4 @settitle T-gnus 6.16 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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294 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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303 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
305 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
308 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
309 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
310 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
311 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
312 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
313 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
314 License'' in the Emacs manual.
316 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
317 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
318 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
320 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
321 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
322 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
323 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
331 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
333 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
334 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
336 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
337 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
338 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
339 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
340 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
341 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
342 License'' in the Emacs manual.
344 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
345 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
346 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
348 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
349 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
350 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
351 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
357 @title T-gnus 6.16 Manual
359 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
362 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
363 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
365 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
367 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
368 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
369 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
370 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
371 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
372 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
373 License'' in the Emacs manual.
375 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
376 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
377 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
379 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
380 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
381 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
382 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
391 @top The gnus Newsreader
395 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using T-gnus. The news
396 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
397 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
400 T-gnus provides @acronym{MIME} features based on @acronym{SEMI} API. So
401 T-gnus supports your right to read strange messages including big images
402 or other various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
403 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
404 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities. Oh,
405 if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
407 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.16.
418 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
419 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
421 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
422 being accused of plagiarism:
424 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
425 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
426 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
427 can even read news with it!
429 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
430 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
431 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
432 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
433 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
439 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
440 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
441 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
442 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
443 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
444 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
445 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
446 * Various:: General purpose settings.
447 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
448 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
449 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
450 * Key Index:: Key Index.
452 Other related manuals
454 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
455 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
456 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
457 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
460 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
464 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
465 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
466 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
467 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
468 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
469 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
470 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
471 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
472 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
473 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
474 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
478 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
479 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
480 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
484 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
485 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
486 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
487 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
488 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
489 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
490 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
491 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
492 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
493 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
494 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
495 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
496 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
497 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
498 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
499 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
500 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
504 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
505 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
506 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
510 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
511 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
512 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
513 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
514 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
518 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
519 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
520 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
521 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
522 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
526 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
527 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
528 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
529 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
530 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
531 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
532 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
533 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
534 * Threading:: How threads are made.
535 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
536 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
537 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
538 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
539 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
540 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
541 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
542 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
543 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
544 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
545 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
546 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
547 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
548 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
549 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
550 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
551 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
552 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
553 or reselecting the current group.
554 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
555 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
556 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
557 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
559 Summary Buffer Format
561 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
562 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
563 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
564 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
568 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
569 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
571 Reply, Followup and Post
573 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
574 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
575 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
576 * Canceling and Superseding::
580 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
581 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
582 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
583 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
584 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
585 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
589 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
590 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
592 Customizing Threading
594 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
595 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
596 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
597 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
601 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
602 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
603 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
604 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
605 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
606 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
610 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
611 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
612 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
616 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
617 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
618 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
619 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
620 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
621 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
622 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
623 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
624 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
625 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
626 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
628 Alternative Approaches
630 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
631 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
633 Various Summary Stuff
635 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
636 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
637 * Summary Generation Commands::
638 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
642 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
643 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
644 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
645 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
646 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
650 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
651 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
652 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
653 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
654 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
655 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
656 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
657 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
661 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
662 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
663 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
664 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
665 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
666 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
667 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
668 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
672 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
673 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
674 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
675 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
676 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
677 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
678 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
682 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
683 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
687 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
688 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
689 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
693 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
694 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
695 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
696 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
697 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
698 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
699 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
700 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
701 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
702 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
703 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
704 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
705 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
709 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
710 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
711 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
713 Choosing a Mail Back End
715 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
716 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
717 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
718 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
719 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
720 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
721 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
726 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
727 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
728 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
729 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
730 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
731 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
735 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
736 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
737 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
738 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
739 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
743 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
744 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
745 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
746 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
747 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
751 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
755 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
756 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
757 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
761 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
762 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
766 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
767 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
768 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
769 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
770 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
771 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
772 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
773 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
774 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
775 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
776 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
777 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
778 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
782 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
783 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
784 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
788 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
789 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
790 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
794 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
795 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
796 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
797 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
798 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
799 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
800 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
801 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
802 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
803 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
804 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
805 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
806 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
807 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
808 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
809 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
810 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
814 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
815 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
816 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
817 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
821 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
822 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
823 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
827 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
828 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
829 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
830 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
831 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
832 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
833 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
834 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
835 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
836 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
837 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
838 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
839 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
840 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
841 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
842 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
843 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
844 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
845 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
849 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
850 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
851 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
852 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
853 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
854 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
855 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
856 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
860 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
861 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
862 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
863 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
864 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
868 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
869 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
870 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
871 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
872 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
873 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
875 Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
877 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
879 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
880 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
882 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
884 * ifile spam filtering::
885 * spam-stat spam filtering::
887 * Extending the spam elisp package::
889 Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
891 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
892 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
893 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
897 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
898 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
899 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
900 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
901 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
902 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
903 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
904 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
905 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ.
