5305 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5306 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5309 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5310 Manual}, for more information.
5313 @node Summary Message Commands
5314 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5318 @kindex S y (Summary)
5319 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5320 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5321 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5322 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5323 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5328 @node Canceling and Superseding
5329 @subsection Canceling Articles
5330 @cindex canceling articles
5331 @cindex superseding articles
5333 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5334 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5336 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5338 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5340 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5341 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5342 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5343 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5344 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5345 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5347 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5348 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5351 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5352 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5353 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5355 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5356 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5357 your original article.
5359 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5361 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5362 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5363 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5366 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5367 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5368 have posted almost the same article twice.
5370 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5371 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5372 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5373 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5374 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5375 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5376 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5377 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5378 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5379 canceled/superseded.
5381 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5383 @node Delayed Articles
5384 @section Delayed Articles
5385 @cindex delayed sending
5386 @cindex send delayed
5388 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5389 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5390 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5391 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5394 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5397 @findex gnus-delay-article
5398 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5399 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5400 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5401 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5405 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5406 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5407 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5408 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5411 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5412 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5413 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5416 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5417 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5418 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5419 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5420 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5421 that means a time tomorrow.
5424 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5425 couple of variables:
5428 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5429 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5430 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5431 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5433 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5434 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5435 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5436 formats described above.
5438 @item gnus-delay-group
5439 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5440 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5441 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5442 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5444 @item gnus-delay-header
5445 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5446 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5447 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5448 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5451 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5452 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5453 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5454 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5455 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5457 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5458 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5459 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5460 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5461 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5462 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5465 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5466 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5468 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5469 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5470 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-nil,
5471 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5472 argument is ignored.
5474 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5475 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5476 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5480 @node Marking Articles
5481 @section Marking Articles
5482 @cindex article marking
5483 @cindex article ticking
5486 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5488 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5489 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5490 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5492 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5495 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5496 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5497 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5501 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5505 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5506 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5507 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5511 @node Unread Articles
5512 @subsection Unread Articles
5514 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5519 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5520 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5522 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5523 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5524 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5525 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5526 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5527 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5528 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5531 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5532 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5534 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5535 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5536 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5537 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5541 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5542 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5544 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5549 @subsection Read Articles
5550 @cindex expirable mark
5552 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5557 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5558 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5559 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5562 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5563 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5566 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5567 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5568 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5571 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5572 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5575 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5576 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5579 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5580 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5583 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5584 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5587 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5588 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5591 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5592 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5595 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5596 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5600 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5601 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5602 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5606 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5607 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5609 One more special mark, though:
5613 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5614 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5616 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5617 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5618 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5619 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5625 @subsection Other Marks
5626 @cindex process mark
5629 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5635 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5636 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5637 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5638 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5639 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5642 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5643 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5644 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5645 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5648 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5649 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5650 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5653 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5654 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5655 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5658 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5659 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5660 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5661 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5664 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5665 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5666 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5667 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5668 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5669 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5672 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5673 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5674 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5675 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5678 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5679 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, some articles might not
5680 have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you are
5681 offline (unplugged). These articles get the @samp{@@} mark in the
5682 first column. (The variable @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls
5683 which character to use.)
5686 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5687 The Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics} downloads some articles
5688 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5689 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5690 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5691 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5695 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5696 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5697 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5698 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5699 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5702 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5703 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5704 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5705 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5706 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5707 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5711 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5712 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5713 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5715 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5716 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5717 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5721 @subsection Setting Marks
5722 @cindex setting marks
5724 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5729 @kindex M c (Summary)
5730 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5731 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5732 @cindex mark as unread
5733 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5734 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5740 @kindex M t (Summary)
5741 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5742 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5743 @xref{Article Caching}.
5748 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5749 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5750 Mark the current article as dormant
5751 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5755 @kindex M d (Summary)
5757 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5758 Mark the current article as read
5759 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5763 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5764 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5765 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5770 @kindex M k (Summary)
5771 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5772 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5773 and then select the next unread article
5774 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5778 @kindex M K (Summary)
5779 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5780 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5781 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5782 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5785 @kindex M C (Summary)
5786 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5787 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5788 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5791 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5792 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5793 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5794 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5797 @kindex M H (Summary)
5798 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5799 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5800 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5803 @kindex M h (Summary)
5804 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5805 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5806 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5809 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5810 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5811 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5812 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5815 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5816 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5817 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5818 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5822 @kindex M e (Summary)
5824 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5825 Mark the current article as expirable
5826 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5829 @kindex M b (Summary)
5830 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5831 Set a bookmark in the current article
5832 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5835 @kindex M B (Summary)
5836 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5837 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5838 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5841 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5842 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5843 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5844 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5847 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5848 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5849 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5850 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5853 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5854 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5855 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5856 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5857 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5860 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5861 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5862 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5863 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5864 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5865 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5866 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5867 The default is @code{t}.
5870 @node Generic Marking Commands
5871 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5873 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5874 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5875 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5876 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5877 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5880 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5881 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5884 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5885 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5886 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5887 to list in this manual.
5889 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5890 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5891 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5892 article, you could say something like:
5895 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5896 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5897 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5903 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5904 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5908 @node Setting Process Marks
5909 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5910 @cindex setting process marks
5917 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5918 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5919 Mark the current article with the process mark
5920 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5921 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5925 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5926 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5927 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5928 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5931 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5932 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5933 Remove the process mark from all articles
5934 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5937 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5938 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5939 Invert the list of process marked articles
5940 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5943 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5944 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5945 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5946 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5949 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5950 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5951 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5952 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5955 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5956 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5957 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5961 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
5962 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
5965 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5966 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5967 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5968 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5971 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5972 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5973 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5974 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5977 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5978 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5979 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5980 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5983 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5984 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5985 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5988 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5989 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5990 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5991 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5994 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5995 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5996 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5999 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6000 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6001 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6002 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6005 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6006 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6007 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6008 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6011 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6012 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6013 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6014 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6017 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6018 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6019 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6020 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6024 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
6025 set process marks based on article body contents.
6032 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6033 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6034 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6037 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6038 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6039 additional articles.
6045 @kindex / / (Summary)
6046 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6047 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6048 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6052 @kindex / a (Summary)
6053 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6054 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6055 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6059 @kindex / x (Summary)
6060 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6061 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6062 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6063 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6068 @kindex / u (Summary)
6070 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6071 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6072 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6073 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6074 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6077 @kindex / m (Summary)
6078 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6079 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6080 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6083 @kindex / t (Summary)
6084 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6085 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6086 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6087 articles younger than that number of days.
6090 @kindex / n (Summary)
6091 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6092 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6093 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6094 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6097 @kindex / w (Summary)
6098 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6099 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6100 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6104 @kindex / . (Summary)
6105 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6106 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6107 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6110 @kindex / v (Summary)
6111 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6112 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6113 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6116 @kindex / p (Summary)
6117 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6118 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6119 group parameter predicate
6120 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). See @pxref{Group
6121 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
6125 @kindex M S (Summary)
6126 @kindex / E (Summary)
6127 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6128 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6129 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6132 @kindex / D (Summary)
6133 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6134 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6135 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6138 @kindex / * (Summary)
6139 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6140 Include all cached articles in the limit
6141 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6144 @kindex / d (Summary)
6145 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6146 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6147 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6150 @kindex / M (Summary)
6151 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6152 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6155 @kindex / T (Summary)
6156 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6157 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6160 @kindex / c (Summary)
6161 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6162 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
6163 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6166 @kindex / C (Summary)
6167 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6168 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6169 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6170 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6173 @kindex / N (Summary)
6174 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6175 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6176 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6179 @kindex / o (Summary)
6180 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6181 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6182 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6190 @cindex article threading
6192 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6193 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6194 hierarchical fashion.
6196 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6197 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6198 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6199 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6200 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6201 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6202 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6204 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6208 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6211 A tree-like article structure.
6214 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6217 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6218 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6219 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6220 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6221 called loose threads.
6223 @item thread gathering
6224 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6226 @item sparse threads
6227 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6228 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6234 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6235 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6239 @node Customizing Threading
6240 @subsection Customizing Threading
6241 @cindex customizing threading
6244 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6245 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6246 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6247 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6252 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6255 @cindex loose threads
6258 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6259 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6260 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6261 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6262 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6263 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6265 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
6266 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
6267 There are four possible values:
6271 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6272 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6273 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6274 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6275 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6280 @cindex adopting articles
6285 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6286 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6287 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6288 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6291 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6292 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6293 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6294 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6295 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6296 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6297 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6300 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6301 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6302 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6306 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6307 display them after one another.
6310 Don't gather loose threads.
6313 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6314 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6315 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6316 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
6317 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6318 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6319 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6320 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6321 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6322 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
6323 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6325 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6326 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
6327 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6330 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6331 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6332 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6333 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6334 simplification is used.
6336 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6337 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6338 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6339 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6341 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6343 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6349 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6350 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6351 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6352 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6357 (mapconcat 'identity
6358 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6360 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6363 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6366 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6367 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6368 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6369 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6370 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6371 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6373 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6376 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6377 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6378 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6380 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6381 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6384 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6385 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6386 Remove excessive whitespace.
6388 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6389 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6390 Remove all whitespace.
6393 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6396 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6397 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6398 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6399 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6400 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6401 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6402 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6403 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6405 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6406 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6407 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6408 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6409 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6410 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6411 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6412 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6413 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6417 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6418 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6419 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6420 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6422 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6423 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6424 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6427 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6431 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6432 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6438 @node Filling In Threads
6439 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6442 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6443 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6444 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6445 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6446 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6447 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6448 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6449 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6450 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6451 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6452 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6453 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6456 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6457 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6458 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6460 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6461 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6462 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6463 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6464 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6465 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6466 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6467 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6468 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6469 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6470 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6471 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6472 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6473 @code{nil} by default.
6475 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6476 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6477 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6478 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6479 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6480 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6481 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6483 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6484 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6485 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6490 @node More Threading
6491 @subsubsection More Threading
6494 @item gnus-show-threads
6495 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6496 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6497 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6498 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6499 slower and more awkward.
6501 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6502 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6503 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6506 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6507 Avaliable predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6508 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}).
6513 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6514 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6515 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6518 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6519 unread, but you get my drift.)
6522 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6523 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6524 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6525 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6526 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6527 threads are expunged.
6529 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6530 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6531 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6534 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6535 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6536 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6537 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6538 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6539 result in a new thread.
6541 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6542 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6543 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6546 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6547 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6548 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6549 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6550 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6551 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6552 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6553 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6554 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6555 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6556 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6561 @node Low-Level Threading
6562 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6566 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6567 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6568 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6569 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6570 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6571 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6573 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6574 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6575 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6576 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6577 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6578 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6579 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6580 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6581 meaningful. Here's one example:
6584 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6586 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6587 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6589 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6591 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6598 @node Thread Commands
6599 @subsection Thread Commands
6600 @cindex thread commands
6606 @kindex T k (Summary)
6607 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6608 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6609 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6610 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6611 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6616 @kindex T l (Summary)
6617 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6618 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6619 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6620 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6623 @kindex T i (Summary)
6624 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6625 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6626 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6629 @kindex T # (Summary)
6630 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6631 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6632 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6635 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6636 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6637 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6638 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6641 @kindex T T (Summary)
6642 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6643 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6646 @kindex T s (Summary)
6647 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6648 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6649 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6652 @kindex T h (Summary)
6653 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6654 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6657 @kindex T S (Summary)
6658 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6659 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6662 @kindex T H (Summary)
6663 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6664 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6667 @kindex T t (Summary)
6668 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6669 Re-thread the current article's thread
6670 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6671 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6674 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6675 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6676 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6677 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6681 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6682 understand the numeric prefix.
6687 @kindex T n (Summary)
6689 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6691 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6692 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6693 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6696 @kindex T p (Summary)
6698 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6700 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6701 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6702 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6705 @kindex T d (Summary)
6706 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6707 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6710 @kindex T u (Summary)
6711 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6712 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6715 @kindex T o (Summary)
6716 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6717 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6720 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6721 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6722 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6723 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6724 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6725 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6726 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6727 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6728 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6729 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6730 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6731 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6735 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6736 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6738 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6739 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6740 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6741 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6742 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6743 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6744 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6745 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6746 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6747 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6748 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6749 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6750 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6752 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6753 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6754 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6755 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6756 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6757 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6758 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6759 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6761 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6762 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6763 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6765 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6766 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6767 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6768 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6769 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6770 ascending article order.
6772 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6773 by number, you could do something like:
6776 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6777 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6778 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6779 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6782 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6783 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6784 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6785 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6786 which the articles arrived.
6788 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6792 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6794 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6795 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6798 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6799 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6800 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6801 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6804 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6805 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6806 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6807 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6808 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6809 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
6810 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6811 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
6812 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
6813 variable. It is very similar to the
6814 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
6815 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
6816 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6817 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
6818 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
6819 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
6820 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6822 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6826 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6827 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6828 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6833 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6834 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6835 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6836 @cindex article pre-fetch
6839 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6840 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6841 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6842 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6843 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6845 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6846 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
6848 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6849 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6850 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6851 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6852 connection is blocked.
6854 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6855 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6856 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6857 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
6859 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6860 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6861 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6862 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6865 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6868 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6869 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6870 happen automatically.
6872 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6873 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6874 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6875 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6876 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6877 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6878 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6880 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6881 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6882 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6883 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6884 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6885 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6886 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6887 data structure as the only parameter.
6889 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6892 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6893 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6894 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6895 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6898 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6901 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6902 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
6903 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6905 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6906 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6907 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6908 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6912 Remove articles when they are read.
6915 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6918 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6920 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6921 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6922 @c from the next group.
6925 @node Article Caching
6926 @section Article Caching
6927 @cindex article caching
6930 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6931 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6932 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6933 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6934 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6936 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6938 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6939 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6940 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6941 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6942 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6943 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6944 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6945 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6947 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6948 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6949 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6950 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6951 as dormant, and don't worry.
6953 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6955 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6956 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6957 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6958 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6959 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6960 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6961 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6962 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6963 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6964 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6966 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6967 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6968 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6969 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6970 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6971 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6972 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6973 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6974 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6975 not then be downloaded by this command.
6977 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6978 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6979 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6980 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6981 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6982 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6984 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6985 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6986 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6987 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6988 variables, the group is not cached.
6990 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6991 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6992 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6993 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6994 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6995 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
6996 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6997 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6998 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7001 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7002 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7003 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7004 where, isn't that cool?
7006 @node Persistent Articles
7007 @section Persistent Articles
7008 @cindex persistent articles
7010 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7011 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7012 useful in my opinion.
7014 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7015 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7016 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7017 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7018 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7019 the expiry going on at the news server.
7021 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7022 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7023 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7029 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7030 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7033 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7034 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7035 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7036 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7040 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7042 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7043 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7044 interested in persistent articles:
7047 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7051 @node Article Backlog
7052 @section Article Backlog
7054 @cindex article backlog
7056 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7057 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7058 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
7059 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7060 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7061 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7062 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
7063 increase memory usage some.
7065 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7066 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
7067 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7068 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
7069 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7070 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7071 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7073 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
7076 @node Saving Articles
7077 @section Saving Articles
7078 @cindex saving articles
7080 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7081 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7082 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7083 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7084 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7086 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7087 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7088 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7090 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7091 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
7092 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7094 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7095 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7096 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7097 deleted before saving.
7103 @kindex O o (Summary)
7105 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7106 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7107 Save the current article using the default article saver
7108 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7111 @kindex O m (Summary)
7112 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7113 Save the current article in mail format
7114 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7117 @kindex O r (Summary)
7118 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7119 Save the current article in rmail format
7120 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7123 @kindex O f (Summary)
7124 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7125 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7126 Save the current article in plain file format
7127 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7130 @kindex O F (Summary)
7131 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7132 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7133 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7136 @kindex O b (Summary)
7137 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7138 Save the current article body in plain file format
7139 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7142 @kindex O h (Summary)
7143 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7144 Save the current article in mh folder format
7145 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7148 @kindex O v (Summary)
7149 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7150 Save the current article in a VM folder
7151 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7155 @kindex O p (Summary)
7157 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7158 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7159 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7162 @kindex O P (Summary)
7163 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7164 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7165 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7166 external program Muttprint (see
7167 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
7168 options to use is controlled by the variable
7169 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7173 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7174 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7175 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7176 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7177 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7178 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7179 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7180 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7181 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7182 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7183 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7184 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7188 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7189 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7190 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7191 functions below, or you can create your own.
7195 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7196 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7197 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7198 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7199 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
7200 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7201 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7203 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7204 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7205 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7206 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7207 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7208 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7210 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7211 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7212 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7213 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7214 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7215 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7216 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7218 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7219 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7220 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7221 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7222 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7223 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7225 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7226 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7227 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7228 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7229 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7231 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7232 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7233 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7234 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7235 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7238 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7239 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7240 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7241 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7242 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7244 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7245 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7246 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7247 reader to use this setting.
7250 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7251 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7252 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7253 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7256 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7257 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7258 available functions that generate names:
7262 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7263 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7264 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7266 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7267 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7268 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7270 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7271 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7272 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7274 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7275 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7276 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7278 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7279 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7280 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7283 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7284 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7285 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7286 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7287 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7291 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7292 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7293 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7294 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7297 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7298 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7299 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7300 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7301 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7302 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7303 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7304 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7305 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7307 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7308 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7309 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7310 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7312 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7313 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7314 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7317 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7318 lots of mail groups called things like
7319 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7320 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7321 following will do just that:
7324 (defun my-save-name (group)
7325 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7326 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7328 (setq gnus-split-methods
7329 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7334 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7335 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7336 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7337 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7338 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7339 all the files in the top level directory
7340 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7341 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7342 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7343 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7345 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7346 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7347 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7348 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7349 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7352 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7356 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7357 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7358 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7361 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7362 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7363 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7364 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7367 @node Decoding Articles
7368 @section Decoding Articles
7369 @cindex decoding articles
7371 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7372 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7375 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7376 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7377 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7378 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7379 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7380 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7384 @cindex article series
7385 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7386 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7387 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7388 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7389 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7391 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7392 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7393 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7395 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
7396 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7397 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7399 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7400 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7401 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7404 @node Uuencoded Articles
7405 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7407 @cindex uuencoded articles
7412 @kindex X u (Summary)
7413 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7414 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7415 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7418 @kindex X U (Summary)
7419 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7420 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7421 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7424 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7425 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7426 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7429 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7430 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7431 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7432 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7436 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7437 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7438 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7439 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7440 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7442 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7443 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7444 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7445 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7448 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7449 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7450 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7451 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7452 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7453 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7457 @node Shell Archives
7458 @subsection Shell Archives
7460 @cindex shell archives
7461 @cindex shared articles
7463 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7464 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7465 some commands to deal with these:
7470 @kindex X s (Summary)
7471 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7472 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7475 @kindex X S (Summary)
7476 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7477 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7480 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7481 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7482 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7485 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7486 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7487 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7488 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7492 @node PostScript Files
7493 @subsection PostScript Files
7499 @kindex X p (Summary)
7500 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7501 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7504 @kindex X P (Summary)
7505 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7506 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7507 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7510 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7511 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7512 View the current PostScript series
7513 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7516 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7517 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7518 View and save the current PostScript series
7519 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7524 @subsection Other Files
7528 @kindex X o (Summary)
7529 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7530 Save the current series
7531 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7534 @kindex X b (Summary)
7535 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7536 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7537 doesn't really work yet.
7541 @node Decoding Variables
7542 @subsection Decoding Variables
7544 Adjective, not verb.
7547 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7548 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7549 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7553 @node Rule Variables
7554 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7555 @cindex rule variables
7557 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7558 variables are of the form
7561 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7568 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7569 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7571 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7572 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7575 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7576 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7579 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7580 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7581 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7582 user and default view rules.
7584 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7585 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7586 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7591 @node Other Decode Variables
7592 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7595 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7597 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7598 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7599 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7600 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7601 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7605 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7606 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7609 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7610 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7611 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7614 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7615 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7616 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7617 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7618 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7621 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7622 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7623 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7625 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7626 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7627 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7628 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7629 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7632 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7633 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7634 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7636 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7637 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7638 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7639 looking for files to display.
7641 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7642 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7643 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7646 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7647 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7648 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7651 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7652 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7653 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7656 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7657 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7658 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7661 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7662 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7663 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7664 decoded articles as unread.
7666 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7667 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7668 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7669 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7671 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7672 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7673 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7675 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7676 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7678 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7679 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7680 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7681 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7683 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7684 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7685 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7686 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7687 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7688 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7689 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7690 simply dropped them.
7695 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7696 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7700 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7701 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7702 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7703 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7704 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7705 for you when you post the article.
7707 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7708 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7709 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7710 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7712 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7713 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7714 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7715 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7716 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7717 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7718 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7720 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7721 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7722 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7723 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7724 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7725 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7726 Default is @code{t}.
7732 @subsection Viewing Files
7733 @cindex viewing files
7734 @cindex pseudo-articles
7736 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7737 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7738 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7739 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7740 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7741 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7742 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7744 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7745 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7746 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7747 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7749 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7750 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7751 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7753 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7754 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7755 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7756 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7757 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7759 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7760 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7761 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7762 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7763 a list of parameters to that command.
7765 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7766 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7767 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7769 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7770 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7771 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7774 @node Article Treatment
7775 @section Article Treatment
7777 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7778 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7779 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7780 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7781 these articles easier.
7784 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7785 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7786 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7787 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7788 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7789 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7790 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7791 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7792 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7793 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7797 @node Article Highlighting
7798 @subsection Article Highlighting
7799 @cindex highlighting
7801 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7802 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7807 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7808 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7809 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7810 Do much highlighting of the current article
7811 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7812 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7815 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7816 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7817 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7818 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7819 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7820 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7821 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7822 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7823 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7824 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7825 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7826 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7829 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7830 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7831 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7833 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7836 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7838 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7839 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7840 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7842 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7843 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7844 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7846 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7847 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7848 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7849 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7850 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7851 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7853 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7854 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7855 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7857 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7858 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7859 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7861 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7862 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7863 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7864 that it's a citation.
7866 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7867 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7868 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7870 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7871 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7872 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7874 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7875 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7876 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7877 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7883 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7884 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7885 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7886 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7887 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7888 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7889 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7890 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7895 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7898 @node Article Fontisizing
7899 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7901 @cindex article emphasis
7903 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7904 @kindex W e (Summary)
7905 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7906 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7907 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7908 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7910 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7911 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7912 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7913 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7914 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7915 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7916 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7917 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7921 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7922 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7923 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7932 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7933 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7934 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7935 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7936 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7937 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7938 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7939 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7940 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7941 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7942 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7943 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7944 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7946 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7947 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7948 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7952 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7955 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7957 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7958 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7959 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7960 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7962 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7965 @node Article Hiding
7966 @subsection Article Hiding
7967 @cindex article hiding
7969 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7970 too much cruft in most articles.
7975 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7976 @findex gnus-article-hide
7977 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7978 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7979 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7982 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7983 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7984 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7988 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7989 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7990 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7991 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7994 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7995 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7996 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8000 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8001 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8002 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8003 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8004 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8005 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8006 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8007 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8011 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8012 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8013 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8014 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8019 @kindex W W p (Summary)
8020 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
8021 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
8022 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
8023 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
8024 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
8025 articles that have signatures in them do:
8027 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
8029 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
8031 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
8032 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
8034 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
8037 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
8042 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8043 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8044 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8045 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8048 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8049 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8050 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8051 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8054 @cindex stripping advertisements
8055 @cindex advertisements
8056 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8057 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8058 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8059 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8060 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8061 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8062 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8063 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8064 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8065 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8068 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8069 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8070 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8074 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8075 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8076 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8077 @code{(ADDRESS . BANNER)}, where ADDRESS is a regexp matching a mail
8078 address in the From header, BANNER is one of a symbol @code{signature},
8079 an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}, a regexp and @code{nil}.
8080 If ADDRESS matches author's mail address, it will remove things like
8081 advertisements. For example, if a sender has the mail address
8082 @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a banner something like
8083 @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he sends, you can use the
8084 following element to remove them:
8087 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" . "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8093 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8094 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8095 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8096 customizing the hiding:
8100 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8101 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8102 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8103 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8104 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8105 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8106 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8111 Starting point of the hidden text.
8113 Ending point of the hidden text.
8115 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8117 Number of lines of hidden text.