909 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
910 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
911 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
912 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
913 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
914 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
915 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
916 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
917 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
921 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
922 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
923 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
924 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
925 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
926 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10.
930 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
931 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
932 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
933 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
937 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
938 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
939 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
940 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
941 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
942 * Group Info:: The group info format.
943 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
944 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
945 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
949 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
950 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
951 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
952 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
953 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
954 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
958 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
959 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
963 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
964 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
970 @chapter Starting gnus
975 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
976 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
979 @findex gnus-other-frame
980 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
981 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
982 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
984 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
985 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
986 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
988 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
989 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
992 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
993 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
994 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
995 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
996 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
997 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
998 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
999 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
1000 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
1001 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
1002 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
1006 @node Finding the News
1007 @section Finding the News
1008 @cindex finding news
1010 @vindex gnus-select-method
1012 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
1013 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
1014 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
1015 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
1018 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
1019 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
1022 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1025 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1028 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1031 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1032 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1033 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1035 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1037 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1038 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
1039 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1040 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1041 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1042 If that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1043 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1045 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1046 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1047 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1048 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1050 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1051 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1052 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1053 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1054 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
1055 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1056 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1057 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1058 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1061 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1063 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1064 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1065 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1066 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1067 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1068 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1070 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1072 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1073 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1074 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1075 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1076 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1077 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1080 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1081 you would typically set this variable to
1084 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1088 @node The First Time
1089 @section The First Time
1090 @cindex first time usage
1092 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1093 be subscribed by default.
1095 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1096 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1097 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1098 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1101 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1102 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1103 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1105 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1106 help you with most common problems.
1108 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1109 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1113 @node The Server is Down
1114 @section The Server is Down
1115 @cindex server errors
1117 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1118 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1119 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1121 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1122 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1123 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1124 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1125 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1126 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1127 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1129 @findex gnus-no-server
1130 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1132 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1133 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1134 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1135 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1136 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1137 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1138 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1142 @section Slave Gnusae
1145 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1146 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1147 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1148 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1150 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1151 @file{.newsrc} file.
1153 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1154 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1155 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1156 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1157 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1158 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1159 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1162 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1163 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1164 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1165 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1166 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1167 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1168 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1169 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1171 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1172 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1174 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1175 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1176 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1177 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1178 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1180 @node Fetching a Group
1181 @section Fetching a Group
1182 @cindex fetching a group
1184 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1185 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1186 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1187 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1188 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1189 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1195 @cindex subscription
1197 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1198 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1199 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1200 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1201 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1202 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1203 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1204 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1205 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1208 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1209 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1210 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1214 @node Checking New Groups
1215 @subsection Checking New Groups
1217 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1218 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1219 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1220 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1221 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1222 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1223 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1224 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1225 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1226 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1228 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1229 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1230 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1231 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1232 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1233 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1234 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1235 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1236 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1237 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1238 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1240 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1241 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1242 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1243 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1244 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1245 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1248 @node Subscription Methods
1249 @subsection Subscription Methods
1251 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1252 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1253 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1255 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1256 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1258 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1262 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1263 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1264 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1265 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1266 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1268 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1269 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1270 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1271 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1273 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1274 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1275 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1277 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1278 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1279 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1280 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1281 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1282 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1283 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1284 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1285 up. Or something like that.
1287 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1288 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1289 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1290 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1291 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1293 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1294 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1295 Kill all new groups.
1297 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1298 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1299 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1300 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1301 topic parameter that looks like
1307 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1310 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1315 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1316 A closely related variable is
1317 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1318 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1319 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1320 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1323 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1324 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1325 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1326 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1329 @node Filtering New Groups
1330 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1332 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1333 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1334 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1337 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1340 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1341 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1342 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1343 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1344 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1345 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1346 subscribing these groups.
1347 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1348 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1350 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1351 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1352 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1353 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1354 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1355 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1356 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1357 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1359 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1360 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1361 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1362 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1363 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1364 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1365 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1366 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1367 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1368 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1371 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1372 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1375 @node Changing Servers
1376 @section Changing Servers
1377 @cindex changing servers
1379 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1380 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1381 very flaky and you want to use another.
1383 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1384 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1388 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1389 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1390 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1391 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1394 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1395 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1396 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1397 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1399 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1400 @findex gnus-change-server
1401 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1402 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1403 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1404 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1405 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1407 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1408 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1409 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1410 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1411 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1413 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1414 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1415 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1416 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1417 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1418 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1420 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1421 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1422 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1423 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1425 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1426 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1427 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1428 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1429 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1430 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1431 cache for all groups).
1435 @section Startup Files
1436 @cindex startup files
1441 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1442 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1444 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1445 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1446 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1447 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1448 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1449 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1450 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1452 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1453 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1454 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1455 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1456 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1457 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1459 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1460 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1461 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1462 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1463 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1464 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1465 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1466 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1467 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1468 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1470 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1471 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1472 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1473 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1474 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1475 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1476 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1477 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1478 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1479 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1480 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1481 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1483 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1484 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1485 @vindex version-control
1486 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1487 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1488 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1489 If you want version control for this file, set
1490 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1491 @code{version-control} variable.
1493 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1494 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1495 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1496 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1497 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1498 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1499 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1500 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1501 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1502 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1505 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1506 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1508 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1509 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1512 @vindex gnus-init-file
1513 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1514 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1515 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1516 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1517 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1518 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1519 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1520 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1521 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1522 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1528 @cindex dribble file
1531 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1532 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1533 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1534 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1535 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1538 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1539 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1542 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1543 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1544 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1546 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1547 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1548 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1549 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1550 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1551 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1553 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1554 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1555 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1558 @node The Active File
1559 @section The Active File
1561 @cindex ignored groups
1563 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1564 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1565 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1567 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1568 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1569 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1570 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1571 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1572 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1573 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1576 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1577 @c if you set it to anything else.
1579 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1581 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1582 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1583 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1585 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1586 you actually subscribe to.
1588 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1589 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1590 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1591 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1593 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1594 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1595 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1596 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1597 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1598 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1600 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1601 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1602 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1605 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1606 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1607 @acronym{NNTP} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1608 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1609 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1610 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1612 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1613 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1615 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1616 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1618 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1619 secondary select methods.
1622 @node Startup Variables
1623 @section Startup Variables
1627 @item gnus-load-hook
1628 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1629 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1630 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1631 times you start gnus.
1633 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1634 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1635 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1637 @item gnus-startup-hook
1638 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1639 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1641 @item gnus-started-hook
1642 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1643 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1646 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1647 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1648 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1649 generating the group buffer.
1651 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1652 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1653 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1654 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1655 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1656 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1657 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1658 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1660 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1661 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1662 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1663 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1664 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1665 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1667 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1668 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1669 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1671 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1672 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1673 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1675 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1676 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1677 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1678 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1684 @chapter Group Buffer
1685 @cindex group buffer
1687 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1689 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1690 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1691 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1692 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1693 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1694 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1695 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1696 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1697 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1698 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1699 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1700 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1701 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1702 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1703 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1704 @c human rights at 9...