8120 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8121 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8122 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8123 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8124 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8129 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8130 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8132 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8133 following two variables:
8136 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8137 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8138 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8139 50), hide the cited text.
8141 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8142 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8143 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8148 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8149 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8150 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8151 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8152 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8153 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8157 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8158 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8159 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8161 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8162 citation customization.
8164 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8168 @node Article Washing
8169 @subsection Article Washing
8171 @cindex article washing
8173 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8174 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8176 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8177 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8180 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8181 articles by default.
8186 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8187 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8191 @kindex W l (Summary)
8192 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8193 Remove page breaks from the current article
8194 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8198 @kindex W r (Summary)
8199 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8200 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8201 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8202 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8203 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8204 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8206 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8207 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8208 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8209 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8212 @kindex W m (Summary)
8213 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8214 @c @icon{gnus-summary-morse-message}
8215 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8219 @kindex W t (Summary)
8221 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8222 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8223 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8226 @kindex W v (Summary)
8227 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8228 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8229 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8232 @kindex W m (Summary)
8233 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
8234 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
8235 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
8238 @kindex W o (Summary)
8239 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8240 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8243 @kindex W d (Summary)
8244 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8245 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8247 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8249 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8250 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8251 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8252 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8255 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8256 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8257 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8258 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8261 @kindex W k (Summary)
8262 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8263 @cindex Outlook Express
8264 Deuglify broken Outlook (Express) articles and redisplay
8265 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8268 @kindex W w (Summary)
8269 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8270 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8272 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8276 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8277 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8278 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8281 @kindex W C (Summary)
8282 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8283 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8284 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8287 @kindex W c (Summary)
8288 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8289 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8290 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8291 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8292 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8295 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8296 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8297 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8298 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8299 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is usually done
8300 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8301 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8303 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8306 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8307 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8308 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8309 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8310 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8313 @kindex W u (Summary)
8314 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8315 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8316 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8317 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8318 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8321 @kindex W h (Summary)
8322 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8323 Treat @sc{html} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8324 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8325 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @sc{html}.
8327 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8329 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8330 The default is to use the function specified by
8331 @code{mm-inline-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Customization, , , emacs-mime})
8332 to convert the @sc{html}, but this is controlled by the
8333 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8341 Use emacs-w3m (see @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/} for more
8345 Use Links (see @uref{http://artax.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~mikulas/links/}).
8348 Use Lynx (see @uref{http://lynx.browser.org/}).
8351 Use html2text -- a simple @sc{html} converter included with Gnus.
8356 @kindex W b (Summary)
8357 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8358 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8359 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8362 @kindex W B (Summary)
8363 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8364 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8365 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8368 @kindex W p (Summary)
8369 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8370 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8371 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8372 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8373 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8374 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8375 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8378 @kindex W s (Summary)
8379 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8380 Verify a signed (PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}) message
8381 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8384 @kindex W a (Summary)
8385 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8386 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8387 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8390 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8391 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8392 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8393 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8396 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8397 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8398 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8399 lines with a single empty line.
8400 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8403 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8404 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8405 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8406 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8409 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8410 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8411 Do all the three commands above
8412 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8415 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8416 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8417 Remove all blank lines
8418 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8421 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8422 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8423 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8424 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8427 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8428 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8429 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8430 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8434 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8437 @node Article Header
8438 @subsection Article Header
8440 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8445 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8446 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8447 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8450 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8451 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8452 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8453 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8456 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8457 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8458 Fold all the message headers
8459 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8463 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8464 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8465 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8470 @node Article Buttons
8471 @subsection Article Buttons
8474 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8475 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8476 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8477 button on these references.
8479 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8480 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8481 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links and man pages.
8482 This is controlled by two variables, one that handles article bodies and
8483 one that handles article heads:
8487 @item gnus-button-alist
8488 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8489 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8492 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8498 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
8499 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
8500 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a variable containing a
8501 regexp, useful variables to use include @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}.
8504 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8505 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8506 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8509 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8510 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8511 avoid false matches.
8514 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8517 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8518 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8522 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8525 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8528 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8529 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8530 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8531 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8532 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8535 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8538 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8540 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8541 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8542 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8543 default values of the variables above.
8545 @item gnus-article-button-face
8546 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8547 Face used on buttons.
8549 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8550 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8551 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8555 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8559 @subsection Article Date
8561 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8562 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8563 when the article was sent.
8568 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8569 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8570 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8571 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8574 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8575 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8577 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8578 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8581 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8582 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8583 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8586 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8587 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8588 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8589 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8592 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8593 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8594 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8595 @findex format-time-string
8596 Display the date using a user-defined format
8597 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8598 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8599 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8600 for a list of possible format specs.
8603 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8604 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8605 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8606 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8607 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8608 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8611 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8614 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8615 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8618 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8619 into wonderful absurdities.
8621 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8624 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8627 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8628 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8632 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8633 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8634 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8635 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8636 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8637 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8638 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8642 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8643 preferred format automatically.
8646 @node Article Display
8647 @subsection Article Display
8652 These commands add various frivolous display gimmics to the article
8653 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8655 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8656 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8658 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8659 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8661 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8662 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8664 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8669 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8670 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8671 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8672 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8675 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8676 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
8677 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8680 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8681 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8682 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8685 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8686 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8687 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8688 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8691 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8692 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8693 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8694 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
8697 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8698 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8699 Remove all images from the article buffer
8700 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8706 @node Article Signature
8707 @subsection Article Signature
8709 @cindex article signature
8711 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8712 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8713 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8714 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8715 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8716 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8717 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8718 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8719 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8722 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8723 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8724 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8725 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8726 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8727 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8728 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8729 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8732 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8735 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8736 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8737 signature when displaying articles.
8741 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8744 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8747 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8748 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8750 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8751 in question is not a signature.
8754 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8755 listed above. Here's an example:
8758 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8759 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8762 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8763 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8764 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8765 signature after all.
8768 @node Article Miscellania
8769 @subsection Article Miscellania
8773 @kindex A t (Summary)
8774 @findex gnus-article-babel
8775 Translate the article from one language to another
8776 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8782 @section MIME Commands
8783 @cindex MIME decoding
8785 @cindex viewing attachments
8787 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8788 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8794 @kindex K v (Summary)
8795 View the @sc{mime} part.
8798 @kindex K o (Summary)
8799 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8802 @kindex K c (Summary)
8803 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8806 @kindex K e (Summary)
8807 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8810 @kindex K i (Summary)
8811 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8814 @kindex K | (Summary)
8815 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8818 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8823 @kindex K b (Summary)
8824 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8825 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8829 @kindex K m (Summary)
8830 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8831 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8832 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8833 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8834 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8837 @kindex X m (Summary)
8838 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8839 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8840 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8841 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8844 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8845 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
8846 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8847 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8850 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8851 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
8852 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8853 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8856 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8857 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
8858 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8859 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8861 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8862 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8863 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8864 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
8865 include @sc{mime} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
8866 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8869 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8870 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
8871 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8872 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8879 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8880 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8881 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8882 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8885 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8888 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8892 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8893 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8894 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8895 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8896 displayed or this variable is overriden by
8897 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8900 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8901 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8902 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8903 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8904 displayed. This variable overrides
8905 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8907 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8908 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8909 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
8911 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
8912 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
8913 If this is non-nil, then all @sc{mime} parts get buttons. The default
8914 value is @code{nil}.
8916 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8917 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8918 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8919 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8920 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8921 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8922 save all jpegs into some directory).
8924 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8927 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8928 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8930 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8931 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8932 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8933 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8934 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8937 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8938 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8939 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8941 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8942 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8943 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8944 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8946 Ready-made functions include@*
8947 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8948 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8949 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8950 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8951 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8952 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8953 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8954 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8955 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8956 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8957 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8958 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8960 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8961 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8963 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8964 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8965 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8968 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8969 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8970 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8971 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8975 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8984 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8985 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8986 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8987 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8988 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8989 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8990 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8992 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8993 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8994 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8995 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8997 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8998 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
8999 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9000 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9001 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9002 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9003 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9004 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9006 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9007 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9008 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
9009 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9010 quoted-printable header encoding.
9012 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9013 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9014 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9018 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9021 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9022 means encode all charsets),
9024 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9025 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9026 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9033 @cindex coding system aliases
9034 @cindex preferred charset
9036 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9038 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9039 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9042 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9043 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9046 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9047 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
9049 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9052 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9055 This will almost do the right thing.
9057 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9061 (codepage-setup 1251)
9062 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9066 @node Article Commands
9067 @section Article Commands
9074 @kindex A P (Summary)
9075 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9076 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9077 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9078 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9079 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9080 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9085 @node Summary Sorting
9086 @section Summary Sorting
9087 @cindex summary sorting
9089 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9090 can't really see why you'd want that.
9095 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9096 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9097 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9100 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9101 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9102 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9105 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9106 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9107 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9110 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9111 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9112 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9115 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9116 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9117 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9120 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9121 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9122 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9125 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9126 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9127 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9130 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9131 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9132 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9135 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9136 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9137 Sort using the default sorting method
9138 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9141 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9142 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9143 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9144 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9145 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9149 @node Finding the Parent
9150 @section Finding the Parent
9151 @cindex parent articles
9152 @cindex referring articles
9157 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9158 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9159 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9160 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
9161 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9162 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9163 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9164 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9165 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9167 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9168 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9169 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
9170 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9171 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9175 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9176 @kindex A R (Summary)
9177 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9178 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9181 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9182 @kindex A T (Summary)
9183 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9184 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9185 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9186 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9187 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9188 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9189 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9191 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9192 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9193 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9194 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9195 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9196 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9199 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9200 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9202 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9203 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
9204 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9205 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9206 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9207 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9208 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9211 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9212 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9213 by giving this command a prefix.
9215 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9216 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9217 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9218 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
9219 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
9220 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9223 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9224 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9225 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9228 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9229 then ask Google if that fails:
9232 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9234 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type google))))
9237 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9238 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9239 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9240 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9241 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9242 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9243 support this at all.
9246 @node Alternative Approaches
9247 @section Alternative Approaches
9249 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9250 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9253 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9254 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9259 @subsection Pick and Read
9260 @cindex pick and read
9262 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9263 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9264 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9265 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9267 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9268 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9269 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9270 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9271 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9272 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9274 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9279 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9280 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9281 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9282 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9283 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9284 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9285 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9286 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9289 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9290 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9291 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9292 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9296 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9297 Unpick the thread or article
9298 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9299 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9300 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9301 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9302 the thread or article at that line.
9306 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9307 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9308 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9309 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9310 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9311 will still be visible when you are reading.
9315 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9316 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9317 which is mapped to the same function
9318 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9320 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9323 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9326 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9327 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9329 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9330 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9331 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9333 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9334 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9335 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9336 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9337 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9338 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9339 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9343 @subsection Binary Groups
9344 @cindex binary groups
9346 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9347 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9348 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9349 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9350 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9351 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9352 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9355 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9356 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9357 command, when you have turned on this mode
9358 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9360 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9361 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9365 @section Tree Display
9368 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9369 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
9370 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9371 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9374 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9377 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9378 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9379 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9381 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9382 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9383 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9384 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9385 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9387 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9388 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9389 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9390 default is @code{modeline}.
9392 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9393 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9394 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9395 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9396 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9397 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9398 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9404 The name of the poster.
9406 The @code{From} header.
9408 The number of the article.
9410 The opening bracket.
9412 The closing bracket.
9417 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9419 Variables related to the display are:
9422 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9423 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9424 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9425 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9426 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9427 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9429 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9430 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9431 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9432 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9436 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9437 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9438 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
9439 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
9440 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9441 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9442 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9443 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9444 other windows displayed next to it.
9446 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9450 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9451 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9454 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9455 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9456 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9457 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9458 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9459 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9460 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9464 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9467 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9477 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9481 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9482 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9484 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9486 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9491 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9492 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9493 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9496 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9497 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9498 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9499 (gnus-add-configuration
9503 (summary 0.75 point)
9508 @xref{Window Layout}.
9511 @node Mail Group Commands
9512 @section Mail Group Commands
9513 @cindex mail group commands
9515 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9516 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9518 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9519 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9524 @kindex B e (Summary)
9525 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9526 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9527 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9528 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9529 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9532 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9533 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9534 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9535 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9536 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9537 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9540 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9541 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9542 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9543 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9544 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9545 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9548 @kindex B m (Summary)
9550 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9551 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9552 Move the article from one mail group to another
9553 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9554 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9557 @kindex B c (Summary)
9559 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9560 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9561 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9562 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9563 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9566 @kindex B B (Summary)
9567 @cindex crosspost mail
9568 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9569 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9570 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9571 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9572 be properly updated.
9575 @kindex B i (Summary)
9576 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9577 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9578 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9579 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9582 @kindex B I (Summary)
9583 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9584 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9585 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9586 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9589 @kindex B r (Summary)
9590 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9591 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9592 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9593 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9594 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9595 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9596 (which is the default).
9600 @kindex B w (Summary)
9602 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9603 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9604 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
9605 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9606 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9607 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9608 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9611 @kindex B q (Summary)
9612 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9613 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9614 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9615 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9618 @kindex B t (Summary)
9619 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9620 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9621 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9624 @kindex B p (Summary)
9625 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9626 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9627 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9628 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9629 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9630 article from your news server (or rather, from
9631 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9632 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9633 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9634 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9635 just not have arrived yet.
9638 @kindex K E (Summary)
9639 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
9640 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
9641 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
9642 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
9643 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
9647 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9648 @cindex moving articles
9649 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
9650 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9651 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9652 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9653 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9654 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9655 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9658 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9659 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9660 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9661 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9665 @node Various Summary Stuff
9666 @section Various Summary Stuff
9669 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9670 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9671 * Summary Generation Commands::
9672 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9676 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9677 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9678 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9680 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9681 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9682 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9683 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9684 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9685 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9688 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9689 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9690 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9691 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9692 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9694 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9695 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9696 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9699 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9700 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9701 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9702 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9703 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9704 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9705 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
9706 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9707 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9708 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9710 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9711 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9712 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9713 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9714 list of articles to be selected.
9716 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9717 the list in one particular group:
9720 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9721 (if (string= group "some.group")
9722 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9726 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9727 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9728 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9729 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9730 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9731 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9732 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9733 buffers. For example:
9736 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9737 '(message-use-followup-to
9738 (gnus-visible-headers .
9739 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9745 @node Summary Group Information
9746 @subsection Summary Group Information
9751 @kindex H f (Summary)
9752 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9753 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9754 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9755 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9756 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9757 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9758 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9759 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9760 be used for fetching the file.
9763 @kindex H d (Summary)
9764 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9765 Give a brief description of the current group
9766 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9767 rereading the description from the server.
9770 @kindex H h (Summary)
9771 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9772 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9773 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9776 @kindex H i (Summary)
9777 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9778 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9782 @node Searching for Articles
9783 @subsection Searching for Articles
9788 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9789 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9790 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9791 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9794 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9795 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9796 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9797 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9801 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9802 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9803 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9804 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9805 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9806 search backward instead.
9808 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9809 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9812 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9813 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9814 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9815 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9818 @node Summary Generation Commands
9819 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9824 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9825 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9826 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9829 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9830 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9831 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9832 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9837 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9838 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9844 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9845 @kindex A D (Summary)
9846 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9847 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9848 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9849 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9850 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9851 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9852 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9853 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9857 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9858 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9859 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9860 several documents into one biiig group
9861 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9862 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9863 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9864 command understands the process/prefix convention
9865 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9868 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9869 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9870 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9871 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9872 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9873 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9877 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9878 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9879 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9882 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
9883 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9884 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9885 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9888 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
9889 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9890 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9891 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9896 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9897 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9898 @cindex summary exit
9899 @cindex exiting groups
9901 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9902 group and return you to the group buffer.
9908 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9910 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9911 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9912 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9913 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9914 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9915 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9916 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9917 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9918 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9919 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9920 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9924 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9926 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9927 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9928 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9932 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9934 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9935 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9936 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9937 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9940 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9941 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9942 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9943 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9946 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9947 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9948 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9949 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9952 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9953 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9954 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9955 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9956 all articles, both read and unread.
9960 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9961 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9962 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9963 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9964 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9965 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9966 articles, both read and unread.
9969 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9970 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9971 Exit the group and go to the next group
9972 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9975 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9976 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9977 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9978 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9981 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9982 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9983 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9984 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9985 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9986 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9989 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9990 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9991 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9992 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9994 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9995 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9996 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9997 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9998 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9999 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10000 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10001 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10002 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10003 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10004 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10005 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10007 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10009 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10010 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10011 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10012 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10013 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10014 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10015 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10016 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10017 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10020 @node Crosspost Handling
10021 @section Crosspost Handling
10025 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10026 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10027 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10028 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10029 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10030 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10033 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10034 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10035 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10036 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10037 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10039 @cindex cross-posting
10042 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10043 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
10044 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10045 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
10046 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10047 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10048 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10049 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10050 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10051 the cross reference mechanism.
10053 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10054 @cindex overview.fmt
10055 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10056 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10057 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10058 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10059 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10060 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10063 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10064 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10065 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10070 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10073 @node Duplicate Suppression
10074 @section Duplicate Suppression
10076 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10077 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10078 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10079 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10084 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10085 is evil and not very common.
10088 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10089 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10092 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10093 different @sc{nntp} servers.
10096 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10099 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10100 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10102 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10103 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10104 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10105 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10106 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10107 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10108 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10111 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10112 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10113 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10114 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10115 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10116 saw the article in.
10119 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10120 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10121 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10123 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10124 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10125 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10126 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10127 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
10128 session are suppressed.
10130 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10131 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10132 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10133 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10135 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10136 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10137 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10138 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10141 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
10142 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10143 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10144 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10145 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
10146 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10147 to you to figure out, I think.
10152 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10153 The formats that are supported are PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} and @sc{s/mime},
10154 however you need some external programs to get things to work:
10158 To handle PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or gpg.el as
10159 well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG).
10162 To handle @sc{s/mime} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10163 or newer is recommended.
10167 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10168 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10171 @item mm-verify-option
10172 @vindex mm-verify-option
10173 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10174 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10175 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10177 @item mm-decrypt-option
10178 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10179 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10180 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10181 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10186 @section Mailing List
10188 @kindex A M (summary)
10189 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10190 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10191 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10192 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10193 summary buffer, or say:
10196 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
10199 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10204 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10205 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10206 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10209 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10210 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10211 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10214 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10215 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10216 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10220 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10221 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10222 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10225 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10226 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10227 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10230 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10231 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10232 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10236 @node Article Buffer
10237 @chapter Article Buffer
10238 @cindex article buffer
10240 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10241 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10242 tell gnus otherwise.
10245 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10246 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
10247 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10248 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10249 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10253 @node Hiding Headers
10254 @section Hiding Headers
10255 @cindex hiding headers
10256 @cindex deleting headers
10258 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10259 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10261 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10262 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10263 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10264 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10265 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10266 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10267 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
10268 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10269 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10271 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10275 @item gnus-visible-headers
10276 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10277 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10278 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10279 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10281 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10282 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10285 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10288 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10291 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10292 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10293 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10294 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10295 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10296 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10298 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
10299 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
10302 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10305 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10308 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10309 variable will have no effect.
10313 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10314 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10315 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10316 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10317 the headers are to be displayed.
10319 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10320 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10323 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10326 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10327 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10329 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10330 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10331 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10332 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10333 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10334 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10335 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10338 These conditions are:
10341 Remove all empty headers.
10343 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10344 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10346 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10347 @code{From} header.
10349 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10352 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10353 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10355 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10358 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10360 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10363 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10366 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10367 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10370 This is also the default value for this variable.
10374 @section Using MIME
10377 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10378 while people stand around yawning.
10380 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10381 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10383 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10384 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10385 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10387 @vindex gnus-show-mime
10388 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
10389 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
10390 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
10391 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
10392 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
10393 calls the @sc{semi} MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
10394 information on @sc{semi} MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is
10395 not existed yet, sorry).
10397 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
10398 @sc{mime} all the time. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime} set, then
10399 you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article buffer.
10400 These can't be avoided.
10402 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
10403 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
10404 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
10405 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
10406 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
10407 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
10408 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
10409 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
10410 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
10413 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10415 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
10416 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
10417 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
10418 buffer when there are nobody else.
10420 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10423 @node Customizing Articles
10424 @section Customizing Articles
10425 @cindex article customization
10427 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10428 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10429 called automatically when you select the articles.
10431 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10432 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10433 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10434 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10436 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10437 for sensible values.
10441 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10444 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10447 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10450 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10453 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10457 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10458 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10459 regexps in the list.
10462 A list where the first element is not a string:
10464 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10465 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10466 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10470 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10474 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
10479 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10480 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10481 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10482 considered to contain just a single part.
10484 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10485 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10486 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10487 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10488 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10489 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10490 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10492 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10493 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10494 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10495 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10498 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10499 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10501 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10503 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10504 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10505 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10506 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10507 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10508 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10509 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10510 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10511 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10512 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10513 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset (t, integer)
10515 @xref{Article Washing}.
10517 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10518 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10519 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10520 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10521 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10522 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10523 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10525 @xref{Article Date}.
10527 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10528 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10529 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10533 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10535 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10537 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10538 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10539 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10543 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10547 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10548 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10549 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10550 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10551 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10552 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10553 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10554 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10556 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10558 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10559 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10560 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10562 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10564 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10565 @item gnus-treat-translate
10566 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10568 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10569 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10570 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10571 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
10573 @xref{Article Header}.
10578 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10579 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10580 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10581 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10582 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10586 @node Article Keymap
10587 @section Article Keymap
10589 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10590 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10591 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10592 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10595 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10600 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10601 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10602 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10605 @kindex DEL (Article)
10606 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10607 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10610 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10611 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10612 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10613 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10614 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10617 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10618 @findex gnus-article-mail
10619 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10620 given a prefix, include the mail.
10623 @kindex s (Article)
10624 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10625 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10626 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10629 @kindex ? (Article)
10630 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10631 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10632 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10635 @kindex TAB (Article)
10636 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10637 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10638 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10641 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10642 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10643 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10646 @kindex R (Article)
10647 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
10648 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
10649 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
10650 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10654 @kindex F (Article)
10655 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
10656 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
10657 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
10658 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10666 @section Misc Article
10670 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10671 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10672 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10673 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10676 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10677 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10679 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10680 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10682 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10683 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10684 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10685 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10686 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10687 the contents of the article buffer.
10689 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10690 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10691 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10693 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10694 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10695 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10696 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10698 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10699 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10700 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10701 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10702 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10708 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10709 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10710 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10715 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10718 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10721 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10722 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10723 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10726 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10729 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10732 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10737 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10741 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10743 @item gnus-break-pages
10744 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10745 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10746 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10747 paging will not be done.
10749 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10750 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10751 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10756 @node Composing Messages
10757 @chapter Composing Messages
10758 @cindex composing messages
10761 @cindex sending mail
10766 @cindex using s/mime
10767 @cindex using smime
10769 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10770 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10771 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10772 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
10773 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10774 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10777 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10778 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
10779 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10780 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10781 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10782 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10783 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10784 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
10787 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10788 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10794 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10797 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10798 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10799 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10800 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
10801 @code{nil} include all headers.
10803 @item gnus-add-to-list
10804 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10805 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10806 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10808 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
10809 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
10810 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus requests confirmation when replying to news.
10811 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
10812 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
10817 @node Posting Server
10818 @section Posting Server
10820 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10821 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10823 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10825 It can be quite complicated.
10827 @vindex gnus-post-method
10828 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
10829 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
10830 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
10831 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
10832 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
10833 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
10834 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
10835 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
10836 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10839 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10842 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10843 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10844 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10845 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10847 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10848 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10850 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10851 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10854 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10855 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
10857 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
10858 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
10859 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
10860 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
10861 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @sc{smtp}
10862 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
10863 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
10864 package correctly. An example:
10867 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
10868 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
10871 To the thing similar to this, there is @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}.
10872 It is useful if your ISP requires the POP-before-SMTP authentication.
10873 See the documentation for the function @code{mail-source-touch-pop}.
10875 Other possible choises for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
10876 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
10877 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
10879 @node Mail and Post
10880 @section Mail and Post
10882 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10886 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10887 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10888 @cindex mailing lists
10890 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10891 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10892 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10893 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10894 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10895 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10896 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10897 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10898 still a pain, though.