1707 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1708 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1709 long as gnus is active.
1713 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1714 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1715 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1716 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1717 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1718 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1719 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1720 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1726 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1727 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1728 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1729 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1730 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1731 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1732 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1733 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1734 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1735 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1736 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1737 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1738 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1739 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1740 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1741 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1742 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1746 @node Group Buffer Format
1747 @section Group Buffer Format
1750 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1751 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1752 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1756 @node Group Line Specification
1757 @subsection Group Line Specification
1758 @cindex group buffer format
1760 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1761 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1763 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1766 25: news.announce.newusers
1767 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1772 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1773 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1774 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1775 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1777 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1778 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1779 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1780 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1781 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1782 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1784 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1786 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1787 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1788 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1789 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1790 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1792 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1793 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1794 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1796 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1801 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1804 Whether the group is subscribed.
1807 Level of subscribedness.
1810 Number of unread articles.
1813 Number of dormant articles.
1816 Number of ticked articles.
1819 Number of read articles.
1822 Number of unseen articles.
1825 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1826 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1828 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1829 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1830 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1831 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1832 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1833 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1834 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1835 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1838 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1841 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1850 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1851 comment element in the group parameters.
1854 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1855 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1856 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1860 @samp{m} if moderated.
1863 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1869 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1875 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1879 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1882 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1883 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1884 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1885 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1886 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1889 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1891 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1895 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1898 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1902 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1903 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1904 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1905 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1906 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1907 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1912 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1913 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1914 group, or a bogus native group.
1917 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1918 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1919 @cindex group mode line
1921 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1922 The mode line can be changed by setting
1923 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1924 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1928 The native news server.
1930 The native select method.
1934 @node Group Highlighting
1935 @subsection Group Highlighting
1936 @cindex highlighting
1937 @cindex group highlighting
1939 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1940 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1941 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1942 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1943 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1945 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1949 (cond (window-system
1950 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1951 (defface my-group-face-1
1952 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1953 (defface my-group-face-2
1954 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1955 "Second group face")
1956 (defface my-group-face-3
1957 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1958 (defface my-group-face-4
1959 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1960 (defface my-group-face-5
1961 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1963 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1964 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1965 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1966 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1967 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1968 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1971 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1973 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1980 The number of unread articles in the group.
1984 Whether the group is a mail group.
1986 The level of the group.
1988 The score of the group.
1990 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1992 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1993 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1995 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1996 topic being inserted.
1999 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
2000 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
2001 functions for snarfing info on the group.
2003 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
2004 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
2005 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
2006 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
2007 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
2010 @node Group Maneuvering
2011 @section Group Maneuvering
2012 @cindex group movement
2014 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
2015 expected, hopefully.
2021 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
2022 Go to the next group that has unread articles
2023 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2029 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2030 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2031 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2035 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2036 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2040 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2041 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2045 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2046 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2047 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2051 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2052 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2053 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2056 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2062 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2063 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2064 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2069 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2070 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2071 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2075 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2076 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2077 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2080 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2081 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2082 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2083 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2087 @node Selecting a Group
2088 @section Selecting a Group
2089 @cindex group selection
2094 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2095 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2096 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2097 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2098 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2099 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2100 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2101 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2102 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2103 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2105 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2106 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2107 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2109 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2110 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2115 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2116 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2117 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2118 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2119 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2123 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2124 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2125 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2126 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2127 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2128 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2129 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2130 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2131 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2132 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2135 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2136 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2137 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2138 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2139 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2142 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2143 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2144 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2145 doing any processing of its contents
2146 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2147 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2148 manner will have no permanent effects.
2152 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2153 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2154 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2155 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2156 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2157 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2158 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2159 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2160 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2161 most recently will be fetched.
2163 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2164 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2165 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2168 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2169 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2170 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2171 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2172 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2173 Which article this is is controlled by the
2174 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2180 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2183 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2186 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2188 @item unseen-or-unread
2189 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2190 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2194 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2198 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2199 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2201 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2202 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2203 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2204 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2208 @node Subscription Commands
2209 @section Subscription Commands
2210 @cindex subscription
2218 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2219 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2220 Toggle subscription to the current group
2221 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2227 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2228 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2229 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2230 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2236 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2237 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2238 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2244 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2245 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2248 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2249 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2250 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2251 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2252 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2258 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2259 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2263 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2264 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2267 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2268 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2269 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2270 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2271 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2272 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2273 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2274 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2275 @file{.newsrc} file.
2279 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2289 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2290 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2291 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2292 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2293 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2294 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2299 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2300 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2301 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2305 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2306 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2307 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2309 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2310 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2311 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2312 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2313 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2314 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2321 @section Group Levels
2325 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2326 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2327 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2328 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2329 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2331 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2337 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2338 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2339 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2340 prompted for a level.
2343 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2344 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2345 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2346 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2347 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2348 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2349 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2350 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2351 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2352 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2353 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2354 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2355 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2356 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2357 reasons of efficiency.
2359 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2360 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2362 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2363 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2364 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2365 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2366 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2367 groups are hidden, in a way.
2369 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2370 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2371 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2372 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2373 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2374 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2376 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2377 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2378 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2379 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2380 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2381 list of killed groups.)
2383 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2384 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2385 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2387 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2388 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2389 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2390 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2391 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2392 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2393 relevant valid ranges.
2395 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2396 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2397 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2398 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2399 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2400 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2403 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2404 one with the best level.
2406 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2407 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2408 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2411 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2412 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2413 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2414 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2417 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2418 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2419 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2420 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2422 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2423 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2424 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2425 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2426 to 5. The default is 6.
2430 @section Group Score
2435 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2436 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2437 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2440 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2441 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2442 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2443 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2444 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2445 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2446 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2447 least significant part.))
2449 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2450 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2451 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2452 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2453 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2454 action after each summary exit, you can add
2455 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2456 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2457 slow things down somewhat.
2460 @node Marking Groups
2461 @section Marking Groups
2462 @cindex marking groups
2464 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2465 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2466 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2467 bidding on those groups.
2469 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2470 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2471 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2479 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2480 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2486 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2487 Remove the mark from the current group
2488 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2492 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2493 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2497 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2498 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2502 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2503 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2507 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2508 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2509 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2512 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2514 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2515 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2516 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2517 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2518 the command to be executed.
2521 @node Foreign Groups
2522 @section Foreign Groups
2523 @cindex foreign groups
2525 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2526 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2527 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2528 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2535 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2536 @cindex making groups
2537 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2538 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2539 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2543 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2544 @cindex renaming groups
2545 Rename the current group to something else
2546 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2547 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2553 @findex gnus-group-customize
2554 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2558 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2559 @cindex renaming groups
2560 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2561 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2565 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2566 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2567 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2571 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2572 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2573 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2577 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2579 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2580 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2585 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2586 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2590 @cindex (ding) archive
2591 @cindex archive group
2592 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2593 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2594 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2595 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2596 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2597 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2598 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2602 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2604 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2605 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2606 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2607 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2611 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2613 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2614 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2615 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2619 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2620 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2622 Make a group based on some file or other
2623 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2624 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2625 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2626 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2627 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2628 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2629 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2630 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2631 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2635 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2636 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2637 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2638 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2642 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2646 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2647 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2648 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2649 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2650 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2651 @xref{Web Searches}.
2653 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2654 to a particular group by using a match string like
2655 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2658 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2659 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2660 This function will delete the current group
2661 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2662 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2663 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2664 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2665 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2669 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2670 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2671 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2675 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2676 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2677 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2680 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2683 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2684 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2685 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2686 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2687 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2688 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2692 @node Group Parameters
2693 @section Group Parameters
2694 @cindex group parameters
2696 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2697 Here's an example group parameter list:
2700 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2704 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2705 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2706 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2707 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2709 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2710 is an alist of regexps and values.