10902 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10903 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10904 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10907 @findex ispell-message
10909 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10912 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10913 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10916 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10920 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10921 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10923 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10926 Modify to suit your needs.
10929 @node Archived Messages
10930 @section Archived Messages
10931 @cindex archived messages
10932 @cindex sent messages
10934 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10935 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10936 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10937 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10940 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
10941 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
10944 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10945 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
10946 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10949 (nnfolder "archive"
10950 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
10951 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
10952 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
10953 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
10956 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
10957 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
10958 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
10959 directory chosen, you could say something like:
10962 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
10963 '(nnfolder "archive"
10964 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
10965 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
10966 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
10969 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
10971 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
10972 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
10973 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
10975 This variable can be used to do the following:
10980 Messages will be saved in that group.
10982 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
10983 message will not be stored in the select method given by
10984 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
10985 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
10986 has the default value shown above. Then setting
10987 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
10988 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
10989 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
10993 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
10995 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
10996 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
10999 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11004 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11006 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11009 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11011 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11014 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11016 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11017 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11018 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11019 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11022 More complex stuff:
11024 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11025 '((if (message-news-p)
11030 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11031 messages in one file per month:
11034 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11035 '((if (message-news-p)
11037 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11040 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11041 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11043 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11044 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11045 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11046 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11047 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11048 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11049 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11050 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11051 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11052 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11054 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11055 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11056 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11057 this will disable archiving.
11060 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11061 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11062 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11063 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11064 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11067 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11068 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11069 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11072 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11073 but the latter is the preferred method.
11075 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11076 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11077 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11079 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11080 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11081 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11082 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11083 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11084 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11085 changed in the future.
11090 @node Posting Styles
11091 @section Posting Styles
11092 @cindex posting styles
11095 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11097 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11098 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11099 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11102 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11103 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11104 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11105 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11106 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11111 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11112 (organization "What me?"))
11114 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11115 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11116 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11119 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11120 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11121 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11122 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11123 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11124 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11125 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11126 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11128 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11129 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11130 If it is the form @code{(header MATCH REGEXP)}, then Gnus will look in
11131 the original article for a header whose name is MATCH and compare that
11132 REGEXP. MATCH and REGEXP are strings. (There original article is the
11133 one you are replying or following up to. If you are not composing a
11134 reply or a followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11135 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with no
11136 arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11137 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11138 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
11141 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11142 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11143 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
11144 @code{x-face-file}, @code{address} (overriding
11145 @code{user-mail-address}), @code{name} (overriding
11146 @code{(user-full-name)}) or @code{body}. The attribute name can also
11147 be a string or a symbol. In that case, this will be used as a header
11148 name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article; if
11149 the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed. If the
11150 attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the result
11153 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11154 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11155 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11156 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11157 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11158 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11159 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11160 references chars lines xref extra.
11162 @vindex message-reply-headers
11164 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11165 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11166 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11168 @findex message-mail-p
11169 @findex message-news-p
11171 So here's a new example:
11174 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11176 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11178 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11179 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11181 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11182 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; A form
11183 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11184 (message-news-p ;; A function symbol
11185 (signature my-news-signature))
11186 (window-system ;; A value symbol
11187 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11188 ;; If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.
11189 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11190 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11191 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; A user defined function
11192 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11193 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11194 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11195 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11197 (From (save-excursion
11198 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11199 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11201 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11204 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11205 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11206 if you fill many roles.
11208 Setting the @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} variable will make
11209 posting-styles allow to have distinctive names. You can specify an
11210 arbitrary posting-style when article posting with @kbd{S P} in the
11211 summary buffer. @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} is an alist which maps
11212 the names to styles. Once a posting-style is added to the alist, we can
11213 import it from @code{gnus-posting-styles}. If an attribute whose name
11214 is @code{import} is found, Gnus will look for the attribute value in
11215 @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} and expand it in place.
11220 (setq gnus-named-posting-styles
11222 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11224 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11225 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11228 (organization "The Church of Emacs"))))
11231 The posting-style named "Emacs" will inherit all the attributes from
11232 "Default" except @code{organization}.
11239 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11240 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11241 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11242 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11243 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11245 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11246 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11247 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11248 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11249 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11253 @vindex nndraft-directory
11254 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11255 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11256 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11257 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11258 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11259 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11261 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11262 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11265 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11266 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11267 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11268 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11269 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11270 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11271 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11272 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11273 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11274 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11275 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11276 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11277 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11278 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11280 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11281 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11282 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11284 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11285 @kindex D e (Draft)
11286 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11287 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11288 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11290 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11293 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11294 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11295 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11296 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11297 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11298 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11299 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11302 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11303 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11304 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11307 @node Rejected Articles
11308 @section Rejected Articles
11309 @cindex rejected articles
11311 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11312 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11313 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11314 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11316 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
11317 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11318 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11319 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
11320 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11322 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11323 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11324 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11326 @node Signing and encrypting
11327 @section Signing and encrypting
11329 @cindex using s/mime
11330 @cindex using smime
11332 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla PGP
11333 format or @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}. For decoding such messages,
11334 see the @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} options
11335 (@pxref{Security}).
11337 For PGP, Gnus supports two external libraries, @sc{gpg.el} and
11338 @sc{Mailcrypt}, you need to install at least one of them. The
11339 @sc{s/mime} support in Gnus requires the external program OpenSSL.
11341 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11342 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11343 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11344 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11345 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11346 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11347 automatically encrypted messages.
11349 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @sc{mime} part is
11350 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
11351 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11356 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11357 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
11359 Digitally sign current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11362 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11363 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11365 Digitally sign current message using PGP.
11368 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11369 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11371 Digitally sign current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11374 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11375 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
11377 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11380 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11381 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
11383 Digitally encrypt current message using PGP.
11386 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11387 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
11389 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11392 @kindex C-c C-m C-n
11393 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11394 Remove security related MML tags from message.
11398 Also @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}.
11400 @node Select Methods
11401 @chapter Select Methods
11402 @cindex foreign groups
11403 @cindex select methods
11405 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11406 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11407 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11408 personal mail group.
11410 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11411 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11412 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11413 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11414 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11415 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11417 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11418 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11420 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11423 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11424 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11425 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11426 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11427 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11429 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11432 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11433 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11434 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11435 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11436 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11437 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11438 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11439 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11443 @node Server Buffer
11444 @section Server Buffer
11446 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11447 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11448 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11449 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11450 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11451 back end represents a virtual server.
11453 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11454 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11455 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11456 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11458 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11459 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11460 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11461 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11462 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11463 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11464 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11466 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11467 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11470 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11471 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11472 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11473 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11474 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11475 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11476 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11479 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11480 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11483 @node Server Buffer Format
11484 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11485 @cindex server buffer format
11487 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11488 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11489 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11490 variable, with some simple extensions:
11495 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11498 The name of this server.
11501 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11504 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11507 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11508 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11509 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11510 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11520 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11523 @node Server Commands
11524 @subsection Server Commands
11525 @cindex server commands
11531 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11532 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11536 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11537 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11540 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11541 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11542 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11546 @findex gnus-server-exit
11547 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11551 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11552 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11556 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11557 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11561 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11562 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11566 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11567 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11571 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11572 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11573 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11578 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11579 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11580 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11581 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11586 @node Example Methods
11587 @subsection Example Methods
11589 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11592 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11595 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11601 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11602 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11605 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11606 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11608 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11609 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11613 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11616 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11617 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11619 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11620 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11621 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11625 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11628 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11631 Here's the method for a public spool:
11635 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11636 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11642 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11643 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11644 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11645 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11646 should probably look something like this:
11650 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11651 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11652 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11653 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11656 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11657 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11658 configuration to the example above:
11661 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11664 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
11666 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11667 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11668 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11672 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11673 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11674 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11675 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11678 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11679 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11680 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11681 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11684 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11685 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11687 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11688 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11690 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11691 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11692 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11694 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11696 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11697 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11698 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11699 will contain the following:
11709 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11710 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11711 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11714 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11715 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11716 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11719 @node Server Variables
11720 @subsection Server Variables
11722 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11723 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11724 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11725 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11726 won't change the "derived" variables.
11728 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11729 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11730 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11731 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11732 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11733 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11734 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11735 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11736 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11740 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11741 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11742 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11746 @node Servers and Methods
11747 @subsection Servers and Methods
11749 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11750 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11751 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11752 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11756 @node Unavailable Servers
11757 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11759 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11760 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11761 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11762 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11763 actually the case or not.
11765 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11766 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11767 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11768 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11769 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11770 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11771 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11772 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11774 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11775 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11777 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11778 with the following commands:
11784 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11785 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11786 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11790 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11791 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11792 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11796 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11797 Mark the current server as unreachable
11798 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11801 @kindex M-o (Server)
11802 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11803 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11804 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11807 @kindex M-c (Server)
11808 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11809 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11810 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11814 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11815 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11816 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11820 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
11821 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
11827 @section Getting News
11828 @cindex reading news
11829 @cindex news back ends
11831 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11832 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11833 or it can read from a local spool.
11836 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11837 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11845 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11846 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11847 server as the, uhm, address.
11849 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11850 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11851 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11852 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11854 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11855 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11856 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11858 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11863 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11864 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11865 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11867 @cindex authentification
11868 @cindex nntp authentification
11869 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11870 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11871 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11872 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11873 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11874 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11875 present in this hook.
11877 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11878 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11879 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11880 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11881 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11882 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11883 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11884 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11885 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11886 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11887 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11888 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11892 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11895 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11897 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11898 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11899 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11900 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11901 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11902 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11903 @samp{force} is explained below.
11907 Here's an example file:
11910 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11911 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11914 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11915 have to be first, for instance.
11917 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
11918 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
11919 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
11920 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
11921 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
11922 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
11923 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
11925 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
11926 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
11932 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
11933 previously mentioned.
11935 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11937 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11938 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11939 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11940 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11941 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
11944 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
11945 '(("innd" (ding))))
11948 You probably don't want to do that, though.
11950 The default value is
11953 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
11954 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
11955 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
11958 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
11959 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
11961 @item nntp-maximum-request
11962 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
11963 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
11964 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
11965 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
11966 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
11967 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
11968 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
11970 @item nntp-connection-timeout
11971 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
11972 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
11973 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
11974 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
11975 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
11976 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
11977 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
11978 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
11979 no timeouts are done.
11981 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
11982 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
11983 @c @cindex PPP connections
11984 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
11985 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
11986 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
11987 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
11988 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
11989 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
11990 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
11991 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
11992 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
11993 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
11995 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
11996 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
11997 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
11998 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
11999 @c described above.
12001 @item nntp-server-hook
12002 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12003 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
12006 @item nntp-buggy-select
12007 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12008 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12010 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12011 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12012 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
12013 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
12016 @item nntp-xover-commands
12017 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12020 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
12021 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12025 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12026 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
12027 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12028 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12029 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
12030 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12031 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12032 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12033 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12034 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12035 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12037 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12038 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12039 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
12041 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12042 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12043 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12044 server closes connection.
12046 @item nntp-record-commands
12047 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12048 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12049 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12050 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
12051 that doesn't seem to work.
12053 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12054 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12055 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12056 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12057 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12058 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12059 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12060 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12062 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12063 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12064 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12065 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12066 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12067 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12068 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12071 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12074 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12075 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12077 @item nntp-list-options
12078 @vindex nntp-list-options
12079 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
12080 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
12081 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
12082 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
12083 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
12087 (setq gnus-select-method
12088 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12089 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
12092 @item nntp-options-subscribe
12093 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
12094 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
12095 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12096 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12097 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12098 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12101 (setq gnus-select-method
12102 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12103 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
12106 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
12107 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
12108 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
12109 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12110 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12111 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12112 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12115 (setq gnus-select-method
12116 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12117 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
12122 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12123 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12124 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12128 @node Direct Functions
12129 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12130 @cindex direct connection functions
12132 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12133 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
12134 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12135 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12138 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12139 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12140 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12143 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12144 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12145 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12146 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
12147 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
12148 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
12149 define a server as follows:
12152 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
12154 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
12155 ;; however, openssl s_client -port doesn't like named ports
12157 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12158 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12159 (nntp-port-number 563)
12160 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12163 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12164 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12165 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12166 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12167 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12168 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12169 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12170 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12174 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12175 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12176 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12179 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12180 session, which is not a good idea.
12184 @node Indirect Functions
12185 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12186 @cindex indirect connection functions
12188 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12189 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
12190 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12191 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
12192 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12193 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12196 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12197 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12198 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12199 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12200 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12202 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12205 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12206 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12207 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12208 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12210 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12211 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12212 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12213 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12214 @samp{ssh} for `nntp-via-rlogin-command', you may set this to
12215 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12216 this to @samp{("-t")} or @samp{("-C" "-t")} if the telnet command
12217 requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate host.
12220 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12221 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12222 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12223 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12225 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12228 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12229 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12230 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12233 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12234 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12235 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12236 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12238 @item nntp-via-user-password
12239 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12240 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12242 @item nntp-via-envuser
12243 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12244 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12245 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12246 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12248 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12249 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12250 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12251 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12258 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12263 @item nntp-via-user-name
12264 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12265 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12267 @item nntp-via-address
12268 @vindex nntp-via-address
12269 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12274 @node Common Variables
12275 @subsubsection Common Variables
12277 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12278 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12283 @item nntp-pre-command
12284 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12285 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
12286 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
12287 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
12288 wrapper for instance.
12291 @vindex nntp-address
12292 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
12294 @item nntp-port-number
12295 @vindex nntp-port-number
12296 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
12297 If you use @sc{nntp} over @sc{ssl}, you may want to use integer ports rather
12298 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews}), because
12299 external SSL tools may not work with named ports.
12301 @item nntp-end-of-line
12302 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12303 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
12304 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12305 using a non native connection function.
12307 @item nntp-telnet-command
12308 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12309 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
12310 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
12311 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
12313 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12314 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12315 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12322 @subsection News Spool
12326 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12327 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12328 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12331 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12332 anything else) as the address.
12334 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12335 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12336 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12337 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12341 @item nnspool-inews-program
12342 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12343 Program used to post an article.
12345 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12346 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12347 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12349 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12350 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12351 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12352 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12354 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12355 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12356 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
12357 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12359 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12360 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12361 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12363 @item nnspool-active-file
12364 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12365 The path to the active file.
12367 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12368 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12369 The path to the group descriptions file.
12371 @item nnspool-history-file
12372 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12373 The path to the news history file.
12375 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12376 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12377 The path to the active date file.
12379 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12380 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12381 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
12384 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12385 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12387 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12388 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
12389 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
12395 @section Getting Mail
12396 @cindex reading mail
12399 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12403 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12404 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12405 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12406 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12407 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12408 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12409 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12410 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12411 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12412 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12413 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12414 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12415 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12419 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12420 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12422 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12423 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12424 of a culture shock.
12426 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12427 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12429 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12430 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12431 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12432 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12434 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12436 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12437 deleted? How awful!
12439 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12440 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12441 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12442 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12445 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12446 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12447 they want to treat a message.
12449 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12450 via @sc{smtp}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12451 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12452 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12453 archived somewhere else.
12455 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12456 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12457 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12458 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12459 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12461 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12462 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12463 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12465 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12466 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12469 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12470 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12471 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12472 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12473 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12475 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12476 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12477 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12478 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12479 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12480 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12484 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12485 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12487 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12488 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12489 and things will happen automatically.
12491 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
12492 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
12495 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12498 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12499 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12500 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12501 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12502 like any other group.
12504 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12507 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12508 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12509 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12513 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12514 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12515 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12518 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12519 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12520 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12523 @node Splitting Mail
12524 @subsection Splitting Mail
12525 @cindex splitting mail
12526 @cindex mail splitting
12528 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12529 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12530 to be split into groups.
12533 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12534 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12535 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12536 ("mail.other" "")))
12539 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12540 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12541 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12542 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12543 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12544 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12545 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12548 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12551 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12552 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12553 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12554 mail belongs in that group.
12556 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12557 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
12558 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12559 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12560 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
12561 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
12563 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12564 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12565 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12566 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12567 thinks should carry this mail message.
12569 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12570 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12571 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12572 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12574 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12575 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12576 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12577 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12578 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
12580 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12583 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12584 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12585 links. If that's the case for you, set
12586 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12587 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12589 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12590 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12591 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12592 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12593 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12594 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12597 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
12598 Header lines longer than the value of
12599 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
12602 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
12603 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
12604 By default the splitting codes MIME decodes headers so you can match
12605 on non-ASCII strings. The @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
12606 variable specifies the default charset for decoding. The behaviour
12607 can be turned off completely by binding
12608 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to nil, which is useful if you
12609 want to match articles based on the raw header data.
12611 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12612 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If
12613 you specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable
12614 @code{mail-sources} @pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}, however, then
12615 splitting does @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
12616 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-nil value to make splitting
12617 happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on other kinds
12620 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12621 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12622 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12623 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12624 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12625 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12626 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12627 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12628 month's rent money.
12632 @subsection Mail Sources
12634 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12635 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12639 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12640 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12641 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12645 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12646 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12648 @cindex mail server
12651 @cindex mail source
12653 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12654 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12659 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12662 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12663 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12664 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12667 The following mail source types are available:
12671 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12677 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12678 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
12679 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
12682 An example file mail source:
12685 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12688 Or using the default path:
12694 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12695 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12696 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12699 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12703 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12706 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12710 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12713 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12715 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12718 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12722 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
12723 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
12724 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. That is,
12725 there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that directory and
12726 groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in
12727 the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12728 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12729 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus to
12730 scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you want
12731 to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12733 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12734 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
12735 that to a non-nil value, then the normal splitting process is applied
12736 to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
12742 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12746 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12750 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12751 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12752 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12753 predicate are considered.
12757 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12761 An example directory mail source:
12764 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12769 Get mail from a POP server.
12775 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12776 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12779 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12780 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12781 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12782 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12783 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12786 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12790 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12794 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12795 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12798 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12801 The valid format specifier characters are:
12805 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12806 included in this string.
12809 The name of the server.
12812 The port number of the server.
12815 The user name to use.
12818 The password to use.
12821 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12822 corresponding keywords.
12825 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12826 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12829 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12830 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12833 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12834 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12837 @item :authentication
12838 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12839 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12843 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this can be the symbol
12844 @code{ssl}, the symbol @code{tls} or others. The default is @code{nil}
12845 and use insecure connections. Note that for SSL/TLS, you need external
12846 programs and libraries:
12850 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL@. Requires OpenSSL (the program
12851 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
12852 library @samp{ssl.el}.
12854 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to SSL)@.
12855 Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
12860 Non-@code{nil} if mail is to be left on the server and UIDL used for
12861 message retrieval. The default is @code{nil}.
12865 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12866 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12868 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12869 default user name, and default fetcher:
12875 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12878 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12879 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12882 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12885 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12889 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12890 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12891 contains exactly one mail.
12897 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12898 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12901 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12902 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12904 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12905 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12906 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12909 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12910 from locking problems).
12914 Two example maildir mail sources:
12917 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12918 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12922 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12927 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12928 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12929 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12930 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12933 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
12934 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
12940 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12941 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12944 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12945 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
12948 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12952 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12956 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12957 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12958 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
12959 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
12961 @item :authentication
12962 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
12963 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
12964 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
12965 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
12968 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
12969 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
12970 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
12976 The valid format specifier characters are:
12980 The name of the server.
12983 User name from `imap-default-user'.
12986 The port number of the server.
12989 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12990 corresponding keywords.
12993 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
12994 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
12997 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
12998 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
12999 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
13000 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13001 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13002 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13005 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13006 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13007 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13008 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13011 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
13012 after finishing the fetch.
13016 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
13019 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13021 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13025 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{www.hotmail.com},
13026 @uref{webmail.netscape.com}, @uref{www.netaddress.com},
13027 @uref{mail.yahoo..com}.
13029 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13030 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13032 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13038 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13039 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13042 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13046 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13050 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
13051 folder after finishing the fetch.
13055 An example webmail source:
13058 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13060 :password "secret")
13065 @item Common Keywords
13066 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13072 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
13073 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
13077 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13082 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13083 useful when you use local mail and news.
13088 @subsubsection Function Interface
13090 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13091 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13092 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13093 consider the following mail-source setting:
13096 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13097 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13100 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13101 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13102 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13103 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13104 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13106 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13109 @node Mail Source Customization
13110 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13112 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13113 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13117 @item mail-source-crash-box
13118 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13119 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
13120 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13122 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13123 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13124 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
13126 @item mail-source-directory
13127 @vindex mail-source-directory
13128 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
13129 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
13130 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
13133 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13134 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13135 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13136 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13137 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13138 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13140 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13141 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13142 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13144 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13145 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13146 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
13147 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13152 @node Fetching Mail
13153 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13155 @vindex mail-sources
13156 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13157 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13158 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13159 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13161 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13162 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13165 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
13166 mail server, you'd say something like:
13171 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13172 :password "secret")))
13175 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13179 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13180 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13183 :password "secret")))
13187 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13188 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13189 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13190 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13191 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13192 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13196 @node Mail Back End Variables
13197 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13199 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13203 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13204 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13205 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13206 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13208 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13209 @item nnmail-split-hook
13210 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
13211 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
13212 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
13213 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13214 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13215 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13216 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13217 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13218 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13221 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13222 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13223 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13224 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13225 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13226 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13227 starting to handle the new mail) and
13228 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13229 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13230 default file modes the new mail files get:
13233 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13234 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13236 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13237 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13240 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13241 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13242 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13243 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13244 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13245 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13246 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13248 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13249 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13250 @findex delete-file
13251 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13253 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13254 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13255 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13256 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13257 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13259 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13260 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13261 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13262 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13263 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
13265 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
13266 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
13267 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
13272 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13273 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13274 @cindex mail splitting
13275 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13277 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13278 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13279 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13280 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13281 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13282 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13284 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13287 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
13288 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
13289 ;; from real errors.
13290 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13292 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
13293 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
13294 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
13295 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13296 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13297 ;; Other mailing lists...
13298 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13299 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13300 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
13301 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
13302 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
13303 ;; message was really cross-posted.
13304 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13305 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13307 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13308 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
13312 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
13313 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
13314 the five possible split syntaxes:
13319 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
13320 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
13324 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
13325 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
13326 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
13327 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
13328 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
13329 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
13330 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
13331 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13334 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13335 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
13336 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
13337 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
13340 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13341 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
13344 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
13345 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
13348 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
13349 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
13350 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
13351 function should return a @var{split}.
13354 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13355 body of the messages:
13358 (defun split-on-body ()
13360 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
13361 (goto-char (point-min))
13362 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13366 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
13367 when the @code{:} function is run.
13370 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13371 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
13372 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
13376 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13380 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13381 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13382 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13383 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13384 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13386 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13387 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
13388 are expanded as specified by the variable
13389 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
13390 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
13393 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13394 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13395 when all this splitting is performed.
13397 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13398 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13399 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13402 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13405 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13406 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13408 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13409 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13410 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13411 groupings 1 through 9.
13413 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13414 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13415 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13416 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13417 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13418 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13419 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13420 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13421 it once per thread.
13423 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
13424 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
13425 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
13428 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; or 'delete
13429 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
13431 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13432 ;; other splits go here
13436 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13437 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
13438 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
13439 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
13440 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
13441 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
13442 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
13443 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
13444 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
13445 unless the group name matches the regexp
13446 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
13447 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
13448 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
13449 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
13450 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13451 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13452 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13453 messages goes into the new group.
13455 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
13456 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
13457 outgoing messages are written to an `outgoing' group, you could set
13458 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
13459 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
13463 @node Group Mail Splitting
13464 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13465 @cindex mail splitting
13466 @cindex group mail splitting
13468 @findex gnus-group-split
13469 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13470 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13471 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13472 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13473 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13474 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13475 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13476 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13478 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13479 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13480 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13481 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13483 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13484 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13485 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
13486 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
13487 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
13488 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
13489 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
13491 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
13492 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
13493 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
13494 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
13495 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
13496 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
13497 @code{gnus-group-split}.
13499 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
13500 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
13501 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
13502 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
13503 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
13504 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
13505 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
13506 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
13507 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
13508 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
13509 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
13510 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
13511 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
13513 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13518 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13519 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13521 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13522 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13523 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13524 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13526 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13529 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13530 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13531 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13534 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13535 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13536 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13540 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13541 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13542 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13546 (: gnus-group-split-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13549 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13550 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13551 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13552 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13553 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13554 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13555 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13556 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13557 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13559 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13560 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13561 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13562 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13563 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13564 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13565 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13566 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13567 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13569 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13570 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13571 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13572 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13573 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13574 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
13577 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13580 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13581 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13582 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13583 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13584 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13587 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13588 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13589 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13590 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13592 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13593 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13594 @cindex incorporating old mail
13595 @cindex import old mail
13597 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13598 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13599 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13602 Doing so can be quite easy.
13604 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13605 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13606 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13607 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13608 your @code{nnml} groups.
13614 Go to the group buffer.
13617 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13618 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13621 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
13624 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13625 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13628 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13629 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13632 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13633 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13634 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13635 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13636 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13638 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13639 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13640 using the new mail back end.
13643 @node Expiring Mail
13644 @subsection Expiring Mail
13645 @cindex article expiry
13647 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13648 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13649 different approach to mail reading.
13651 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13652 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13653 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13654 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13655 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13656 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13659 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13660 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default keybindings, this means
13661 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
13662 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13663 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13664 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13665 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13666 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13667 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13669 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
13670 two features, called `auto-expire' and `total-expire', that can help you
13671 with this. In a nutshell, `auto-expire' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
13672 for you when you select an article. And `total-expire' means that Gnus
13673 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
13674 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
13675 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
13678 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
13679 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
13680 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
13681 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
13682 into its own group.)
13684 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
13685 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
13686 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
13687 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
13688 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
13689 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
13690 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring @pxref{Adaptive
13691 Scoring}. Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
13694 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13695 Groups that match the regular expression
13696 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
13697 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
13698 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
13700 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13701 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13702 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13703 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13706 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13708 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13709 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13710 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13713 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13714 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13715 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13716 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13717 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13719 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13720 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13723 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13724 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13727 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13728 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13730 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13731 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13732 don't really mix very well.
13734 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13735 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13736 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13737 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13740 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13741 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13742 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13743 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13746 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13748 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13750 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13752 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13754 ((string= group "important")
13760 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13761 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13763 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13764 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13765 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13768 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13769 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13771 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13772 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13773 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
13774 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
13775 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
13776 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
13777 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
13778 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
13779 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
13780 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
13781 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
13782 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
13783 name or @code{delete}.
13785 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13787 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13790 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13791 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13792 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
13793 expire mail to groups according to the variable
13794 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
13797 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13798 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13799 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
13800 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
13801 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
13804 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
13805 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
13806 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
13807 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
13808 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
13809 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
13811 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
13812 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
13813 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
13814 easier for procmail users.
13816 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
13817 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
13818 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
13819 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
13820 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
13821 caution. Even more dangerous is the
13822 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
13823 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
13824 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
13825 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
13826 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
13827 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
13828 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
13831 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
13833 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
13834 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
13835 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
13836 auto-expire turned on.
13840 @subsection Washing Mail
13841 @cindex mail washing
13842 @cindex list server brain damage
13843 @cindex incoming mail treatment
13845 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
13846 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
13847 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
13848 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
13849 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
13850 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
13852 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
13853 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
13854 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
13857 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
13858 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
13859 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
13860 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
13863 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13864 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13865 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
13866 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
13867 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
13870 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13871 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13872 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
13873 Emacs running on MS machines.
13877 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13878 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13879 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
13880 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13883 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13884 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13885 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13886 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13888 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
13889 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
13890 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
13891 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
13892 into a feature by documenting it.)
13894 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13895 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13896 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13897 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13898 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13899 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13900 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13903 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13904 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13907 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13908 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13911 This can also be done non-destructively with
13912 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13914 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13915 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13916 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13918 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13919 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13921 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13922 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13923 @code{References} headers.
13927 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13928 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13929 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13933 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13934 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13935 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13942 @subsection Duplicates
13944 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13945 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13946 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13947 @cindex duplicate mails
13948 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
13949 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
13950 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
13951 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
13952 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
13953 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
13954 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
13955 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
13956 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
13957 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
13958 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
13959 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
13960 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
13962 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
13963 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
13964 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
13965 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
13967 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
13970 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
13971 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
13975 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13976 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
13977 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
13978 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
13979 (any mail "mail.misc")
13986 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13987 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
13992 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
13993 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
13994 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
13995 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
13996 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
13999 @node Not Reading Mail
14000 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14002 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14003 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14004 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14006 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14007 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14008 mail, which should help.
14010 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14011 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14012 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14013 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14014 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14015 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14016 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
14017 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14018 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14019 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14020 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14022 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14023 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14027 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14028 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14030 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14031 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14032 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14034 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14035 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14036 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14037 Spool}). You might notice that only five back ends are listed below;
14038 @code{nnmaildir}'s documentation has not yet been completely
14039 incorporated into this manual. Until it is, you can find it at
14040 @uref{http://multivac.cwru.edu./nnmaildir/}.
14043 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14044 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
14045 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14046 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14047 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14048 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14052 @node Unix Mail Box
14053 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14055 @cindex unix mail box
14057 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14058 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14059 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14060 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14061 which group it belongs in.
14063 Virtual server settings:
14066 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14067 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14068 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14071 @item nnmbox-active-file
14072 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14073 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14074 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14076 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14077 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14078 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14079 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14084 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14088 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14089 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14090 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
14091 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14092 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14094 Virtual server settings:
14097 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14098 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14099 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14101 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14102 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14103 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14104 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14106 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14107 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14108 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14114 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14116 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
14118 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14119 format. It should be used with some caution.
14121 @vindex nnml-directory
14122 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14123 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14124 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14125 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14127 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14130 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14131 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14132 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14133 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14134 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14135 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
14136 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
14137 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
14139 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
14140 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
14141 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
14142 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
14144 @cindex self contained nnml servers
14146 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
14147 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14148 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14149 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
14150 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
14151 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
14152 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
14153 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
14156 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
14157 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
14158 them next time it starts.
14160 Virtual server settings:
14163 @item nnml-directory
14164 @vindex nnml-directory
14165 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
14166 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
14169 @item nnml-active-file
14170 @vindex nnml-active-file
14171 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
14172 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
14174 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
14175 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
14176 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14177 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
14179 @item nnml-get-new-mail
14180 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14181 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
14184 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
14185 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
14186 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14187 default is @code{nil}.
14189 @item nnml-nov-file-name
14190 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
14191 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
14193 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14194 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14195 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
14197 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
14198 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
14199 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14200 default is @code{nil}.
14202 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14203 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14204 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14206 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
14207 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
14208 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14213 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14214 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
14215 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14216 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14217 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14218 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14219 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14224 @subsubsection MH Spool
14226 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14228 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14229 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
14230 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
14231 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
14233 Virtual server settings:
14236 @item nnmh-directory
14237 @vindex nnmh-directory
14238 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
14239 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14242 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
14243 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14244 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
14248 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
14249 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
14250 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
14251 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
14252 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
14253 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
14254 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
14259 @subsubsection Mail Folders
14261 @cindex mbox folders
14262 @cindex mail folders
14264 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
14265 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
14266 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
14269 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
14271 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
14272 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14273 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14274 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
14275 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
14276 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
14277 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
14278 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
14279 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
14280 @code{nnfolder} directory).
14282 Virtual server settings:
14285 @item nnfolder-directory
14286 @vindex nnfolder-directory
14287 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
14288 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14291 @item nnfolder-active-file
14292 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
14293 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
14295 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14296 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14297 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14298 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
14300 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
14301 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14302 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
14305 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14306 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14307 @cindex backup files
14308 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
14309 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
14310 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
14311 your @file{.emacs} file:
14314 (defun turn-off-backup ()
14315 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
14317 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
14320 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14321 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14322 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
14323 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
14324 extract some information from it before removing it.
14326 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14327 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14328 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14329 default is @code{nil}.
14331 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14332 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14333 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
14335 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
14336 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
14337 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
14338 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14340 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14341 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14342 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14343 default is @code{nil}.
14345 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14346 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14347 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
14349 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
14350 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
14351 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
14352 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14357 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
14358 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
14359 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
14360 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
14361 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
14362 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
14365 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
14366 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
14368 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
14369 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
14370 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
14371 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
14372 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
14374 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
14375 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
14376 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
14377 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
14378 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
14379 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
14380 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
14381 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
14384 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
14385 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
14386 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
14387 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
14392 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
14393 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
14394 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
14395 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
14396 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
14397 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
14398 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
14399 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
14400 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
14401 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
14402 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
14403 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
14404 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
14409 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
14410 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
14411 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
14412 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
14413 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
14414 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
14415 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
14416 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
14417 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
14418 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
14419 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
14420 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
14421 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
14422 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
14424 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
14425 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
14430 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
14431 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
14432 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
14433 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
14434 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
14435 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
14436 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
14437 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
14438 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
14439 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
14440 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
14441 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
14442 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
14443 provided by the active file and overviews.
14445 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
14446 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
14447 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
14448 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
14449 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
14452 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
14453 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
14458 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
14459 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
14460 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
14461 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
14462 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
14463 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
14464 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
14468 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
14469 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
14470 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
14471 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
14472 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
14473 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
14474 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
14475 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
14476 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
14478 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
14479 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
14480 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
14481 friendly mail back end all over.
14485 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
14486 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
14487 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
14488 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
14489 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
14490 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
14491 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to ReiserFS
14492 (@uref{http://www.namesys.com/}) or another non-block-structured
14495 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
14496 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
14497 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
14498 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
14499 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
14500 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
14501 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
14502 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
14503 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
14504 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will undergo
14505 treatment such as duplicate checking.
14507 An article will not necessarily keep the same number across Gnus
14508 sessions; articles are renumbered starting from 1 for each Gnus session
14509 (more precisely, each time you open the @code{nnmaildir} server). This
14510 way, you don't get gaps in your article number ranges, and when entering
14511 large groups, Gnus is likely to give a more accurate article count. The
14512 price is that @code{nnmaildir} doesn't work with the cache or agent.
14513 This will probably be changed in the future.
14515 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
14516 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
14517 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
14518 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
14519 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
14522 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses group
14523 parameters slightly different from those of other mail back ends.
14525 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
14526 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
14527 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
14528 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
14529 parameter to somthing small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
14530 would) to make it use less memory.
14532 Startup and shutdown are likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than
14533 with other back ends. Everything in between is likely to be faster,
14534 depending in part on your filesystem.
14536 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
14537 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
14542 @node Browsing the Web
14543 @section Browsing the Web
14545 @cindex browsing the web
14549 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
14550 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
14551 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
14552 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
14553 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
14554 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
14555 even know what a news group is.
14557 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
14558 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
14559 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
14560 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
14561 you mad in the end.
14563 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
14566 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
14567 interfaces to these sources.
14571 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
14572 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
14573 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
14574 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
14575 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
14576 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
14579 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
14581 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
14582 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
14583 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
14584 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
14585 though, you should be ok.
14587 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
14588 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
14589 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
14590 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
14591 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
14593 @node Archiving Mail
14594 @subsection Archiving Mail
14595 @cindex archiving mail
14596 @cindex backup of mail
14598 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
14599 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
14600 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
14601 marks is fairly simple.
14603 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
14604 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
14607 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
14608 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
14609 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
14610 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
14611 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
14612 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
14613 might interfer with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
14614 before you restore the data.
14616 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
14617 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
14618 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
14619 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
14620 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
14621 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
14622 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
14623 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
14624 is unnecessary in that case.
14627 @subsection Web Searches
14632 @cindex Usenet searches
14633 @cindex searching the Usenet
14635 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
14636 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
14637 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
14638 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
14639 searches without having to use a browser.
14641 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
14642 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
14643 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
14644 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
14645 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
14647 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
14648 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
14649 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
14650 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
14651 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
14652 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
14653 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
14654 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
14655 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
14656 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
14659 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
14660 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
14661 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
14662 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
14663 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
14664 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
14666 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
14667 to use @code{nnweb}.
14669 Virtual server variables:
14674 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
14675 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
14676 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
14679 @vindex nnweb-search
14680 The search string to feed to the search engine.
14682 @item nnweb-max-hits
14683 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
14684 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
14687 @item nnweb-type-definition
14688 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
14689 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
14690 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
14695 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
14699 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
14702 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
14705 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
14709 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
14716 @subsection Slashdot
14720 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
14721 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
14722 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
14724 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
14725 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
14728 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14729 '((nnslashdot "")))
14732 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
14733 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
14734 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
14735 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
14736 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
14739 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
14740 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14742 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
14743 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
14744 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
14745 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
14746 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
14747 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
14750 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
14753 @item nnslashdot-threaded
14754 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
14755 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
14756 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
14757 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
14758 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
14759 but much, much slower than untreaded.
14761 @item nnslashdot-login-name
14762 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
14763 The login name to use when posting.
14765 @item nnslashdot-password
14766 @vindex nnslashdot-password
14767 The password to use when posting.
14769 @item nnslashdot-directory
14770 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
14771 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
14772 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
14774 @item nnslashdot-active-url
14775 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
14776 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
14777 news articles and comments. The default is
14778 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
14780 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
14781 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
14782 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
14784 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
14786 @item nnslashdot-article-url
14787 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
14788 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
14790 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
14792 @item nnslashdot-threshold
14793 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
14794 The score threshold. The default is -1.
14796 @item nnslashdot-group-number
14797 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
14798 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
14799 updated. The default is 0.
14806 @subsection Ultimate
14808 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
14810 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
14811 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
14812 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
14813 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
14815 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
14816 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
14817 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
14818 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
14819 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
14820 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
14821 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
14823 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
14826 @item nnultimate-directory
14827 @vindex nnultimate-directory
14828 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
14829 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
14834 @subsection Web Archive
14836 @cindex Web Archive
14838 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
14839 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
14840 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
14841 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14844 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
14845 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
14846 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
14847 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
14848 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
14849 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
14850 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
14852 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
14855 @item nnwarchive-directory
14856 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
14857 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
14858 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
14860 @item nnwarchive-login
14861 @vindex nnwarchive-login
14862 The account name on the web server.
14864 @item nnwarchive-passwd
14865 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
14866 The password for your account on the web server.
14874 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
14875 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
14876 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14879 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
14880 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
14883 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
14886 @item nnrss-directory
14887 @vindex nnrss-directory
14888 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
14889 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
14893 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
14894 the summary buffer.
14897 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
14898 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
14900 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
14902 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
14903 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
14906 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
14909 (require 'browse-url)
14911 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
14913 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
14916 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
14917 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
14920 (browse-url (cdr url))
14921 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
14922 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
14924 (eval-after-load "gnus"
14925 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
14926 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
14927 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
14930 @node Customizing w3
14931 @subsection Customizing w3
14937 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
14938 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
14939 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
14941 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
14942 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
14943 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
14946 (eval-after-load "w3"
14948 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
14949 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
14950 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
14951 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
14953 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
14956 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
14957 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
14966 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14967 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14968 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14969 specify the network address of the server.
14971 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14972 POP can, it can hence be viewed as a POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14973 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14974 protocol -- however, @sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp}
14975 because news is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
14977 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a POP++, use an imap entry in
14978 @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the
14979 @sc{imap} server and store them on the local disk. This is not the
14980 usage described in this section--@xref{Mail Sources}.
14982 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14983 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
14984 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14985 usage explained in this section.
14987 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14988 might look something like the following. (Note that for SSL/TLS, you
14989 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
14992 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14993 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14994 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14996 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14997 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14998 ; a UW server running on localhost
15000 (nnimap-server-port 143)
15001 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15002 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
15003 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
15004 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
15005 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
15006 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
15007 (nnimap-stream network))
15008 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
15010 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
15011 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
15012 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
15015 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
15020 @item nnimap-address
15021 @vindex nnimap-address
15023 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
15024 server name if not specified.
15026 @item nnimap-server-port
15027 @vindex nnimap-server-port
15028 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
15030 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
15033 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15034 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
15037 @item nnimap-list-pattern
15038 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
15039 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
15040 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
15041 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
15042 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
15043 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
15045 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
15046 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
15047 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
15050 Example server specification:
15053 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15054 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
15055 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
15058 @item nnimap-stream
15059 @vindex nnimap-stream
15060 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
15061 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
15062 of SSL/TLS. (@sc{imap} over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
15063 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
15065 Example server specification:
15068 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15069 (nnimap-stream ssl))
15072 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
15076 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
15077 @samp{imtest} program.
15079 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
15081 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
15082 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
15085 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
15086 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
15087 library @samp{ssl.el}.
15089 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
15091 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
15094 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
15095 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
15096 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
15097 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
15098 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
15099 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
15100 restrictions on @sc{imap} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
15101 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
15102 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
15105 @vindex imap-ssl-program
15106 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
15107 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
15108 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
15109 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
15110 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
15111 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
15112 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
15113 distribution, for instance).
15115 @vindex imap-shell-program
15116 @vindex imap-shell-host
15117 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
15118 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
15120 @item nnimap-authenticator
15121 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
15123 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
15124 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
15126 Example server specification:
15129 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15130 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
15133 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
15137 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
15138 external program @code{imtest}.
15140 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
15143 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
15144 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
15146 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
15148 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
15150 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
15153 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
15155 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
15156 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
15157 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
15158 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
15159 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
15160 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
15163 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
15164 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
15165 running in circles yet?
15167 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
15168 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
15171 The possible options are:
15176 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
15179 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
15180 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
15181 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
15182 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
15184 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
15189 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
15190 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
15192 If non-nil (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as well),
15193 for other @sc{imap} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
15194 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
15195 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @sc{imap}
15196 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @sc{imap}
15199 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
15200 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
15203 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
15204 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15205 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
15206 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15209 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
15210 as ticked for other users.
15212 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
15214 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
15216 This variable contain the @sc{imap} search command sent to server when
15217 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
15218 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
15219 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
15221 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
15222 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
15223 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
15224 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
15226 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
15227 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
15229 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
15230 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
15231 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
15237 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
15238 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
15239 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
15240 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
15241 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
15246 @node Splitting in IMAP
15247 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
15248 @cindex splitting imap mail
15250 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
15251 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
15252 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
15253 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
15254 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
15258 Here are the variables of interest:
15262 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
15263 @cindex splitting, crosspost
15265 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
15267 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
15268 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
15270 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
15272 @item nnimap-split-inbox
15273 @cindex splitting, inbox
15275 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
15277 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
15278 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
15282 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
15283 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
15286 No nnmail equivalent.
15288 @item nnimap-split-rule
15289 @cindex Splitting, rules
15290 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
15292 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
15295 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
15296 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
15297 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
15298 Neither did I, we need examples.
15301 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15303 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
15304 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
15305 ("INBOX.private" "")))
15308 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
15309 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
15310 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
15312 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
15313 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
15317 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
15320 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
15321 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
15323 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
15324 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
15325 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
15326 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
15328 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
15329 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
15330 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
15331 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
15332 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
15333 them every time you fetch new mail.)
15335 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
15336 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
15337 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
15339 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
15340 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
15341 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15343 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
15345 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
15346 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
15347 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
15350 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15351 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
15352 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
15353 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
15354 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
15355 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
15358 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
15359 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
15360 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
15361 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
15362 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
15363 group/function elements.
15365 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
15367 @item nnimap-split-predicate
15369 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
15371 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
15372 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
15374 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
15375 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
15376 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
15379 @item nnimap-split-fancy
15380 @cindex splitting, fancy
15381 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
15382 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
15384 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15385 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
15386 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15388 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
15389 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15390 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
15391 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15396 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
15397 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
15400 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
15404 @node Expiring in IMAP
15405 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
15406 @cindex expiring imap mail
15408 Even though @sc{nnimap} is not a proper @sc{nnmail} derived back end,
15409 it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
15410 Unlike splitting in IMAP (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}) it do not clone
15411 the @sc{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating @var{nnimap-expiry-wait})
15412 but reuse the @sc{nnmail} variables. What follows below are the
15413 variables used by the @sc{nnimap} expiry process.
15415 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @sc{imap} server is
15416 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
15417 @sc{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
15418 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
15419 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
15420 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
15421 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
15422 messages. Most do, fortunately.
15426 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
15427 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
15429 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
15430 number, the symbol @var{immediate} or @var{never}.
15432 @item nnmail-expiry-target
15434 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
15435 @sc{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
15436 that if the destination is a IMAP group on the same server, the
15437 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
15441 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
15442 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
15443 @cindex editing imap acls
15444 @cindex Access Control Lists
15445 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
15447 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
15449 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
15450 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
15451 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
15454 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
15455 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
15456 editing window with detailed instructions.
15458 Some possible uses:
15462 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
15463 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
15464 follow the list without subscribing to it.
15466 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
15467 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
15468 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
15472 @node Expunging mailboxes
15473 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
15477 @cindex Manual expunging
15479 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
15481 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
15482 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
15483 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
15485 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
15488 @node A note on namespaces
15489 @subsection A note on namespaces
15490 @cindex IMAP namespace
15493 The IMAP protocol has a concept called namespaces, described by the
15494 following text in the RFC:
15497 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
15499 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
15500 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
15501 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
15502 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
15504 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
15505 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
15506 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
15507 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
15508 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
15509 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
15512 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the IMAP
15513 implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace prefixes in a way
15514 that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
15516 Specifically, University of Washington's IMAP server uses mailbox
15517 names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only in the
15518 @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is created
15519 (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed without
15520 the namespace prefix, i.e @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do not make it
15521 possible for the user to guarantee that user entered mailbox names
15522 will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands, you should
15523 simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in Gnus.
15525 See the UoW @sc{imapd} documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
15526 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
15527 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
15529 @node Other Sources
15530 @section Other Sources
15532 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
15533 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
15537 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
15538 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
15539 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
15540 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
15541 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
15545 @node Directory Groups
15546 @subsection Directory Groups
15548 @cindex directory groups
15550 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
15551 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
15554 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
15555 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
15556 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
15557 back end to read directories. Big deal.
15559 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
15560 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
15561 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
15562 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
15563 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
15565 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
15567 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
15568 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
15569 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
15570 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
15573 @node Anything Groups
15574 @subsection Anything Groups
15577 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
15578 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
15579 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
15582 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
15583 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
15584 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
15585 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
15586 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
15587 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
15588 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
15589 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
15590 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
15591 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
15594 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
15595 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
15596 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
15597 in the article buffer, just as usual.
15599 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
15600 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
15601 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
15602 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
15604 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
15605 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
15606 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
15607 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
15608 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
15609 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
15610 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
15611 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
15616 @item nneething-map-file-directory
15617 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
15618 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
15619 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
15621 @item nneething-exclude-files
15622 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
15623 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
15624 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
15626 @item nneething-include-files
15627 @vindex nneething-include-files
15628 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
15629 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
15631 @item nneething-map-file
15632 @vindex nneething-map-file
15633 Name of the map files.
15637 @node Document Groups
15638 @subsection Document Groups
15640 @cindex documentation group
15643 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
15644 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
15651 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
15656 The standard Unix mbox file.
15658 @cindex MMDF mail box
15660 The MMDF mail box format.
15663 Several news articles appended into a file.
15666 @cindex rnews batch files
15667 The rnews batch transport format.
15668 @cindex forwarded messages
15671 Forwarded articles.
15674 Netscape mail boxes.
15677 @sc{mime} multipart messages.
15679 @item standard-digest
15680 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
15683 A @sc{mime} digest of messages.
15685 @item lanl-gov-announce
15686 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
15688 @item rfc822-forward
15689 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
15692 The Outlook mail box.
15695 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
15698 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
15701 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
15704 An RFC934-forwarded message.
15710 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
15713 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
15719 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
15720 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
15721 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
15724 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
15725 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
15726 group. And that's it.
15728 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
15729 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
15730 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
15731 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
15732 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
15733 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
15734 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
15735 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
15736 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
15737 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
15739 Virtual server variables:
15742 @item nndoc-article-type
15743 @vindex nndoc-article-type
15744 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
15745 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
15746 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
15747 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
15748 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
15750 @item nndoc-post-type
15751 @vindex nndoc-post-type
15752 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
15753 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
15758 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
15762 @node Document Server Internals
15763 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
15765 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
15766 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
15767 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
15768 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
15770 First, here's an example document type definition:
15774 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
15775 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
15778 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
15779 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
15780 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
15781 types can be defined with very few settings:
15784 @item first-article
15785 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
15786 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
15789 @item article-begin
15790 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
15791 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
15793 @item head-begin-function
15794 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
15797 @item nndoc-head-begin
15798 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
15801 @item nndoc-head-end
15802 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
15803 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
15805 @item body-begin-function
15806 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
15810 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
15813 @item body-end-function
15814 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
15818 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
15821 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
15822 regexp will be totally ignored.