2712 The following group parameters can be used:
2717 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2720 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2723 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2724 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2725 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2726 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2727 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2729 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2730 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2731 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2732 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2733 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2734 list address instead.
2736 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2740 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2743 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2746 It is totally ignored
2747 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2748 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2750 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2751 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2752 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2753 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2754 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2756 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2757 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2758 sending the message.
2760 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2761 @cindex mail list groups
2762 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2763 entering summary buffer.
2765 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2770 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2771 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2772 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2773 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2774 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2775 headers for your posts to these lists. @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing
2776 Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for a complete treatment of
2777 available MFT support.
2779 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2780 directly uses this group parameter.
2784 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2785 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2786 of whether it has any unread articles.
2788 @item broken-reply-to
2789 @cindex broken-reply-to
2790 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2791 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2792 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2793 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2794 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2795 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2799 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2800 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2804 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2805 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2806 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2811 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2812 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2813 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2814 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2815 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2816 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2817 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2819 @strong{Caveat}: It yields an error putting @code{(gcc-self . t)} in
2820 groups of an @code{nntp} server or so, because an @code{nntp} server
2821 doesn't accept articles.
2825 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2826 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2827 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2829 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2832 @cindex total-expire
2833 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2834 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2835 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2836 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2839 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2843 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2844 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2845 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2846 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2847 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2848 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2849 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2852 @cindex expiry-target
2853 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2854 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2857 @cindex score file group parameter
2858 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2859 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2860 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2863 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2864 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2865 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2866 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2869 @cindex admin-address
2870 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2871 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2872 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2873 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2877 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2878 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2882 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2885 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2886 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2889 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2893 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2895 Here are some examples:
2899 Display only unread articles.
2902 Display everything except expirable articles.
2904 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2905 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2909 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2910 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2911 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2912 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2913 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2917 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2918 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2919 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2923 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2924 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2925 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2929 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2930 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2931 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2933 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2935 @item ignored-charsets
2936 @cindex ignored-charset
2937 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2938 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2939 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2941 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2944 @cindex posting-style
2945 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2946 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2947 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2948 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2949 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2951 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2952 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2953 like this in the group parameters:
2958 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2959 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2964 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2965 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2969 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
2970 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
2971 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2972 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2973 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2977 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2978 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2979 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2980 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2982 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
2983 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2984 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2985 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2988 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2989 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2993 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
2994 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
2996 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2997 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2998 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2999 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3000 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3001 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3002 @code{eval}ed there.
3004 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer.
3005 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3006 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3007 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3008 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3009 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3010 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3011 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3014 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3017 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3018 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3019 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3022 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3025 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3026 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3027 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3028 into the group parameters for the group.
3030 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
3031 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
3032 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
3033 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
3034 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
3038 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
3039 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
3040 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
3041 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
3042 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
3044 @vindex gnus-parameters
3045 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3046 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
3050 (setq gnus-parameters
3052 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3053 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3054 (gnus-summary-line-format
3055 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3059 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3063 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3067 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3070 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3071 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3074 @node Listing Groups
3075 @section Listing Groups
3076 @cindex group listing
3078 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3086 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3087 List all groups that have unread articles
3088 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3089 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3090 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3091 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3098 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3099 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3100 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3101 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3102 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3103 unsubscribed groups).
3107 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3108 List all unread groups on a specific level
3109 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3110 with no unread articles.
3114 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3115 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3116 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3117 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3122 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3123 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3127 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3128 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3129 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3133 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3134 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3138 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3139 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3140 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3141 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3142 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3143 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3144 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3145 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3149 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3150 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3151 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3155 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3156 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3157 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3161 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3162 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3166 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3167 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3171 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3172 List groups limited within the current selection
3173 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3177 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3178 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3182 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3183 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3187 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3188 @cindex visible group parameter
3189 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3190 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3191 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3192 get the same effect.