15826 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
15827 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
15828 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
15829 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
15830 something that's palatable for Gnus:
15833 @item prepare-body-function
15834 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
15835 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
15836 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
15838 @item article-transform-function
15839 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
15840 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
15841 body of the article.
15843 @item generate-head-function
15844 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
15845 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
15846 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
15847 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
15851 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
15856 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15857 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15858 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
15859 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
15860 (head-end . "^ ?$")
15861 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
15862 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
15863 (subtype digest guess))
15866 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
15867 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
15868 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
15869 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
15870 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
15872 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
15873 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
15874 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
15875 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
15876 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
15877 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
15878 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
15879 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
15880 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
15881 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
15889 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
15890 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
15891 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
15893 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
15894 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
15895 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
15898 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
15899 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
15900 that interested in doing things properly.
15902 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
15903 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
15906 First some terminology:
15911 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
15912 get news and/or mail from.
15915 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
15916 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
15919 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
15923 @item message packets
15924 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
15925 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
15926 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15928 @item response packets
15929 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
15930 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
15931 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15941 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
15942 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
15943 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
15944 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
15947 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
15950 You put the packet in your home directory.
15953 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
15954 the native or secondary server.
15957 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
15958 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
15961 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
15965 You transfer this packet to the server.
15968 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
15971 You then repeat until you die.
15975 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
15976 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
15979 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
15980 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
15981 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
15985 @node SOUP Commands
15986 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
15988 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
15992 @kindex G s b (Group)
15993 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
15994 Pack all unread articles in the current group
15995 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
15996 process/prefix convention.
15999 @kindex G s w (Group)
16000 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
16001 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
16004 @kindex G s s (Group)
16005 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
16006 Send all replies from the replies packet
16007 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
16010 @kindex G s p (Group)
16011 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
16012 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
16015 @kindex G s r (Group)
16016 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
16017 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
16020 @kindex O s (Summary)
16021 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
16022 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
16023 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
16024 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16029 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
16034 @item gnus-soup-directory
16035 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
16036 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
16037 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
16039 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
16040 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
16041 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
16042 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
16044 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
16045 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
16046 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
16047 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
16049 @item gnus-soup-packer
16050 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
16051 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16052 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
16054 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
16055 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
16056 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16057 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16059 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
16060 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
16061 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
16063 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16064 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16065 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
16066 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
16072 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
16075 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
16076 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
16077 you can read them at leisure.
16079 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
16083 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
16084 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
16085 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
16086 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
16088 @item nnsoup-directory
16089 @vindex nnsoup-directory
16090 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
16091 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
16093 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
16094 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
16095 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
16096 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
16098 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
16099 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
16100 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
16101 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
16102 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
16104 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
16105 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
16106 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
16107 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
16109 @item nnsoup-active-file
16110 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
16111 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
16112 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
16113 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
16114 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
16116 @item nnsoup-packer
16117 @vindex nnsoup-packer
16118 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
16119 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
16121 @item nnsoup-unpacker
16122 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
16123 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
16124 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16126 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
16127 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
16128 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
16131 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
16132 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
16133 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
16136 @item nnsoup-always-save
16137 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
16138 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
16144 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
16146 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
16147 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
16148 more for that to happen.
16150 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
16151 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
16152 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
16155 In specific, this is what it does:
16158 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
16159 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
16162 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
16163 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
16164 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
16167 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
16168 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
16169 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
16172 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
16173 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
16174 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
16176 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
16182 @item nngateway-address
16183 @vindex nngateway-address
16184 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
16186 @item nngateway-header-transformation
16187 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
16188 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
16189 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
16190 transformation should be called, and defaults to
16191 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
16192 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
16195 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
16196 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
16197 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
16200 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
16203 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
16206 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
16209 The following pre-defined functions exist:
16211 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16214 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16215 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16216 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
16218 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16220 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16221 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16222 @code{nngateway-address}.
16227 (setq gnus-post-method
16229 "mail2news@@replay.com"
16230 (nngateway-header-transformation
16231 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
16239 So, to use this, simply say something like:
16242 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
16247 @node Combined Groups
16248 @section Combined Groups
16250 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
16254 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
16255 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
16259 @node Virtual Groups
16260 @subsection Virtual Groups
16262 @cindex virtual groups
16263 @cindex merging groups
16265 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
16268 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
16269 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
16270 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
16272 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
16273 regexp to match component groups.
16275 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
16276 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
16277 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
16278 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
16279 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
16280 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
16281 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
16282 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
16284 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
16285 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
16288 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
16291 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
16292 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
16294 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
16295 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
16296 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
16297 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
16300 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
16303 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
16304 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
16305 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
16307 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
16308 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
16309 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
16310 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
16311 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
16313 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
16314 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
16315 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
16317 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
16318 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
16319 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
16320 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
16321 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
16322 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
16323 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
16324 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
16325 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
16326 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
16327 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
16329 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
16330 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
16331 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
16332 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
16333 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
16334 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
16335 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
16337 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
16338 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
16340 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
16341 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
16345 @node Kibozed Groups
16346 @subsection Kibozed Groups
16350 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
16351 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
16352 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
16353 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
16355 @kindex G k (Group)
16356 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
16359 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
16360 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
16361 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
16362 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
16364 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
16365 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
16366 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
16368 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
16369 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
16370 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
16371 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
16372 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
16373 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
16374 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
16375 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
16377 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
16378 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
16379 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
16380 Stranger things have happened.
16382 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
16383 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
16385 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
16386 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
16387 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
16388 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
16389 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
16390 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
16392 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
16393 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
16396 @node Gnus Unplugged
16397 @section Gnus Unplugged
16402 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
16404 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
16405 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
16406 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
16407 read news. Believe it or not.
16409 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
16410 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
16411 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
16412 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
16413 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
16415 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
16416 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
16417 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
16418 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
16419 reading news on a machine.
16421 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
16422 fact, you don't even have to configure anything.
16424 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
16427 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
16428 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
16429 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
16430 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
16431 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
16432 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
16433 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
16434 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
16435 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
16436 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
16437 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
16442 @subsection Agent Basics
16444 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
16446 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
16447 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
16448 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
16449 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
16451 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
16452 connected to the net continuously.
16454 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
16455 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
16457 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
16462 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
16463 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
16464 already fetched while in this mode.
16467 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
16468 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
16469 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
16470 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
16471 Source Specifiers}).
16474 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
16475 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
16476 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
16477 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
16478 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
16481 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
16482 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
16483 then you read the news offline.
16486 And then you go to step 2.
16489 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
16495 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
16496 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
16497 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
16498 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
16499 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
16500 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
16501 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} groups in @code{gnus-select-method} and
16502 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
16505 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
16512 @node Agent Categories
16513 @subsection Agent Categories
16515 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
16516 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
16517 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
16518 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
16519 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
16520 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
16521 you're interested in the articles anyway.
16523 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
16524 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
16525 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
16526 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
16527 managing categories.
16530 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
16531 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
16532 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
16536 @node Category Syntax
16537 @subsubsection Category Syntax
16539 A category consists of two things.
16543 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
16544 are eligible for downloading; and
16547 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
16548 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
16549 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
16552 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
16553 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
16554 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
16555 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
16557 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
16558 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
16559 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
16561 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
16562 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
16563 operators sprinkled in between.
16565 Perhaps some examples are in order.
16567 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
16568 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
16574 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
16575 short (for some value of ``short'').
16577 Here's a more complex predicate:
16586 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
16587 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
16590 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
16591 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
16592 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
16594 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
16595 you want to do, you can write your own.
16599 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
16600 lines; default 100.
16603 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
16604 lines; default 200.
16607 True iff the article has a download score less than
16608 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
16611 True iff the article has a download score greater than
16612 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
16615 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
16616 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
16617 checksum and sees whether articles match.
16626 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
16627 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
16628 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
16631 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
16632 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
16633 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
16634 something along the lines of the following:
16637 (defun my-article-old-p ()
16638 "Say whether an article is old."
16639 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
16640 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
16643 with the predicate then defined as:
16646 (not my-article-old-p)
16649 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
16650 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
16654 (require 'gnus-agent)
16655 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
16656 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
16657 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
16660 and simply specify your predicate as:
16666 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
16667 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
16668 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
16669 just don't give a damn.
16671 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
16672 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
16673 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
16674 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
16675 parameters like so:
16678 (agent-predicate . short)
16681 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
16682 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
16683 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
16685 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
16688 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
16691 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
16692 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
16693 predicate is assumed to be a list.
16696 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
16697 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
16698 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
16699 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
16700 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
16701 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
16703 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
16704 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
16705 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
16706 if it's to be specific to that group.
16708 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
16715 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
16716 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
16722 Category specification
16726 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16732 Group Parameter specification
16735 (agent-score ("from"
16736 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16741 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
16747 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
16754 Category specification
16757 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
16763 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
16767 Group Parameter specification
16770 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
16773 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
16778 Use @code{normal} score files
16780 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
16781 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
16782 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
16783 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
16785 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
16786 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
16787 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
16788 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
16792 Category Specification
16799 Group Parameter specification
16802 (agent-score . file)
16807 @node Category Buffer
16808 @subsubsection Category Buffer
16810 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
16811 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
16812 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
16814 The following commands are available in this buffer:
16818 @kindex q (Category)
16819 @findex gnus-category-exit
16820 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
16823 @kindex k (Category)
16824 @findex gnus-category-kill
16825 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
16828 @kindex c (Category)
16829 @findex gnus-category-copy
16830 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
16833 @kindex a (Category)
16834 @findex gnus-category-add
16835 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
16838 @kindex p (Category)
16839 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
16840 Edit the predicate of the current category
16841 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
16844 @kindex g (Category)
16845 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
16846 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
16847 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
16850 @kindex s (Category)
16851 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
16852 Edit the download score rule of the current category
16853 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
16856 @kindex l (Category)
16857 @findex gnus-category-list
16858 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
16862 @node Category Variables
16863 @subsubsection Category Variables
16866 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
16867 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
16868 Hook run in category buffers.
16870 @item gnus-category-line-format
16871 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
16872 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
16873 Variables}). Valid elements are:
16877 The name of the category.
16880 The number of groups in the category.
16883 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
16884 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
16885 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
16887 @item gnus-agent-short-article
16888 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
16889 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
16891 @item gnus-agent-long-article
16892 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
16893 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
16895 @item gnus-agent-low-score
16896 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
16897 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
16900 @item gnus-agent-high-score
16901 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
16902 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
16908 @node Agent Commands
16909 @subsection Agent Commands
16911 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
16912 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
16913 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
16917 * Group Agent Commands::
16918 * Summary Agent Commands::
16919 * Server Agent Commands::
16922 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
16923 following incantation:
16925 @cindex gnus-agent-batch
16927 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch
16932 @node Group Agent Commands
16933 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
16937 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
16938 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
16939 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
16940 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
16943 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
16944 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
16945 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
16948 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
16949 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
16950 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
16951 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
16954 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
16955 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
16956 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
16957 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
16960 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
16961 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
16962 Add the current group to an Agent category
16963 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
16964 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16967 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
16968 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
16969 Remove the current group from its category, if any
16970 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
16971 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16974 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
16975 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16976 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
16982 @node Summary Agent Commands
16983 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
16987 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
16988 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
16989 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
16992 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
16993 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
16994 Remove the downloading mark from the article
16995 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
16998 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
16999 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
17000 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
17003 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
17004 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
17005 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
17008 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
17009 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
17010 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
17011 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
17016 @node Server Agent Commands
17017 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
17021 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
17022 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
17023 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
17024 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
17027 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
17028 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
17029 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
17030 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
17035 @node Agent as Cache
17036 @subsection Agent as Cache
17038 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
17039 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
17040 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
17041 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
17042 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
17043 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
17044 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
17045 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
17046 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
17048 This behaviour can be controlled by @code{gnus-agent-cache}
17049 (@pxref{Agent Variables}).
17052 @subsection Agent Expiry
17054 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
17055 @findex gnus-agent-expire
17056 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
17057 @cindex Agent expiry
17058 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
17061 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
17062 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
17063 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
17064 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
17065 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
17066 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
17068 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} can also be a list of regexp/day pairs.
17069 The regexps will be matched against group names to allow differing
17070 expiry in different groups.
17073 (setq gnus-agent-expire-days
17079 If you use the list form, the last element must always be the default
17080 method---it must always match all groups.
17082 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
17083 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
17084 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
17085 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
17086 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
17088 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
17089 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
17090 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's a special
17091 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} command to fix possible problems.
17093 @node Agent and IMAP
17094 @subsection Agent and IMAP
17096 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
17097 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
17098 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
17099 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
17101 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
17102 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
17103 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
17104 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
17106 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
17107 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
17108 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
17109 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
17111 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17112 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
17113 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
17114 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
17115 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
17116 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
17118 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
17119 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
17120 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
17121 in the group buffer.
17123 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
17124 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
17129 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
17132 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
17136 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
17137 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
17138 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
17139 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
17140 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
17141 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
17142 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
17143 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
17146 @node Outgoing Messages
17147 @subsection Outgoing Messages
17149 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
17150 stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view
17151 them there after posting, and edit them at will.
17153 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
17154 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
17155 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
17156 messages in the draft group.
17160 @node Agent Variables
17161 @subsection Agent Variables
17164 @item gnus-agent-directory
17165 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
17166 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
17167 @file{~/News/agent/}.
17169 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
17170 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
17171 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
17172 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
17173 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
17176 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17177 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17178 Hook run when connecting to the network.
17180 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17181 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17182 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
17184 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17185 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17186 Hook run when after finishing fetching articles.
17188 @item gnus-agent-cache
17189 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
17190 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @sc{nov} and
17191 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
17192 The default is non-nil, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
17194 @item gnus-agent-go-online
17195 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
17196 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
17197 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
17198 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
17199 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
17200 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
17203 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
17204 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
17205 Perhaps not a Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
17206 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
17207 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
17208 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
17209 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
17210 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
17211 is only valid if the Agent is used.
17216 @node Example Setup
17217 @subsection Example Setup
17219 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
17220 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
17221 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
17224 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
17225 ;;; from your ISP's server.
17226 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
17228 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
17229 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
17230 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
17232 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
17233 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
17235 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
17236 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; The obsolete setting.
17237 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; Now the default.
17240 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
17241 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
17244 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
17245 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
17246 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
17247 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
17248 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
17251 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
17252 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
17253 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
17254 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
17255 back all the killed groups.)
17257 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
17258 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
17259 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
17262 @node Batching Agents
17263 @subsection Batching Agents
17265 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
17266 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
17267 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
17271 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
17275 @node Agent Caveats
17276 @subsection Agent Caveats
17278 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
17279 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
17283 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
17287 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
17289 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is `nil'.
17293 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
17294 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP and also uses the
17295 locally stored articles.
17302 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
17303 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
17304 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
17307 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
17308 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
17309 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
17310 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
17311 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
17313 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
17314 before generating the summary buffer.
17316 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
17317 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
17318 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
17320 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
17321 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
17322 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
17323 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
17326 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
17327 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
17328 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
17329 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
17330 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
17331 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
17332 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
17333 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
17334 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
17335 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
17336 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
17337 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
17338 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
17339 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
17340 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
17341 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
17342 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
17346 @node Summary Score Commands
17347 @section Summary Score Commands
17348 @cindex score commands
17350 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
17351 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
17352 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
17353 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
17354 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
17356 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
17357 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
17358 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
17359 score file the current one.
17361 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
17366 @kindex V s (Summary)
17367 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
17368 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
17371 @kindex V S (Summary)
17372 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
17373 Display the score of the current article
17374 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
17377 @kindex V t (Summary)
17378 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
17379 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
17380 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
17383 @kindex V w (Summary)
17384 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
17385 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
17388 @kindex V R (Summary)
17389 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
17390 Run the current summary through the scoring process
17391 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
17392 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
17393 effect you're having.
17396 @kindex V c (Summary)
17397 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
17398 Make a different score file the current
17399 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
17402 @kindex V e (Summary)
17403 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
17404 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
17405 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
17409 @kindex V f (Summary)
17410 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
17411 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
17412 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
17415 @kindex V F (Summary)
17416 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17417 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
17418 after editing score files.
17421 @kindex V C (Summary)
17422 @findex gnus-score-customize
17423 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
17424 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
17428 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
17433 @kindex V m (Summary)
17434 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
17435 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
17436 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
17439 @kindex V x (Summary)
17440 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
17441 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
17442 expunge all articles below this score
17443 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
17446 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
17447 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
17450 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
17451 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
17455 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
17456 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
17458 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
17459 keys are available:
17463 Score on the author name.
17466 Score on the subject line.
17469 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
17472 Score on the @code{References} line.
17478 Score on the number of lines.
17481 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
17484 Score on an "extra" header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
17485 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
17488 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
17489 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
17490 @file{ADAPT} files.)
17499 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
17505 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
17506 what headers you are scoring on.
17518 Substring matching.
17521 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
17550 Greater than number.
17555 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
17556 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
17557 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
17562 Temporary score entry.
17565 Permanent score entry.
17568 Immediately scoring.
17572 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
17573 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
17574 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
17578 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
17579 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
17580 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
17581 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
17583 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
17584 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
17585 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
17586 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
17587 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
17589 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
17590 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
17591 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
17592 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
17593 current score file.
17595 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
17596 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
17597 pretend they are keymaps or not.
17600 @node Group Score Commands
17601 @section Group Score Commands
17602 @cindex group score commands
17604 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
17609 @kindex W f (Group)
17610 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17611 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
17612 all the time. This command will flush the cache
17613 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
17617 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
17619 @findex gnus-batch-score
17620 @cindex batch scoring
17622 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
17626 @node Score Variables
17627 @section Score Variables
17628 @cindex score variables
17632 @item gnus-use-scoring
17633 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
17634 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
17635 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
17637 @item gnus-kill-killed
17638 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
17639 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
17640 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
17641 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
17642 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
17643 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
17644 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
17646 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
17647 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
17648 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
17649 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
17650 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
17652 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
17653 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
17654 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
17655 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
17657 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17658 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17659 @cindex score cache
17660 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
17661 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
17662 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
17663 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
17664 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
17665 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
17668 @item gnus-save-score
17669 @vindex gnus-save-score
17670 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
17671 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
17672 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17674 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
17675 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
17676 across group visits.
17678 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17679 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17680 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
17681 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
17682 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
17683 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
17684 manually entered data.
17686 @item gnus-summary-default-score
17687 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
17688 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
17690 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
17691 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
17692 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
17693 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
17694 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
17695 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
17697 @item gnus-score-over-mark
17698 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
17699 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
17700 default. Default is @samp{+}.
17702 @item gnus-score-below-mark
17703 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
17704 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
17705 default. Default is @samp{-}.
17707 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17708 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17709 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
17710 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
17712 Predefined functions available are:
17715 @item gnus-score-find-single
17716 @findex gnus-score-find-single
17717 Only apply the group's own score file.
17719 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
17720 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
17721 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
17722 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
17723 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
17724 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
17725 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
17726 then a regexp match is done.
17728 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
17729 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
17731 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
17732 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
17733 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
17734 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
17736 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17737 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17738 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
17739 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
17740 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
17744 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
17745 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
17746 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
17747 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
17748 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
17749 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
17750 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
17753 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
17754 overall score file, you could use the value
17756 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
17757 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
17760 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
17761 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
17762 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
17763 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
17764 are expired. It's 7 by default.
17766 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17767 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17768 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
17769 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
17770 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
17771 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
17772 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
17773 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
17775 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17776 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17777 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
17779 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
17780 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
17781 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
17782 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
17783 threading---according to the current value of
17784 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
17785 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
17786 simplified in this manner.
17791 @node Score File Format
17792 @section Score File Format
17793 @cindex score file format
17795 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
17796 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
17797 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
17799 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
17803 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
17805 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
17807 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
17809 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
17814 (mark-and-expunge -10)
17818 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
17819 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
17820 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
17821 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
17825 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
17826 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
17828 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
17829 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
17830 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
17832 Six keys are supported by this alist:
17837 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
17838 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
17839 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
17840 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
17841 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
17842 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
17843 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
17844 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
17845 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
17846 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
17847 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
17848 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
17849 to articles that matches these score entries.
17851 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
17852 score entry has one to four elements.
17856 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
17857 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
17861 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
17862 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
17863 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
17864 is successful. If this element is not present, the
17865 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
17866 instead. This is 1000 by default.
17869 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
17870 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
17871 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
17872 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
17873 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
17876 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
17877 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
17878 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
17879 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
17882 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
17883 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
17884 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
17885 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
17886 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
17887 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
17888 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
17889 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
17890 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
17891 instead, if you feel like.
17894 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
17895 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
17896 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
17897 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
17898 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
17899 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
17902 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
17906 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
17907 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
17909 These predicates are true if
17912 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
17915 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
17916 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
17923 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
17924 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
17925 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
17926 it's not. I think.)
17928 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
17929 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
17930 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
17931 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
17934 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
17935 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
17936 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
17937 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
17938 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
17939 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
17940 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
17944 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
17945 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
17946 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
17947 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
17948 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
17949 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
17950 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
17951 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
17954 @item Head, Body, All
17955 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
17959 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
17960 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
17961 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
17962 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
17963 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
17964 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
17965 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
17969 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
17970 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
17971 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
17972 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
17973 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
17974 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
17975 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
17976 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
17977 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
17978 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
17979 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
17983 @cindex Score File Atoms
17985 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17986 lower than this number will be marked as read.
17989 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17990 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
17992 @item mark-and-expunge
17993 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17994 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
17997 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
17998 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
17999 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
18000 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
18001 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
18004 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
18005 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
18008 @item exclude-files
18009 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
18010 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
18014 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
18015 ignored when handling global score files.
18018 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
18019 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
18020 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
18021 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
18024 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
18025 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
18026 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
18027 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
18029 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
18033 (mark-and-expunge -100)
18036 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
18037 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
18038 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
18039 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
18040 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
18042 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
18043 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
18044 scoring rules exist.
18047 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
18048 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
18049 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
18050 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
18051 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
18052 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
18053 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18054 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
18055 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
18056 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
18057 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
18061 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
18062 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
18063 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
18064 file for a number of groups.
18067 @cindex local variables
18068 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
18069 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
18070 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
18071 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
18072 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
18076 @node Score File Editing
18077 @section Score File Editing
18079 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
18080 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
18081 with a mode for that.
18083 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
18084 additional commands:
18089 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
18090 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
18091 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
18092 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
18095 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
18096 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
18097 Insert the current date in numerical format
18098 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
18099 you were wondering.
18102 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
18103 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
18104 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
18105 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
18106 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
18111 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
18113 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
18114 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
18116 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
18117 e} to begin editing score files.
18120 @node Adaptive Scoring
18121 @section Adaptive Scoring
18122 @cindex adaptive scoring
18124 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
18125 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
18126 stupidity, to be precise.
18128 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
18129 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
18130 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
18131 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
18132 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18133 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
18134 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
18135 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
18136 variable to @code{(word line)}.
18138 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18139 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
18140 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
18141 might look something like this:
18144 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18145 '((gnus-unread-mark)
18146 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
18147 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
18148 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
18149 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
18150 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
18151 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
18152 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
18153 (gnus-ancient-mark)
18154 (gnus-low-score-mark)
18155 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
18158 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
18159 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
18160 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
18161 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
18162 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
18163 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
18166 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
18167 will be applied to each article.
18169 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
18170 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
18171 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
18172 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
18174 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
18175 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
18176 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
18177 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
18179 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
18180 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
18181 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
18182 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
18184 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
18185 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
18186 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
18187 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
18188 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
18189 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
18191 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
18192 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
18193 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
18194 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
18195 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
18196 aspirins afterwards.)
18198 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
18199 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
18200 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
18202 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
18203 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
18204 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
18206 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
18207 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
18208 let you use different rules in different groups.
18210 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
18211 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
18212 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
18215 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
18216 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
18217 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
18218 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
18219 the length of the match is less than
18220 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
18221 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
18224 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18225 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
18226 headers. If you adapt on words, the
18227 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
18228 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
18231 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18232 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
18233 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
18234 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
18235 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
18238 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
18239 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
18240 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
18241 score with 30 points.
18243 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
18244 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
18245 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
18246 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
18247 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
18249 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
18250 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
18251 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
18252 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
18253 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
18255 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
18256 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
18257 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
18258 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
18260 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
18261 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
18262 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
18263 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
18265 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
18266 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
18267 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
18268 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
18269 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
18271 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
18272 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
18273 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
18275 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
18276 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
18277 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
18278 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
18281 @node Home Score File
18282 @section Home Score File
18284 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
18285 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
18286 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
18287 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
18289 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
18290 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
18291 could perhaps use the same home score file.
18293 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
18294 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
18299 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
18303 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
18304 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
18308 A list. The elements in this list can be:
18312 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
18313 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
18316 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
18317 the home score file.
18320 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
18323 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
18328 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
18331 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18332 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
18335 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
18336 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
18338 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
18340 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18341 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
18344 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
18345 Other functions include
18348 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
18349 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
18350 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
18351 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
18355 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
18356 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
18357 their own home score files:
18360 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18361 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
18362 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
18363 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
18364 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
18367 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
18368 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
18369 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
18370 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
18371 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
18373 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
18374 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
18375 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
18376 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
18377 precedence over this variable.
18380 @node Followups To Yourself
18381 @section Followups To Yourself
18383 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
18384 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
18385 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
18386 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
18387 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
18388 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
18392 @item gnus-score-followup-article
18393 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
18394 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
18397 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
18398 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
18399 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
18403 @vindex message-sent-hook
18404 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
18405 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
18407 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
18411 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
18412 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
18416 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18417 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18420 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
18421 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
18426 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
18430 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
18431 is system-dependent.
18434 @node Scoring On Other Headers
18435 @section Scoring On Other Headers
18436 @cindex scoring on other headers
18438 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
18439 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
18440 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
18441 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
18442 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
18444 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
18445 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
18446 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
18447 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
18448 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
18450 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18453 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
18454 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
18457 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
18458 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
18459 time if you have much mail.
18461 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
18462 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
18468 @section Scoring Tips
18469 @cindex scoring tips
18475 @cindex scoring crossposts
18476 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
18477 the @code{Xref} header.
18479 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
18482 @item Multiple crossposts
18483 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
18484 more than, say, 3 groups:
18487 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
18491 @item Matching on the body
18492 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
18493 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
18494 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
18495 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
18496 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
18497 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
18498 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
18501 @item Marking as read
18502 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
18503 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
18504 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
18508 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
18510 @item Negated character classes
18511 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
18512 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
18513 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
18517 @node Reverse Scoring
18518 @section Reverse Scoring
18519 @cindex reverse scoring
18521 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
18522 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
18523 like this in your score file:
18527 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
18532 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
18533 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
18536 @node Global Score Files
18537 @section Global Score Files
18538 @cindex global score files
18540 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
18541 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
18542 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
18544 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
18545 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
18546 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
18548 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
18549 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
18550 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
18551 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
18552 files are applicable to which group.
18554 To use the score file
18555 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
18556 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
18560 (setq gnus-global-score-files
18561 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
18562 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
18565 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
18567 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
18568 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
18569 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
18570 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
18572 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
18573 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
18575 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
18576 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
18577 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
18578 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
18579 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
18580 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
18582 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
18588 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
18590 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
18592 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
18594 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
18595 lowered out of existence.
18597 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
18598 articles completely.
18601 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
18602 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
18603 old articles for a long time.
18606 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
18607 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
18608 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
18609 holding our breath yet?
18613 @section Kill Files
18616 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
18617 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
18618 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
18620 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
18621 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
18622 files into score files.
18624 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
18625 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
18626 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
18627 that isn't a very good idea.
18629 Normal kill files look like this:
18632 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18633 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
18637 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
18638 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
18640 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
18641 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
18644 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
18649 @kindex M-k (Summary)
18650 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
18651 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
18654 @kindex M-K (Summary)
18655 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
18656 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
18659 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
18664 @kindex M-k (Group)
18665 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
18666 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
18669 @kindex M-K (Group)
18670 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
18671 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
18674 Kill file variables:
18677 @item gnus-kill-file-name
18678 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
18679 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
18680 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
18681 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
18682 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
18683 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
18685 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18686 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18687 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
18688 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
18691 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
18692 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
18693 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
18694 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
18695 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
18696 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
18697 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
18698 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
18699 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
18701 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18702 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18703 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
18708 @node Converting Kill Files
18709 @section Converting Kill Files
18711 @cindex converting kill files
18713 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
18714 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
18715 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
18718 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
18719 You can fetch it from
18720 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
18722 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
18723 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
18724 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
18732 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
18733 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
18734 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
18735 news articles generated every day.
18737 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
18738 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
18739 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
18740 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
18741 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
18742 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
18743 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
18744 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
18747 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
18748 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
18751 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
18752 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
18753 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
18754 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
18758 @node Using GroupLens
18759 @subsection Using GroupLens
18761 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
18763 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
18764 better bit in town at the moment.
18766 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
18770 @item gnus-use-grouplens
18771 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
18772 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
18773 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
18775 @item grouplens-pseudonym
18776 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
18777 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
18778 with the Better Bit Bureau.
18780 @item grouplens-newsgroups
18781 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
18782 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
18786 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
18787 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
18788 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
18789 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
18790 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
18791 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
18794 @node Rating Articles
18795 @subsection Rating Articles
18797 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
18798 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
18799 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
18800 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
18803 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
18808 @kindex r (GroupLens)
18809 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
18810 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
18813 @kindex k (GroupLens)
18814 @findex grouplens-score-thread
18815 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
18816 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
18817 threads in rec.humor.
18821 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
18822 the score of the article you're reading.
18827 @kindex n (GroupLens)
18828 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
18829 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
18832 @kindex , (GroupLens)
18833 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
18834 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
18838 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
18839 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
18842 @node Displaying Predictions
18843 @subsection Displaying Predictions
18845 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
18846 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
18847 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
18848 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
18849 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
18851 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
18852 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
18853 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
18854 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
18855 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
18856 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
18857 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
18858 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
18859 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
18860 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
18861 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
18862 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
18863 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
18865 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
18866 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
18867 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
18868 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
18870 The following are valid values for that variable.
18873 @item prediction-spot
18874 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
18877 @item confidence-interval
18878 A numeric confidence interval.
18880 @item prediction-bar
18881 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
18883 @item confidence-bar
18884 Numerical confidence.
18886 @item confidence-spot
18887 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
18889 @item prediction-num
18890 Plain-old numeric value.
18892 @item confidence-plus-minus
18893 Prediction +/- confidence.
18898 @node GroupLens Variables
18899 @subsection GroupLens Variables
18903 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
18904 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
18905 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
18906 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
18909 @item grouplens-bbb-host
18910 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
18913 @item grouplens-bbb-port
18914 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
18916 @item grouplens-score-offset
18917 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
18918 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
18921 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
18922 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
18923 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
18928 @node Advanced Scoring
18929 @section Advanced Scoring
18931 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
18932 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
18933 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
18934 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
18935 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
18937 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
18941 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
18942 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
18943 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
18947 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
18948 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
18950 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
18951 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
18952 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
18953 non-@code{nil} value.
18955 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
18956 operator, and various match operators.
18963 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18964 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
18965 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
18970 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18971 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
18972 then this operator will return @code{false}.
18977 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
18978 logical negation of the value of its argument.
18982 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
18983 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
18984 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
18985 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
18986 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
18987 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
18988 the ancestry you want to go.
18990 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
18991 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
18992 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
18993 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
18994 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
18997 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
18998 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
19000 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
19001 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
19004 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
19005 when he's talking about Gnus:
19009 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19010 ("subject" "Gnus"))
19016 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
19020 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19027 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
19028 really don't want to read what he's written:
19032 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19033 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
19037 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
19038 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
19039 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
19046 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
19047 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
19048 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
19049 ("body" "white.*socks"))
19053 The possibilities are endless.
19056 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
19057 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
19059 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
19060 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
19061 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
19062 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
19063 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
19064 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
19065 @samp{subject}) first.
19067 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
19068 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
19079 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
19080 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
19086 ("subject" "Gnus")))
19093 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
19094 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
19099 @section Score Decays
19100 @cindex score decays
19103 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
19104 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
19105 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
19106 use them in any sensible way.
19108 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
19109 @findex gnus-decay-score
19110 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
19111 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
19112 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
19113 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
19114 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
19115 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
19116 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
19117 definition of that function:
19120 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
19122 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
19123 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
19126 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
19128 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
19130 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
19133 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
19134 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
19135 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
19136 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
19140 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
19143 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
19146 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
19150 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
19151 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
19152 the new score, which should be an integer.
19154 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
19155 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
19160 @include message.texi
19161 @chapter Emacs MIME
19162 @include emacs-mime.texi
19164 @include sieve.texi
19166 @c @include pgg.texi
19174 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
19175 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
19176 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
19177 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
19178 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
19179 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
19180 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
19181 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
19182 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
19183 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
19184 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
19185 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
19186 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
19187 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
19188 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
19189 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
19190 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
19191 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
19192 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
19196 @node Process/Prefix
19197 @section Process/Prefix
19198 @cindex process/prefix convention
19200 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
19201 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
19203 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
19204 command to be performed on.
19208 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
19209 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
19210 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
19211 with the current one.
19213 @vindex transient-mark-mode
19214 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
19215 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
19217 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
19218 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
19221 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
19222 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
19224 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
19227 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
19228 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
19229 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
19230 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19232 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
19233 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
19234 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
19235 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
19236 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
19237 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
19238 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
19239 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
19241 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
19242 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
19243 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
19244 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
19245 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
19249 @section Interactive
19250 @cindex interaction
19254 @item gnus-novice-user
19255 @vindex gnus-novice-user
19256 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
19257 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
19258 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
19259 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
19262 @item gnus-expert-user
19263 @vindex gnus-expert-user
19264 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
19265 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
19266 matter how strange.
19268 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
19269 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
19270 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
19271 is @code{t} by default.
19273 @item gnus-interactive-exit
19274 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
19275 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
19280 @node Symbolic Prefixes
19281 @section Symbolic Prefixes
19282 @cindex symbolic prefixes
19284 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
19285 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
19286 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
19287 rule of 900 to the current article.
19289 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
19290 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
19291 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
19292 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
19293 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
19294 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
19295 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
19297 @kindex M-i (Summary)
19298 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
19299 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
19300 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
19301 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
19302 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
19303 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
19304 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
19305 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
19307 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
19308 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
19309 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
19311 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
19315 @node Formatting Variables
19316 @section Formatting Variables
19317 @cindex formatting variables
19319 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
19320 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
19321 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
19322 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
19323 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
19326 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
19327 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
19328 lots of percentages everywhere.
19331 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
19332 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
19333 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
19334 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
19335 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
19336 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
19337 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
19338 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
19341 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
19342 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
19343 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
19344 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
19345 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
19346 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
19347 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
19348 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
19350 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
19351 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
19353 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
19354 @findex gnus-update-format
19355 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
19356 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
19357 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
19358 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
19362 @node Formatting Basics
19363 @subsection Formatting Basics
19365 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
19366 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
19367 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
19369 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
19370 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
19371 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
19372 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
19373 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
19376 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
19377 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
19378 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
19379 less than 4 characters wide.
19381 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
19382 @samp{%&user-date;}.
19385 @node Mode Line Formatting
19386 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
19388 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
19389 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
19390 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
19391 with the following two differences:
19396 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
19399 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
19400 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
19401 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
19402 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
19403 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
19404 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
19405 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
19410 @node Advanced Formatting
19411 @subsection Advanced Formatting
19413 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
19414 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
19415 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
19416 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
19418 These are the valid modifiers:
19423 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
19427 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
19432 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
19435 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
19440 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
19443 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
19446 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
19449 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
19455 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
19460 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
19461 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
19462 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
19463 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
19464 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
19465 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
19466 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
19468 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
19469 last operation, padding.
19471 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
19472 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
19473 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
19474 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
19475 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
19476 the look of your lines.
19477 @xref{Compilation}.
19480 @node User-Defined Specs
19481 @subsection User-Defined Specs
19483 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
19484 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
19485 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
19486 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
19487 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
19488 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
19489 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
19490 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
19491 should protect against that.
19493 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
19494 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
19496 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
19497 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
19498 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
19499 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
19503 @node Formatting Fonts
19504 @subsection Formatting Fonts
19506 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
19507 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
19508 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
19509 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
19512 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
19513 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
19514 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
19515 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
19516 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
19517 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
19519 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
19520 special @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}.
19521 If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on.
19522 The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or
19523 symbols naming functions that return a string. When the mouse passes
19524 over text with this property set, a balloon window will appear and
19525 display the string. Please refer to @ref{(emacs)Help Echo} (in GNU
19526 Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in XEmacs) for
19527 more information on this. (For technical reasons, the guillemets have
19528 been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this paragraph.)
19530 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
19533 ;; Create three face types.
19534 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
19535 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
19537 ;; We want the article count to be in
19538 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
19539 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
19540 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
19542 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
19543 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
19545 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
19546 (setq gnus-group-line-format
19547 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
19550 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
19551 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
19553 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
19554 mode-line variables.
19556 @node Positioning Point
19557 @subsection Positioning Point
19559 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
19560 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
19561 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
19563 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
19565 @findex gnus-goto-colon
19566 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
19567 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
19569 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
19570 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
19571 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
19576 @subsection Tabulation
19578 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
19579 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
19580 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
19581 about lining up the following text afterwards.
19583 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
19584 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
19586 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19587 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
19588 This is the soft tabulator.
19590 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19591 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
19592 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
19595 @node Wide Characters
19596 @subsection Wide Characters
19598 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
19599 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
19600 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
19602 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
19603 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
19604 these coutries, that's not true.
19606 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
19607 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
19608 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
19609 prettieer. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
19613 @node Window Layout
19614 @section Window Layout
19615 @cindex window layout
19617 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
19619 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
19620 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
19621 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
19622 @code{t} by default.
19624 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
19625 glitches. Use at your own peril.
19627 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
19628 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
19629 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
19632 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
19633 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
19634 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19638 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
19639 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
19640 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
19641 possible names is listed below.
19643 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
19644 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
19647 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19651 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
19652 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
19653 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
19654 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
19655 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
19656 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
19657 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
19658 size spec per split.
19660 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
19661 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
19662 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
19663 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
19664 present) gets focus.
19666 Here's a more complicated example:
19669 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
19670 (summary 0.25 point)
19671 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
19675 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
19676 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
19677 occupy, not a percentage.
19679 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
19680 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
19681 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
19682 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
19683 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
19686 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
19689 (article (horizontal 1.0
19694 (summary 0.25 point)
19699 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
19700 @code{horizontal} thingie?
19702 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
19703 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
19704 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
19705 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
19706 the screen is to be given to this strip.
19708 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
19709 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
19710 lines from the splits.
19712 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
19716 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
19717 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
19718 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
19719 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
19720 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
19721 size = number | frame-params
19722 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
19725 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
19726 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
19727 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
19728 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
19730 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
19731 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
19732 @cindex window height
19733 @cindex window width
19734 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
19735 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
19736 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
19737 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
19738 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
19739 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
19741 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
19742 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
19743 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
19744 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
19746 @findex gnus-configure-frame
19747 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
19748 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
19749 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
19750 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
19751 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
19752 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
19753 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
19754 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
19755 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
19756 configuration list.
19759 (gnus-configure-frame
19763 (article 0.3 point))
19771 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
19772 @code{frame} split:
19775 (gnus-configure-frame
19778 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
19780 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
19781 (user-position . t)
19782 (left . -1) (top . 1))
19787 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
19788 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
19789 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
19790 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
19791 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
19792 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
19793 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
19794 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
19796 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
19797 be found in its default value.
19799 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
19800 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
19801 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
19805 (message (horizontal 1.0
19806 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
19808 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
19813 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
19814 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
19815 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
19820 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
19821 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
19822 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
19823 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
19824 (name . "Message"))
19825 (message 1.0 point))))
19828 @findex gnus-add-configuration
19829 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
19830 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
19831 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
19832 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
19835 (gnus-add-configuration
19836 '(article (vertical 1.0
19838 (summary .25 point)
19842 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
19843 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
19844 Gnus has been loaded.
19846 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
19847 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
19848 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
19849 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
19850 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
19852 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
19853 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
19854 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
19857 @subsection Example Window Configurations
19861 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
19862 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
19877 (gnus-add-configuration
19880 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19882 (summary 0.16 point)
19885 (gnus-add-configuration
19888 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19889 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
19895 @node Faces and Fonts
19896 @section Faces and Fonts
19901 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
19902 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
19903 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
19908 @section Compilation
19909 @cindex compilation
19910 @cindex byte-compilation
19912 @findex gnus-compile
19914 Remember all those line format specification variables?
19915 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
19916 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
19917 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
19918 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
19919 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
19920 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
19921 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
19924 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
19925 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
19926 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
19927 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
19928 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
19931 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
19932 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
19933 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
19934 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
19935 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
19940 @section Mode Lines
19943 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
19944 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
19945 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
19946 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
19947 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
19948 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
19949 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
19952 @cindex display-time
19954 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
19955 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
19956 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
19957 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
19958 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
19959 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
19960 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
19961 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
19964 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
19966 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
19967 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
19969 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
19970 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
19971 (length display-time-string)))))
19974 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
19975 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
19976 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
19977 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
19978 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
19981 @node Highlighting and Menus
19982 @section Highlighting and Menus
19984 @cindex highlighting
19987 @vindex gnus-visual
19988 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
19989 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
19990 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
19993 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
19994 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
19997 @item group-highlight
19998 Do highlights in the group buffer.
19999 @item summary-highlight
20000 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
20001 @item article-highlight
20002 Do highlights in the article buffer.
20004 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
20006 Create menus in the group buffer.
20008 Create menus in the summary buffers.
20010 Create menus in the article buffer.
20012 Create menus in the browse buffer.
20014 Create menus in the server buffer.
20016 Create menus in the score buffers.
20018 Create menus in all buffers.
20021 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
20022 buffers, you could say something like:
20025 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
20028 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
20031 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
20034 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
20035 in all Gnus buffers.
20037 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
20040 @item gnus-mouse-face
20041 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
20042 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
20043 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
20047 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
20051 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
20052 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
20053 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
20055 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
20056 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
20057 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
20059 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
20060 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
20061 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
20063 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
20064 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
20065 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
20067 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
20068 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
20069 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
20071 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
20072 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
20073 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
20084 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
20085 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
20086 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
20087 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
20088 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
20092 @vindex gnus-carpal
20093 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
20094 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
20095 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
20100 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20101 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20102 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
20104 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
20105 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
20106 Face used on buttons.
20108 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
20109 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
20110 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
20112 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20113 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20114 Buttons in the group buffer.
20116 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20117 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20118 Buttons in the summary buffer.
20120 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20121 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20122 Buttons in the server buffer.
20124 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20125 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20126 Buttons in the browse buffer.
20129 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
20130 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
20131 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
20139 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
20140 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
20141 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
20142 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
20143 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
20145 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
20146 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
20147 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
20149 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
20150 been idle for thirty minutes:
20153 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
20156 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
20160 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
20163 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
20164 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
20165 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20167 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
20168 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
20169 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
20170 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20172 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
20173 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
20174 @var{idle} minutes.
20176 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
20177 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
20180 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
20181 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
20182 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
20184 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
20185 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
20186 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
20187 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
20189 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
20190 your @file{.gnus} file:
20192 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
20194 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
20197 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
20198 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
20199 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
20200 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
20201 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
20202 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
20203 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
20204 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
20205 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
20206 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
20207 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
20209 @findex gnus-demon-init
20210 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
20211 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
20212 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
20213 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
20214 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
20216 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
20217 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
20218 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
20227 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
20228 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
20230 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
20231 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
20232 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
20233 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
20236 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
20237 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
20238 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
20239 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
20241 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
20242 this will make spam disappear.
20244 There are some variables to customize, of course:
20247 @item gnus-use-nocem
20248 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
20249 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
20252 @item gnus-nocem-groups
20253 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
20254 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
20255 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
20256 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
20258 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
20259 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
20260 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
20261 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
20262 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
20263 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
20265 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
20266 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
20268 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
20269 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
20270 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
20271 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
20272 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
20273 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
20274 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
20275 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
20276 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
20277 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
20279 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
20280 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
20283 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
20286 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
20287 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
20290 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
20293 The specs are applied left-to-right.
20296 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
20297 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
20299 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
20300 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
20301 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
20302 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
20304 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
20305 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
20308 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
20310 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
20318 This might be dangerous, though.
20320 @item gnus-nocem-directory
20321 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
20322 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
20323 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
20325 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20326 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20327 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
20328 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
20329 might then see old spam.
20331 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
20332 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
20333 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
20334 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
20335 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
20338 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20339 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20340 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
20341 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
20345 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
20346 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
20347 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
20348 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
20355 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
20356 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
20357 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
20359 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
20360 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
20361 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
20362 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
20363 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
20364 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
20365 @code{undo} function.
20367 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
20368 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
20369 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
20370 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
20371 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
20372 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
20373 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
20374 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
20375 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
20376 never be totally undoable.
20378 @findex gnus-undo-mode
20379 @vindex gnus-use-undo
20381 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
20382 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
20383 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
20384 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
20388 @node Predicate Specifiers
20389 @section Predicate Specifiers
20390 @cindex predicate specifiers
20392 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
20393 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
20394 to type all that much.
20396 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
20401 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
20402 gnus-article-unread-p)
20405 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
20406 functions all take one parameter.
20408 @findex gnus-make-predicate
20409 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
20410 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
20411 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
20416 @section Moderation
20419 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
20420 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
20421 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
20424 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
20428 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
20431 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
20433 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
20438 You split your incoming mail by matching on
20439 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
20440 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
20443 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
20444 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
20447 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
20448 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
20452 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
20455 (setq gnus-moderated-list
20456 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
20460 @node Image Enhancements
20461 @section Image Enhancements
20463 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
20464 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
20467 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
20468 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
20469 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
20470 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
20471 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
20484 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
20485 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
20486 over your shoulder as you read news.
20489 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
20490 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
20491 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
20492 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
20493 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
20498 @subsubsection Picon Basics
20500 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
20509 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
20510 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
20511 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
20512 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
20513 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
20514 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
20515 @code{GIF} formats.
20518 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20519 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
20520 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
20521 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
20522 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
20524 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20525 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
20526 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
20527 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
20528 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
20529 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20531 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
20532 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
20535 @node Picon Requirements
20536 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
20538 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
20539 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
20540 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
20541 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
20543 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20544 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
20545 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
20546 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
20547 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
20548 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20551 @subsubsection Easy Picons
20553 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
20554 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
20557 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
20558 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
20561 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
20562 containing the Picons databases.
20564 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
20567 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20568 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
20573 @subsubsection Hard Picons
20581 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
20582 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
20583 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
20584 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
20585 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
20590 @item gnus-picons-database
20591 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20592 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
20593 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
20594 subdirectories. This is only useful if
20595 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
20596 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
20598 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20599 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20600 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
20601 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
20602 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
20603 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
20604 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20606 @item gnus-picons-display-where
20607 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20608 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
20609 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
20610 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
20611 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
20612 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
20613 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
20615 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20616 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20617 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
20622 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
20623 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
20625 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
20626 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
20629 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20631 @item gnus-article-display-picons
20632 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
20633 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
20634 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
20636 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20637 @findex gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20638 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
20639 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the function name, not @code{xface})
20645 @node Picon Useless Configuration
20646 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
20654 The following variables offer further control over how things are
20655 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
20656 don't need to worry about.
20660 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
20661 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
20662 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20663 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
20665 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
20666 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
20667 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
20668 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
20670 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
20671 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
20672 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20673 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
20674 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
20676 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20677 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20678 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
20679 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
20680 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
20681 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
20682 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
20683 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20685 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20686 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20687 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
20688 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
20689 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20691 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20692 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20693 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
20694 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
20695 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
20696 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
20697 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
20699 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20700 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20701 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
20702 Defaults to @code{nil}.
20704 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
20705 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
20706 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
20707 Defaults to @code{t}.
20709 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20710 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20711 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
20712 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
20714 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
20715 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
20716 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
20718 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20719 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20720 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
20721 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
20723 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
20724 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
20726 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20727 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20728 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
20729 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
20730 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
20731 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
20732 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
20733 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
20744 @subsection Smileys
20749 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
20754 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
20755 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
20757 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
20758 @file{.gnus.el} file:
20761 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
20764 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
20765 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
20766 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
20767 text and maps that to file names.