3194 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3195 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3196 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3197 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3198 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3201 @node Sorting Groups
3202 @section Sorting Groups
3203 @cindex sorting groups
3205 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3206 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3207 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3208 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3209 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3210 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3215 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3216 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3217 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3219 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3220 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3221 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3223 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3224 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3225 Sort by group level.
3227 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3228 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3229 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3231 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3232 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3233 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3234 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3236 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3237 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3238 Sort by number of unread articles.
3240 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3241 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3242 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3244 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3245 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3246 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3251 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3252 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3256 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3257 some sorting criteria:
3261 @kindex G S a (Group)
3262 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3263 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3264 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3267 @kindex G S u (Group)
3268 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3269 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3270 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3273 @kindex G S l (Group)
3274 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3275 Sort the group buffer by group level
3276 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3279 @kindex G S v (Group)
3280 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3281 Sort the group buffer by group score
3282 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3285 @kindex G S r (Group)
3286 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3287 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3288 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3291 @kindex G S m (Group)
3292 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3293 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3294 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3297 @kindex G S n (Group)
3298 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3299 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3300 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3304 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3305 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3307 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3308 commands will sort in reverse order.
3310 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3314 @kindex G P a (Group)
3315 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3316 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3317 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3320 @kindex G P u (Group)
3321 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3322 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3323 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3326 @kindex G P l (Group)
3327 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3328 Sort the groups by group level
3329 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3332 @kindex G P v (Group)
3333 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3334 Sort the groups by group score
3335 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3338 @kindex G P r (Group)
3339 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3340 Sort the groups by group rank
3341 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3344 @kindex G P m (Group)
3345 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3346 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3347 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3350 @kindex G P n (Group)
3351 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3352 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3353 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3356 @kindex G P s (Group)
3357 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3358 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3362 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3366 @node Group Maintenance
3367 @section Group Maintenance
3368 @cindex bogus groups
3373 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3374 Find bogus groups and delete them
3375 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3379 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3380 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3381 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3382 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3383 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3387 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3388 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3389 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3390 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3391 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3392 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3395 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3396 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3397 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3398 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3403 @node Browse Foreign Server
3404 @section Browse Foreign Server
3405 @cindex foreign servers
3406 @cindex browsing servers
3411 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3412 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3413 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3414 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3417 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3418 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3419 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3420 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3422 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3427 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3428 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3432 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3433 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3436 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3437 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3438 Enter the current group and display the first article
3439 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3442 @kindex RET (Browse)
3443 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3444 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3448 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3449 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3450 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3456 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3457 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3461 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3462 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3466 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3467 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3468 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3473 @section Exiting gnus
3474 @cindex exiting gnus
3476 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3481 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3482 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3483 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3484 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3488 @findex gnus-group-exit
3489 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3490 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3494 @findex gnus-group-quit
3495 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3496 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3499 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3500 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3501 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3502 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3503 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3504 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3510 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3511 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3512 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3518 @section Group Topics
3521 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3522 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3523 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3524 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3525 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3526 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3530 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3531 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3542 2: alt.religion.emacs
3545 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3547 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3548 13: comp.sources.unix
3551 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3553 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3554 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3555 is a toggling command.)
3557 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3558 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3559 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3560 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3563 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3564 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3565 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3568 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3572 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3573 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3574 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3575 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3576 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3580 @node Topic Commands
3581 @subsection Topic Commands
3582 @cindex topic commands
3584 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3585 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3586 definitions slightly.
3588 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3589 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3590 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3591 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3592 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3593 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3595 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3602 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3603 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3604 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3608 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3610 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3611 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3612 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3613 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3616 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3617 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3618 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3619 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3623 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3624 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3625 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3626 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3632 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3633 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3634 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3638 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3639 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3640 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3643 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3644 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3645 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3646 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3647 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3649 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3650 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3654 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3655 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3662 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3664 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3665 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3666 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3667 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3668 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3669 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3673 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3679