20769 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
20770 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
20771 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
20772 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
20773 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
20774 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
20776 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
20777 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
20779 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
20780 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
20781 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
20783 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
20784 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
20788 @item smiley-data-directory
20789 @vindex smiley-data-directory
20790 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
20792 @item smiley-flesh-color
20793 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
20794 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
20796 @item smiley-features-color
20797 @vindex smiley-features-color
20798 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20800 @item smiley-tongue-color
20801 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
20802 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
20804 @item smiley-circle-color
20805 @vindex smiley-circle-color
20806 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20808 @item smiley-mouse-face
20809 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
20810 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
20819 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
20820 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
20821 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
20825 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
20826 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
20827 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
20828 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
20836 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
20837 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
20838 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
20839 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
20841 The variable that controls this is the
20842 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
20843 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
20844 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
20845 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
20846 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
20848 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
20849 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
20850 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
20851 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
20854 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
20855 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
20856 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
20857 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
20858 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
20859 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
20860 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
20861 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
20863 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
20866 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
20867 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
20869 @findex gnus-random-x-face
20870 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files
20871 in @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
20872 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
20873 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
20874 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big.
20876 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
20877 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
20878 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
20880 Here's how you would typically use the former function. Put something
20881 like the folllowing in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20884 (setq message-required-news-headers
20885 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20886 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
20889 Using the latter function would be something like this:
20892 (setq message-required-news-headers
20893 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20894 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
20895 (gnus-x-face-from-file
20896 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
20901 @subsection Toolbar
20911 @item gnus-use-toolbar
20912 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
20913 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
20914 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
20915 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
20917 @item gnus-group-toolbar
20918 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
20919 The toolbar in the group buffer.
20921 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
20922 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
20923 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
20925 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20926 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20927 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
20933 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
20936 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20937 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20938 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
20939 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
20940 unusual directory structure.
20942 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20943 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20944 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
20945 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
20947 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20948 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20949 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
20950 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
20951 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
20952 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
20954 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20955 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20956 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
20970 @node Fuzzy Matching
20971 @section Fuzzy Matching
20972 @cindex fuzzy matching
20974 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
20975 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
20977 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
20978 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
20979 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
20981 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
20982 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
20983 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
20984 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
20985 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
20988 @node Thwarting Email Spam
20989 @section Thwarting Email Spam
20993 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
20995 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
20996 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
20997 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
20998 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
20999 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
21000 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
21001 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
21002 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
21005 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
21006 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
21007 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
21008 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
21009 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
21010 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
21012 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
21015 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
21016 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
21017 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
21018 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
21019 * Filtering Spam Using spam.el::
21020 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)::
21023 @node The problem of spam
21024 @subsection The problem of spam
21026 @cindex spam filtering approaches
21027 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
21029 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21031 First, some background on spam.
21033 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
21034 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it exists
21035 because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail, so only
21036 a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to make it
21037 worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most common
21038 spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for further
21039 spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers}, but terms like
21040 @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, and @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
21042 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
21043 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
21044 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
21045 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
21046 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
21047 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
21048 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
21049 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
21050 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
21053 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering. If you get 200
21054 spam messages per day from @email{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you
21055 block @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about
21056 @samp{VIAGRA}, you discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the
21057 message. This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate
21058 e-mail. For instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest
21059 has been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it
21060 @strong{contained} words that were common in spam messages.
21061 Nevertheless, in isolated cases, with great care, direct filtering of
21062 mail can be useful.
21064 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
21065 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
21066 @code{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @samp{X} in
21067 China, Ghana, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
21068 @code{N} systems enter @samp{X} or the spam e-mail from @samp{X} into
21069 a database. The criteria for spam detection vary - it may be the
21070 number of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When
21071 a user of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a
21072 message is spam, he consults one of those @code{N} systems.
21074 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
21075 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
21076 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
21077 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
21078 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
21079 sending spam, and their web sites have been shut down for some time
21080 because of the incident.
21082 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
21083 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
21084 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
21085 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
21086 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
21087 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
21088 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
21089 to store the database of spam analyses.
21091 @node Anti-Spam Basics
21092 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
21096 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21098 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
21099 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
21101 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
21102 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
21103 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
21104 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
21105 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
21106 part of the mail address.)
21109 (setq message-default-news-headers
21110 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
21113 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
21114 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21119 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
21120 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
21121 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
21127 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
21128 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
21129 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
21130 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
21132 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @sc{smtp} server
21133 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
21134 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
21135 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
21136 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
21137 your fancy split rule in this way:
21142 (to "larsi" "misc")
21146 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
21147 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
21148 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
21149 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
21150 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
21152 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
21153 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
21154 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
21155 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
21156 cosmic balance somewhat.
21158 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
21159 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
21160 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
21161 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
21166 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
21167 @cindex SpamAssassin
21168 @cindex Vipul's Razor
21171 The days where the hints in the previous section was sufficient in
21172 avoiding spam is coming to an end. There are many tools out there
21173 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
21174 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
21175 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
21176 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
21177 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
21179 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
21180 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
21181 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
21182 Specifiers}) follows.
21186 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
21189 :postscript "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
21192 Once you managed to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
21193 the mail contain e.g. a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
21194 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
21197 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
21201 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21204 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
21205 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
21209 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
21210 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
21211 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
21212 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
21215 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
21217 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
21219 (let ((buf (or (get-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
21220 (get-buffer " *nnml move*"))))
21222 (progn (message "Oops, cannot find message buffer") nil)
21224 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
21225 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
21229 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
21230 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
21231 spam. And here is the nifty function:
21234 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
21235 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
21237 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
21238 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
21239 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
21243 @subsection Hashcash
21246 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
21247 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
21248 you cannot rely on that everyone in the world uses this technique,
21249 since it is not part of the internet standards, but it may be useful
21250 in smaller communities.
21252 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
21253 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
21254 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
21255 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
21256 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
21257 instead requires that everyone you communicate with supports the
21258 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
21259 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
21260 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
21261 one of them separately.
21264 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
21265 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
21266 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
21267 header. For more details, and for the external application
21268 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
21269 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
21270 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
21272 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
21276 (require 'hashcash)
21277 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
21280 The @code{hashcash.el} library can be found at
21281 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}, or in the Gnus
21282 development contrib directory.
21284 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
21288 @item hashcash-default-payment
21289 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
21290 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
21291 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
21292 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
21294 @item hashcash-payment-alist
21295 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
21296 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
21297 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(ADDR AMOUNT)} cells,
21298 where ADDR is the receiver (email address or newsgroup) and AMOUNT is
21299 the number of bits in the collision that is needed. It can also
21300 contain @samp{(ADDR STRING AMOUNT)} cells, where the STRING is the
21301 string to use (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
21305 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
21309 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
21310 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
21311 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
21312 a useful contribution, however.
21314 @node Filtering Spam Using spam.el
21315 @subsection Filtering Spam Using spam.el
21316 @cindex spam filtering
21319 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
21320 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
21321 filters incoming mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam.
21323 So, what happens when you load @code{spam.el}? First of all, you get
21324 the following keyboard commands:
21334 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
21335 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam})
21337 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{H} mark.
21338 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
21339 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group.
21345 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
21346 (@code{spam-bogofilter-score}
21348 You must have bogofilter processing enabled for that command to work
21355 Gnus can learn from the spam you get. All you have to do is collect
21356 your spam in one or more spam groups, and set the variable
21357 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. In these groups, all messages
21358 are considered to be spam by default: they get the @samp{H} mark. You must
21359 review these messages from time to time and remove the @samp{H} mark for
21360 every message that is not spam after all. When you leave a spam
21361 group, all messages that continue with the @samp{H} mark, are passed on to
21362 the spam-detection engine (bogofilter, ifile, and others). To remove
21363 the @samp{H} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to "unread" the article, or @kbd{d} for
21364 declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a group, all @samp{H}
21365 marked articles, saved or unsaved, are sent to Bogofilter or ifile
21366 (depending on @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-ifile}), which will study
21367 them as spam samples.
21369 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
21370 @code{spam-ham-marks-form} gets overridden below, marks @samp{R} and @samp{r} for
21371 default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and @samp{K} for automatic or
21372 explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for low scores, are all considered
21373 to be associated with articles which are not spam. This assumption
21374 might be false, in particular if you use kill files or score files as
21375 means for detecting genuine spam, you should then adjust
21376 @code{spam-ham-marks-form}. When you leave a group, all _unsaved_ articles
21377 bearing any the above marks are sent to Bogofilter or ifile, which
21378 will study these as not-spam samples. If you explicit kill a lot, you
21379 might sometimes end up with articles marked @samp{K} which you never saw,
21380 and which might accidentally contain spam. Best is to make sure that
21381 real spam is marked with @samp{H}, and nothing else.
21383 All other marks do not contribute to Bogofilter or ifile
21384 pre-conditioning. In particular, ticked, dormant or souped articles
21385 are likely to contribute later, when they will get deleted for real,
21386 so there is no need to use them prematurely. Explicitly expired
21387 articles do not contribute, command @kbd{E} is a way to get rid of an
21388 article without Bogofilter or ifile ever seeing it.
21390 @strong{TODO: @code{spam-use-ifile} does not process spam articles on group exit.
21391 I'm waiting for info from the author of @code{ifile-gnus.el}, because I think
21392 that functionality should go in @code{ifile-gnus.el} rather than @code{spam.el}.}
21394 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
21395 must add the following to your fancy split list
21396 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
21402 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
21403 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
21404 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
21406 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the mail
21407 considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
21408 @code{spam-split-group}. Usually that group name is @samp{spam}.
21410 The following are the methods you can use to control the behavior of
21414 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
21415 * BBDB Whitelists::
21418 * Ifile spam filtering::
21419 * Extending spam.el::
21422 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
21423 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
21424 @cindex spam filtering
21425 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
21426 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
21429 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
21430 Set this variables to t (the default) if you want to use blacklists.
21433 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
21434 Set this variables to t if you want to use whitelists.
21437 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
21438 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
21439 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
21440 blacklist. Since you start out with an empty blacklist, no harm is
21441 done by having the @code{spam-use-blacklist} variable set, so it is
21442 set by default. Blacklist entries use the Emacs regular expression
21445 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
21446 legitimate. All non-whitelisted addresses are considered spammers.
21447 This option is probably not useful for most Gnus users unless the
21448 whitelists is very comprehensive. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}.
21449 Whitelist entries use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
21451 The Blacklist and whitelist location can be customized with the
21452 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default). The whitelist
21453 and blacklist files will be in that directory, named @file{whitelist} and
21454 @file{blacklist} respectively.
21456 @node BBDB Whitelists
21457 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
21458 @cindex spam filtering
21459 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
21460 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
21463 @defvar spam-use-bbdb
21465 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
21466 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted addresses,
21467 without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded for
21468 @code{spam-use-bbdb} to work properly. Only addresses in the BBDB
21469 will be allowed through; all others will be classified as spam.
21474 @subsubsection Blackholes
21475 @cindex spam filtering
21476 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
21479 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
21481 You can let Gnus consult the blackhole-type distributed spam
21482 processing systems (DCC, for instance) when you set this option. The
21483 variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers} holds the list of blackhole servers
21486 This variable is disabled by default. It is not recommended at this
21487 time because of bugs in the @code{dns.el} code.
21492 @subsubsection Bogofilter
21493 @cindex spam filtering
21494 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
21497 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
21499 Set this variable if you want to use Eric Raymond's speedy Bogofilter.
21500 This has been tested with a locally patched copy of version 0.4. Make
21501 sure to read the installation comments in @code{spam.el}.
21503 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{H} mark for spam
21504 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
21505 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
21506 category, spam or not. The shell command @command{head -1
21507 ~/.bogofilter/*} shows both article counts. The command @kbd{S t} in
21508 summary mode, either for debugging or for curiosity, triggers
21509 Bogofilter into displaying in another buffer the @emph{spamicity}
21510 score of the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0), together with the
21511 article words which most significantly contribute to the score.
21515 @node Ifile spam filtering
21516 @subsubsection Ifile spam filtering
21517 @cindex spam filtering
21518 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
21521 @defvar spam-use-ifile
21523 Enable this variable if you want to use Ifile, a statistical analyzer
21524 similar to Bogofilter. Currently you must have @code{ifile-gnus.el}
21525 loaded. The integration of Ifile with @code{spam.el} is not finished
21526 yet, but you can use @code{ifile-gnus.el} on its own if you like.
21530 @node Extending spam.el
21531 @subsubsection Extending spam.el
21532 @cindex spam filtering
21533 @cindex spam.el, extending
21534 @cindex extending spam.el
21536 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. Provide the following:
21546 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
21547 "True if blackbox should be used.")
21552 (spam-use-blackbox . spam-check-blackbox)
21554 to @code{spam-list-of-checks}.
21559 Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
21560 @samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}. See the existing
21561 @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can do.
21564 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)
21565 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)
21566 @cindex Paul Graham
21567 @cindex Graham, Paul
21568 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
21569 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
21570 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
21572 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
21573 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
21574 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
21575 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
21576 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
21577 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
21578 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
21579 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
21580 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
21583 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
21584 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
21585 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
21586 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
21587 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
21588 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
21589 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
21590 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
21592 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
21593 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
21594 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
21595 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
21596 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
21599 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
21600 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
21601 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
21604 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
21605 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
21607 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
21608 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
21609 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
21610 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
21611 need several hundred emails in both collections.
21613 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
21614 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
21615 per mail. Use the following:
21617 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
21618 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
21619 is treated as one spam mail.
21622 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
21623 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
21624 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
21627 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
21628 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
21629 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
21630 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
21631 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
21632 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
21635 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics -- the
21636 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
21637 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
21638 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
21640 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
21641 reset the dictionary.
21645 @defun spam-stat-reset
21646 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
21648 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
21649 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
21650 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
21651 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
21652 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
21653 only non-spam mails.
21656 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
21657 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
21658 to update the dictionary incrementally.
21661 @defun spam-stat-save
21662 Save the dictionary.
21665 @defvar spam-stat-file
21666 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
21667 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
21670 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
21671 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
21673 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
21674 following to your @file{~/.gnus} file:
21677 (require 'spam-stat)
21681 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
21684 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
21685 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. In the simplest case, you only have
21686 two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says
21687 that mail is either spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is
21688 spam, then @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
21691 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21692 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21696 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
21697 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
21700 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
21701 the following expression. It only the mails not matching the regular
21702 expression are considered potential spam.
21705 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21706 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
21707 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21711 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
21712 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
21713 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
21714 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
21715 mails, when creating the dictionary!
21718 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21719 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21720 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
21724 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
21725 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
21726 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
21727 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
21728 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
21732 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21733 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
21734 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21735 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
21740 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
21741 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
21743 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
21745 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
21746 called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail;
21747 use this for new mail that has not been processed before
21751 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
21752 called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
21753 mail; use this for new mail that has not been processed before
21757 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
21758 called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
21759 mail but spam; use this to change the status of a mail that has
21760 already been processed as non-spam
21764 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
21765 called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
21766 normal mail; use this to change the status of a mail that has already
21767 been processed as spam
21771 @defun spam-stat-save
21772 save the hash table to the file; the filename used is stored in the
21773 variable @code{spam-stat-file}
21777 @defun spam-stat-load
21778 load the hash table from a file; the filename used is stored in the
21779 variable @code{spam-stat-file}
21783 @defun spam-stat-score-word
21784 return the spam score for a word
21788 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
21789 return the spam score for a buffer
21793 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
21794 for fancy mail splitting; add the rule @samp{(: spam-stat-split-fancy)} to
21795 @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
21797 This requires the following in your @file{~/.gnus} file:
21800 (require 'spam-stat)
21806 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
21809 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
21810 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
21811 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
21812 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
21813 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
21814 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
21815 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
21816 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
21817 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
21818 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
21819 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
21820 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
21821 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
21822 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
21825 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
21828 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
21829 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
21830 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
21831 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
21832 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
21833 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
21836 @node Various Various
21837 @section Various Various
21843 @item gnus-home-directory
21844 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
21845 defaults to @file{~/}.
21847 @item gnus-directory
21848 @vindex gnus-directory
21849 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
21850 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
21851 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
21853 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
21854 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
21855 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
21856 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
21858 @item gnus-default-directory
21859 @vindex gnus-default-directory
21860 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
21861 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
21862 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
21863 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
21864 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
21865 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
21868 @vindex gnus-verbose
21869 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
21870 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
21871 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
21872 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
21873 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
21875 @item gnus-verbose-backends
21876 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
21877 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
21878 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
21880 @item nnheader-max-head-length
21881 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
21882 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
21883 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
21884 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
21885 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
21886 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
21887 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
21888 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
21889 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
21891 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
21892 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
21893 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
21894 read when doing the operation described above.
21896 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
21897 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
21899 @cindex invalid characters in file names
21900 @cindex characters in file names
21901 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
21902 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
21903 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
21906 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
21910 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
21911 Windows (phooey) systems.
21913 @item gnus-hidden-properties
21914 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
21915 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
21916 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
21917 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
21919 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
21920 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
21921 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
21922 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
21923 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
21925 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
21926 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
21927 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
21929 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
21930 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
21932 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
21933 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
21934 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
21935 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
21938 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
21946 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
21947 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
21949 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
21951 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
21957 Not because of victories @*
21960 but for the common sunshine,@*
21962 the largess of the spring.
21966 but for the day's work done@*
21967 as well as I was able;@*
21968 not for a seat upon the dais@*
21969 but at the common table.@*
21974 @chapter Appendices
21977 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
21978 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
21979 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
21980 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
21981 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
21982 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
21983 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
21984 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
21985 * Frequently Asked Questions::
21992 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
21994 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
21995 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
21996 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
21997 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
21998 @samp{xemacs-base}, and @samp{fsf-compat}. The @samp{misc-games}
21999 package is required for Morse decoding.
22006 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
22007 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
22009 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
22010 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
22011 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
22012 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
22013 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
22015 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
22016 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
22017 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
22018 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
22019 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
22020 appropriate name, don't you think?)
22022 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
22023 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
22024 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
22025 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
22028 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
22029 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
22030 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
22031 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
22032 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
22033 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
22034 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
22035 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
22036 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
22040 @node Gnus Versions
22041 @subsection Gnus Versions
22043 @cindex September Gnus
22045 @cindex Quassia Gnus
22046 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
22050 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
22051 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
22052 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
22054 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
22055 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
22057 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
22058 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
22060 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
22061 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
22063 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
22064 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
22067 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
22069 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
22070 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
22071 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
22072 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
22073 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
22074 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
22077 @node Other Gnus Versions
22078 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
22081 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
22082 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
22083 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
22084 @sc{mime} capabilities.
22086 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
22087 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
22088 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
22089 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
22096 What's the point of Gnus?
22098 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
22099 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
22100 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
22101 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
22102 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
22103 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
22104 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
22105 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
22106 keep track of millions of people who post?
22108 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
22109 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
22110 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
22111 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
22112 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
22113 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
22114 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
22115 every one of you to explore and invent.
22117 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
22118 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
22121 @node Compatibility
22122 @subsection Compatibility
22124 @cindex compatibility
22125 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
22126 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
22127 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
22132 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
22136 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
22139 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
22142 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
22143 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
22144 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
22145 important variables have their values copied into their global
22146 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
22147 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
22149 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
22150 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
22151 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
22152 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
22153 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
22157 @cindex highlighting
22158 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
22159 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
22160 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
22161 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
22162 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
22163 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
22166 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
22167 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
22168 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
22169 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
22171 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
22172 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
22173 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
22174 to stop doing it the old way.
22176 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
22178 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22180 @cindex reporting bugs
22182 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
22183 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
22184 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
22186 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
22187 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
22188 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
22189 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
22194 @subsection Conformity
22196 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
22197 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
22205 There are no known breaches of this standard.
22209 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
22211 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
22212 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
22213 We do have some breaches to this one.
22219 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
22220 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
22221 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
22222 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
22223 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
22228 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
22229 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
22230 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
22231 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
22233 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
22235 All the various @sc{mime} RFCs are supported.
22237 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
22238 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
22240 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
22243 RFC 1991 is the original PGP message specification, published as a
22244 Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now called Open PGP, and
22245 put on the Standards Track. Both document a non-@sc{mime} aware PGP
22246 format. Gnus supports both encoding (signing and encryption) and
22247 decoding (verification and decryption).
22249 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
22250 RFC 2015 (superceded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
22251 1991) describes the @sc{mime}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
22252 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
22254 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
22255 RFC 2633 describes the @sc{s/mime} format.
22257 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
22258 RFC 1730 is @sc{imap} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060 (@sc{imap} 4
22259 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5 authentication for @sc{imap}. RFC
22260 2086 describes access control lists (ACLs) for @sc{imap}. RFC 2359
22261 describes a @sc{imap} protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper
22262 TLS integration (STARTTLS) with @sc{imap}. RFC 1731 describes the
22263 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @sc{imap}.
22267 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
22268 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
22273 @subsection Emacsen
22279 Gnus should work on :
22287 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
22291 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
22292 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
22293 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
22294 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
22295 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
22297 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
22298 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
22299 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
22303 @node Gnus Development
22304 @subsection Gnus Development
22306 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
22307 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
22308 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
22309 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
22310 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
22311 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
22312 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
22313 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
22315 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
22316 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
22317 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
22318 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
22319 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
22322 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
22323 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
22324 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
22325 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
22326 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
22328 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
22329 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
22330 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
22331 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
22332 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
22333 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
22334 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
22335 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
22336 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
22337 can't be assumed to do so.
22342 @subsection Contributors
22343 @cindex contributors
22345 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
22346 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
22347 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
22348 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
22349 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
22350 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
22351 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
22352 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
22353 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
22354 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
22356 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
22362 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
22365 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
22366 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
22367 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
22368 functionality and stuff.
22371 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
22372 well as numerous other things).
22375 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
22378 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
22381 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
22384 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
22387 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
22388 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
22391 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
22394 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
22395 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
22398 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
22401 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
22404 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
22407 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
22410 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
22411 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
22414 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
22417 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
22420 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
22423 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
22427 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
22430 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
22433 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
22436 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
22437 well as autoconf support.
22441 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
22442 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
22444 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
22453 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
22457 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
22467 Alexei V. Barantsev,
22482 Massimo Campostrini,
22487 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
22488 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
22492 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
22495 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
22501 Michael Welsh Duggan,
22506 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
22510 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
22518 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
22520 Michelangelo Grigni,
22524 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
22526 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
22528 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
22535 François Felix Ingrand,
22536 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
22537 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
22539 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
22550 Peter Skov Knudsen,
22551 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
22553 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
22554 Thor Kristoffersen,
22557 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
22575 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
22576 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
22583 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
22588 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
22592 John McClary Prevost,
22598 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
22603 Christian von Roques,
22606 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
22613 Philippe Schnoebelen,
22615 Randal L. Schwartz,
22629 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
22634 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
22650 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
22655 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
22656 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
22657 (550kB and counting).
22659 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
22662 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
22663 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
22667 @subsection New Features
22668 @cindex new features
22671 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
22672 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
22673 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
22674 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
22675 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
22678 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
22679 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
22680 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
22683 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
22685 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
22690 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
22691 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
22694 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
22695 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
22698 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
22701 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
22702 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
22703 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
22706 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
22707 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
22708 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
22709 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
22712 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
22713 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
22716 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
22717 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
22718 (@pxref{The Active File}).
22721 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
22722 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
22725 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
22726 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
22727 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
22730 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
22731 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
22732 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
22735 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
22736 the @file{.emacs} file.
22739 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
22740 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
22743 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
22744 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
22747 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
22748 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
22751 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
22752 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
22755 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
22756 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
22759 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
22762 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
22763 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
22766 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
22767 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
22770 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
22771 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
22774 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
22777 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
22778 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
22781 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
22785 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
22789 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
22790 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
22793 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
22799 @node September Gnus
22800 @subsubsection September Gnus
22804 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
22808 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
22813 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
22814 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
22818 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
22819 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
22823 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
22827 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
22828 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
22831 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
22835 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
22838 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
22841 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
22844 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
22848 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
22849 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
22852 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
22856 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
22860 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
22864 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
22868 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
22871 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
22872 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
22875 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
22879 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
22880 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
22883 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
22886 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
22887 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
22888 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
22891 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
22895 The Gnus cache is much faster.
22898 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
22902 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
22903 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
22906 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
22907 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
22910 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
22911 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
22914 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
22915 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
22916 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
22919 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
22920 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
22923 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
22926 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
22929 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
22932 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
22935 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
22936 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
22939 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
22943 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
22946 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
22951 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
22954 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
22958 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
22961 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
22965 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
22968 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
22971 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
22972 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
22975 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
22976 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
22980 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
22981 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
22984 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
22988 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
22989 buffer to allow easier treatment.
22992 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
22995 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
22999 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
23003 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
23004 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
23007 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
23011 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
23012 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
23015 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
23016 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23019 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
23023 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23026 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
23029 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
23035 @subsubsection Red Gnus
23037 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
23041 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
23048 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
23051 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
23052 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
23055 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
23056 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
23060 Article washing status can be displayed in the
23061 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
23064 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
23067 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
23068 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
23071 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
23075 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
23076 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
23080 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
23081 Server Internals}).
23084 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
23088 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
23091 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
23092 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
23095 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
23096 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
23097 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
23100 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
23101 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23104 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
23105 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
23108 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
23112 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
23113 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23116 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
23117 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
23120 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
23124 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
23127 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
23131 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
23132 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23135 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
23136 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23139 A new command for reading collections of documents
23140 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
23141 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
23144 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
23148 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
23149 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
23152 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
23153 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
23154 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
23157 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
23158 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
23162 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
23166 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
23170 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
23175 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
23179 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
23183 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
23184 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
23187 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
23193 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
23195 New features in Gnus 5.6:
23200 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
23201 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
23202 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
23205 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
23206 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
23207 group, which is created automatically.
23210 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
23214 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
23217 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
23218 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
23221 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
23225 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
23228 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
23229 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
23232 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
23235 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
23236 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
23239 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
23240 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
23243 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
23244 control over simplification.
23247 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
23250 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
23254 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
23257 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
23260 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
23261 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
23262 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
23265 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
23266 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
23269 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
23273 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
23274 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
23277 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
23278 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
23281 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
23285 A history of where mails have been split is available.
23288 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
23291 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
23292 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
23295 A new function for citing in Message has been
23296 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
23299 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
23302 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
23306 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
23307 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
23310 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
23311 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
23314 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
23317 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
23321 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
23322 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
23324 New features in Gnus 5.8:
23329 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
23330 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
23332 If you used procmail like in
23335 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
23336 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
23337 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
23338 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
23341 this now has changed to
23345 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
23349 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
23350 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
23353 Gnus is now a @sc{mime}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
23354 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
23357 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
23358 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
23361 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
23362 called to position point.
23365 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
23366 summary buffers and @sc{nov} files.
23369 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
23370 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
23373 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
23374 subtly different manner.
23377 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
23378 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
23379 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
23382 Gnus can now read @sc{imap} mail via @code{nnimap}.
23390 @section The Manual
23394 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
23395 either @code{texi2dvi}
23397 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
23398 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
23400 to get what you hold in your hands now.
23402 The following conventions have been used:
23407 This is a @samp{string}
23410 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
23413 This is a @file{file}
23416 This is a @code{symbol}
23420 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
23424 (setq flargnoze "yes")
23427 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
23430 (setq flumphel 'yes)
23433 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
23434 ever get them confused.
23438 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
23439 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
23440 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
23441 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
23442 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
23443 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
23444 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
23450 @node On Writing Manuals
23451 @section On Writing Manuals
23453 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
23454 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
23455 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
23456 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
23457 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
23458 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
23461 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
23462 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
23463 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
23466 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
23467 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
23472 @section Terminology
23474 @cindex terminology
23479 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
23480 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
23481 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
23482 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
23483 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
23487 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
23488 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
23489 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
23490 not posting, and replying is not following up.
23494 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
23498 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
23503 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
23504 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
23505 commonly fetched via the protocol NNTP, whereas mail messages could be
23506 read from a file on the local disk. The internal architecture of Gnus
23507 thus comprises a `front end' and a number of `back ends'. Internally,
23508 when you enter a group (by hitting @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke
23509 a function in the front end in Gnus. The front end then `talks' to a
23510 back end and says things like ``Give me the list of articles in the foo
23511 group'' or ``Show me article number 4711''.
23513 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back end
23514 accesses news via NNTP, the @code{nnimap} back end accesses mail via
23515 IMAP) or a file format and directory layout (the @code{nnspool} back end
23516 accesses news via the common `spool directory' format, the @code{nnml}
23517 back end access mail via a file format and directory layout that's
23520 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
23521 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
23522 access the articles.
23524 However, sometimes the term `back end' is also used where `server'
23525 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term `select
23526 method' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
23531 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
23532 default, way of getting news.
23536 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
23537 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
23542 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
23543 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
23547 A message that has been posted as news.
23550 @cindex mail message
23551 A message that has been mailed.
23555 A mail message or news article
23559 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
23564 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
23569 A line from the head of an article.
23573 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
23574 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
23578 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
23579 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
23580 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
23581 normal @sc{head} format.
23585 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
23586 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
23587 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
23588 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
23589 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
23590 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
23592 @item killed groups
23593 @cindex killed groups
23594 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
23595 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
23597 @item zombie groups
23598 @cindex zombie groups
23599 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
23602 @cindex active file
23603 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
23604 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
23605 is rather large, as you might surmise.
23608 @cindex bogus groups
23609 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
23610 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
23611 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
23614 @cindex activating groups
23615 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
23616 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
23617 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
23621 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
23623 @item select method
23624 @cindex select method
23625 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
23628 @item virtual server
23629 @cindex virtual server
23630 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
23631 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
23632 whole is a virtual server.
23636 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
23637 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
23640 @item ephemeral groups
23641 @cindex ephemeral groups
23642 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
23643 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
23644 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
23647 @cindex solid groups
23648 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
23649 group buffer are solid groups.
23651 @item sparse articles
23652 @cindex sparse articles
23653 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
23654 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
23658 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
23659 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
23663 @cindex thread root
23664 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
23665 articles in the thread.
23669 An article that has responses.
23673 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
23677 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
23678 specified by RFC 1153.
23684 @node Customization
23685 @section Customization
23686 @cindex general customization
23688 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
23689 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
23690 for some quite common situations.
23693 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
23694 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
23695 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
23696 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
23700 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
23701 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
23703 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
23704 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
23705 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
23709 @item gnus-read-active-file
23710 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
23711 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
23712 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
23713 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
23714 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
23716 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
23717 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
23718 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
23719 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
23723 @node Slow Terminal Connection
23724 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
23726 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
23727 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
23728 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
23732 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
23733 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
23734 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
23735 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
23736 horizontal and vertical recentering.
23738 @item gnus-visible-headers
23739 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
23740 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
23741 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
23742 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
23744 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
23746 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
23747 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
23748 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
23751 @item gnus-use-full-window
23752 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
23753 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
23754 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
23755 want to read them anyway.
23757 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
23758 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
23762 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
23763 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
23764 lines, which might save some time.
23768 @node Little Disk Space
23769 @subsection Little Disk Space
23772 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
23773 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
23777 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
23778 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
23779 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
23780 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
23783 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
23784 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
23785 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
23786 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
23789 @item gnus-save-killed-list
23790 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
23791 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
23792 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
23793 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
23799 @subsection Slow Machine
23800 @cindex slow machine
23802 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
23803 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
23805 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
23806 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
23808 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
23809 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
23810 summary buffer faster.
23814 @node Troubleshooting
23815 @section Troubleshooting
23816 @cindex troubleshooting
23818 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
23826 Make sure your computer is switched on.
23829 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
23830 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
23834 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
23835 like @samp{T-gnus 6.15.* (based on Oort Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
23836 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you get
23837 something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some old
23838 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
23841 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
23845 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
23846 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
23847 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
23848 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
23849 something like that.
23852 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
23855 @cindex reporting bugs
23857 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
23859 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
23860 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
23861 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
23862 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
23864 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
23865 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
23866 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
23867 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
23870 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
23871 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
23872 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
23873 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
23874 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
23875 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
23877 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
23878 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
23879 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
23883 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
23884 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
23887 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
23888 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
23889 edebug. Debugging lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
23890 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
23891 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
23892 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
23893 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
23894 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
23895 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
23896 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
23897 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
23898 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
23899 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
23900 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
23902 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
23903 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
23905 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
23906 @cindex ding mailing list
23907 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
23908 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
23912 @node Gnus Reference Guide
23913 @section Gnus Reference Guide
23915 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
23916 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
23917 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
23918 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
23921 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
23922 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
23923 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
23924 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
23925 and general methods of operation.
23928 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
23929 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
23930 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
23931 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
23932 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
23933 * Group Info:: The group info format.
23934 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
23935 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
23936 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
23940 @node Gnus Utility Functions
23941 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
23942 @cindex Gnus utility functions
23943 @cindex utility functions
23945 @cindex internal variables
23947 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
23948 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
23949 Below is a list of the most common ones.
23953 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
23954 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
23955 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
23957 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
23958 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
23959 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
23961 @item gnus-group-real-name
23962 @findex gnus-group-real-name
23963 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
23966 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
23967 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
23968 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
23969 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
23971 @item gnus-get-info
23972 @findex gnus-get-info
23973 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
23975 @item gnus-group-unread
23976 @findex gnus-group-unread
23977 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
23981 @findex gnus-active
23982 The active entry for @var{group}.
23984 @item gnus-set-active
23985 @findex gnus-set-active
23986 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
23988 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
23989 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
23990 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
23993 @item gnus-continuum-version
23994 @findex gnus-continuum-version
23995 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
23996 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
23999 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
24000 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
24001 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
24003 @item gnus-news-group-p
24004 @findex gnus-news-group-p
24005 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
24007 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24008 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24009 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
24011 @item gnus-server-to-method
24012 @findex gnus-server-to-method
24013 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
24015 @item gnus-server-equal
24016 @findex gnus-server-equal
24017 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
24019 @item gnus-group-native-p
24020 @findex gnus-group-native-p
24021 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
24023 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
24024 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
24025 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
24027 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
24028 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
24029 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
24031 @item group-group-find-parameter
24032 @findex group-group-find-parameter
24033 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
24034 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
24036 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
24037 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
24038 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
24040 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
24041 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
24042 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
24044 @item gnus-check-backend-function
24045 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
24046 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
24047 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
24050 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
24054 @item gnus-read-method
24055 @findex gnus-read-method
24056 Prompts the user for a select method.
24061 @node Back End Interface
24062 @subsection Back End Interface
24064 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
24065 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
24066 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
24067 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
24068 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
24069 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
24071 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
24072 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
24073 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
24074 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
24075 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
24076 been opened, the function should fail.
24078 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
24079 name. Take this example:
24083 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
24084 (nntp-port-number 4324))
24087 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
24088 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
24090 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
24091 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
24092 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
24094 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
24095 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
24096 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
24098 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
24099 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
24100 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
24101 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
24102 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
24103 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
24106 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
24107 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
24108 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
24109 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
24112 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
24113 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
24114 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
24115 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
24116 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
24117 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
24118 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
24119 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
24120 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
24121 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
24123 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
24124 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
24125 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
24126 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
24127 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
24128 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
24129 of numbers as long as possible.
24131 Note that by convention, backends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
24132 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
24133 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
24135 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
24138 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
24141 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
24142 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
24143 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
24144 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
24145 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
24146 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
24150 @node Required Back End Functions
24151 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
24155 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
24157 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
24158 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
24159 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
24160 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
24162 The result data should either be HEADs or @sc{nov} lines, and the result
24163 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
24164 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
24165 of HEADs and @sc{nov} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
24167 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
24168 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
24169 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
24170 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
24171 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
24172 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
24173 number, do maximum fetches.
24175 Here's an example HEAD:
24178 221 1056 Article retrieved.
24179 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
24180 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
24181 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
24182 Subject: Re: Something very droll
24183 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
24184 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
24186 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
24187 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
24188 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
24192 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
24193 these in the data buffer.
24195 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
24199 head = error / valid-head
24200 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
24201 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
24202 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
24203 header = <text> eol
24206 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
24207 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
24211 nov-buffer = *nov-line
24212 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
24213 field = <text except TAB>
24216 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
24220 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
24222 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
24223 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
24225 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
24226 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
24227 server. In fact, it should do so.
24229 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
24230 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
24233 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
24235 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
24236 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
24239 There should be no data returned.
24242 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
24244 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
24245 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
24246 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
24247 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
24249 There should be no data returned.
24252 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
24254 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
24255 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
24256 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
24257 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
24259 There should be no data returned.
24262 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
24264 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
24266 There should be no data returned.
24269 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
24271 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
24272 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
24273 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
24274 it would be nice if that were possible.
24276 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
24277 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
24278 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
24279 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
24280 into its article buffer.
24282 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
24283 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
24284 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
24285 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
24286 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
24287 on successful article retrieval.
24290 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
24292 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
24293 making @var{group} the current group.
24295 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
24298 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
24301 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
24304 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
24305 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
24306 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
24307 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
24308 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
24309 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
24310 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
24311 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
24312 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
24316 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
24317 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
24318 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
24322 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
24324 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
24325 a no-op on most back ends.
24327 There should be no data returned.
24330 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
24332 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
24335 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
24338 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
24339 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
24342 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
24343 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
24344 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
24345 and the highest as 0.
24348 active-file = *active-line
24349 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
24351 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
24354 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
24355 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
24356 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
24359 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
24361 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
24362 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
24363 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
24364 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
24365 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
24366 clear if the posting could not be completed.
24368 There should be no result data from this function.
24373 @node Optional Back End Functions
24374 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
24378 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
24380 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
24381 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
24382 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
24384 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
24385 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
24386 former is in the same format as the data from
24387 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
24388 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
24391 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
24395 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
24397 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
24398 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
24399 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
24400 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
24401 should return the (altered) group info.
24403 There should be no result data from this function.
24406 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
24408 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
24409 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
24410 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
24411 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
24412 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
24413 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
24414 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
24415 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
24417 There should be no result data from this function.
24420 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
24422 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
24423 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
24424 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
24425 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
24426 propagate the mark information to the server.
24428 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
24431 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
24434 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
24435 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
24436 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
24437 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
24438 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
24439 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
24440 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
24441 possible, not limit itself to these.
24443 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
24444 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
24445 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
24446 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
24448 An example action list:
24451 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
24452 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
24453 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
24456 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
24457 mark on (currently not used for anything).
24459 There should be no result data from this function.
24461 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
24463 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
24464 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
24465 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
24466 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
24467 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
24469 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
24470 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
24471 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
24474 There should be no result data from this function.
24477 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
24479 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
24480 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
24481 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
24482 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
24483 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
24484 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
24485 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
24487 There should be no result data from this function.
24490 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
24492 The result data from this function should be a description of
24496 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
24498 description = <text>
24501 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
24503 The result data from this function should be the description of all
24504 groups available on the server.
24507 description-buffer = *description-line
24511 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
24513 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
24514 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
24515 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
24516 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
24517 in the active buffer format.
24519 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
24520 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
24521 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
24522 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
24523 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
24524 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
24525 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
24528 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
24530 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
24532 There should be no return data.
24535 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
24537 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
24538 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
24539 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
24540 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
24541 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
24544 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
24547 There should be no result data returned.
24550 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
24553 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
24554 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
24556 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
24557 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
24558 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
24559 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
24560 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
24561 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
24563 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
24564 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
24567 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
24568 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
24570 There should be no data returned.
24573 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
24575 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
24576 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
24577 this function in short order.
24579 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
24580 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
24582 There should be no data returned.
24585 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
24587 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
24588 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
24590 There should be no data returned.
24593 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
24595 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
24596 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
24597 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
24599 There should be no data returned.
24602 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
24604 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
24605 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
24607 There should be no data returned.
24612 @node Error Messaging
24613 @subsubsection Error Messaging
24615 @findex nnheader-report
24616 @findex nnheader-get-report
24617 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
24618 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
24619 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
24620 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
24621 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
24622 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
24625 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
24627 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
24630 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
24631 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
24632 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
24633 takes one argument---the server symbol.
24635 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
24636 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
24637 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
24640 @node Writing New Back Ends
24641 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
24643 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
24644 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
24645 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
24646 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
24647 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
24650 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
24651 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
24652 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
24654 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
24655 package called @code{nnoo}.
24657 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
24658 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
24664 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
24665 parameters. For instance:
24668 (nnoo-declare nndir
24672 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
24673 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
24676 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
24677 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
24678 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
24680 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
24681 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
24682 a function in those back ends.
24685 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
24686 "Where nndir will look for groups."
24687 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
24690 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
24691 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
24692 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
24694 @item nnoo-define-basics
24695 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
24699 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
24703 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
24704 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
24705 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
24707 @item nnoo-map-functions
24708 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
24709 functions from the parent back ends.
24712 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
24713 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
24714 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
24717 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
24718 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
24719 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
24720 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
24723 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
24724 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
24725 haven't already been defined.
24731 nnmh-request-newgroups)
24735 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
24736 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
24737 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
24742 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
24745 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
24746 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
24750 (require 'nnheader)
24754 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
24756 (nnoo-declare nndir
24759 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
24760 "Where nndir will look for groups."
24761 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
24763 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
24764 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
24767 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
24769 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
24770 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
24771 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
24773 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
24774 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
24776 ;;; Interface functions.
24778 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
24780 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
24781 (setq nndir-directory
24782 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
24784 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
24785 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
24786 (push `(nndir-current-group
24787 ,(file-name-nondirectory
24788 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
24790 (push `(nndir-top-directory
24791 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
24793 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
24795 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
24796 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
24797 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
24798 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
24799 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
24803 nnmh-status-message
24805 nnmh-request-newgroups))
24811 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
24812 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
24814 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
24815 @findex gnus-declare-backend
24816 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
24817 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
24818 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
24820 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
24821 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
24826 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
24829 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
24831 The abilities can be:
24835 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
24837 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
24839 This back end supports both mail and news.
24841 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
24844 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
24845 articles and groups.
24847 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
24848 true for almost all back ends.
24849 @item prompt-address
24850 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
24851 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
24852 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
24856 @node Mail-like Back Ends
24857 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
24859 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
24860 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
24861 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
24862 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
24865 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
24866 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
24867 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
24870 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
24871 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
24874 This function takes four parameters.
24878 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
24881 @item exit-function
24882 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
24884 @item temp-directory
24885 Where the temporary files should be stored.
24888 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
24889 performed for one group only.
24892 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
24893 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
24894 find the article number assigned to this article.
24896 The function also uses the following variables:
24897 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
24898 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
24899 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
24900 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
24904 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
24905 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
24909 @node Score File Syntax
24910 @subsection Score File Syntax
24912 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
24913 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
24914 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
24916 Here's a typical score file:
24920 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
24927 BNF definition of a score file:
24930 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
24931 element = rule / atom
24932 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
24933 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
24934 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
24935 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
24937 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
24938 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
24939 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
24940 date-header = "date"
24941 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
24942 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
24943 score = "nil" / <integer>
24944 date = "nil" / <natural number>
24945 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
24946 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
24947 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
24948 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
24949 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
24950 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
24951 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
24952 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
24953 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
24954 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
24955 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
24956 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
24957 exclude-files / read-only / touched
24958 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
24959 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
24960 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
24961 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
24962 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
24963 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
24964 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
24965 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
24966 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
24967 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
24968 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
24969 eval = "eval" space <form>
24970 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
24973 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
24976 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
24977 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
24978 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
24979 one looong line, then that's ok.
24981 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
24982 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
24986 @subsection Headers
24988 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
24989 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
24990 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
24991 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
24993 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
24994 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
24995 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
24996 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
24997 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
24998 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
24999 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
25001 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
25002 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
25003 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
25004 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
25005 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
25007 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
25008 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
25014 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
25015 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
25017 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
25018 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
25019 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
25020 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
25022 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
25026 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
25029 is transformed into
25032 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
25035 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
25036 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
25039 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
25042 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
25043 is slightly tricky:
25046 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
25052 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
25055 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
25061 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
25068 and is equal to the previous range.
25070 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
25071 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
25072 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
25076 range = simple-range / normal-range
25077 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
25078 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
25079 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
25080 number *[ " " contents ]
25083 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
25084 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
25085 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
25086 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
25087 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
25092 @subsection Group Info
25094 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
25095 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
25096 describes the group.
25098 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
25099 second is a more complex one:
25102 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
25104 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
25105 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
25107 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
25110 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
25111 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
25112 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
25113 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
25114 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
25115 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
25116 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
25117 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
25118 this section is about.
25120 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
25121 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
25122 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
25124 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
25127 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
25128 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
25129 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25130 group = quote <string> quote
25131 ralevel = rank / level
25132 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25133 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
25134 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25136 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
25137 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
25138 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
25139 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
25142 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
25143 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
25146 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
25147 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
25150 @item gnus-info-group
25151 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
25152 @findex gnus-info-group
25153 @findex gnus-info-set-group
25154 Get/set the group name.
25156 @item gnus-info-rank
25157 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
25158 @findex gnus-info-rank
25159 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
25160 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
25162 @item gnus-info-level
25163 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
25164 @findex gnus-info-level
25165 @findex gnus-info-set-level
25166 Get/set the group level.
25168 @item gnus-info-score
25169 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
25170 @findex gnus-info-score
25171 @findex gnus-info-set-score
25172 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
25174 @item gnus-info-read
25175 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
25176 @findex gnus-info-read
25177 @findex gnus-info-set-read
25178 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
25180 @item gnus-info-marks
25181 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
25182 @findex gnus-info-marks
25183 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
25184 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
25186 @item gnus-info-method
25187 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
25188 @findex gnus-info-method
25189 @findex gnus-info-set-method
25190 Get/set the group select method.
25192 @item gnus-info-params
25193 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
25194 @findex gnus-info-params
25195 @findex gnus-info-set-params
25196 Get/set the group parameters.
25199 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
25200 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
25202 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
25203 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
25204 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
25205 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
25208 @node Extended Interactive
25209 @subsection Extended Interactive
25210 @cindex interactive
25211 @findex gnus-interactive
25213 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
25214 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
25215 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
25218 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
25219 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
25224 The best thing to do would have been to implement
25225 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
25226 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
25227 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
25228 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
25229 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
25230 @code{interactive}.
25232 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
25237 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
25238 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
25242 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
25243 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
25244 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
25247 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
25251 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
25255 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
25261 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
25262 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
25266 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
25267 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
25268 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
25270 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
25271 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
25272 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
25273 Gnus, that's very useful.
25275 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
25276 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
25277 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
25278 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
25279 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
25280 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
25281 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
25282 following function:
25285 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
25289 (,function ,@@args))
25293 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
25294 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
25295 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
25298 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
25299 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
25300 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
25302 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
25303 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
25304 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
25307 @node Various File Formats
25308 @subsection Various File Formats
25311 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
25312 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
25316 @node Active File Format
25317 @subsubsection Active File Format
25319 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
25320 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
25323 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
25326 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
25327 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
25328 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
25329 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
25330 no.general 1000 900 y
25333 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
25336 active = *group-line
25337 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
25338 group = <non-white-space string>
25340 high-number = <non-negative integer>
25341 low-number = <positive integer>
25342 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
25345 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
25346 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
25349 @node Newsgroups File Format
25350 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
25352 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
25353 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
25354 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
25357 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
25358 Here's the definition:
25362 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
25363 group = <non-white-space string>
25365 description = <string>
25370 @node Emacs for Heathens
25371 @section Emacs for Heathens
25373 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
25374 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
25375 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
25376 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
25377 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
25378 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
25379 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
25383 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
25384 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
25389 @subsection Keystrokes
25393 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
25396 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
25399 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
25400 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
25401 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
25402 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
25403 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
25404 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
25406 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
25407 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
25408 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
25409 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
25410 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
25411 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
25412 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
25414 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
25415 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
25416 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
25417 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
25418 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
25419 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
25420 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
25422 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
25423 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
25424 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
25425 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
25426 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
25432 @subsection Emacs Lisp
25434 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
25435 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
25436 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
25437 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
25439 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
25440 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
25441 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
25442 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
25443 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
25444 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
25445 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
25448 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
25449 write the following:
25452 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
25455 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
25456 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
25457 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
25460 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
25461 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
25462 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
25463 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
25464 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
25466 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
25467 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
25468 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
25472 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
25476 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
25479 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
25480 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
25483 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
25486 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
25487 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
25490 @include gnus-faq.texi
25510 @c Local Variables:
25512 @c coding: iso-8859-1
25514 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
25515 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
25516 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
25517 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
25518 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref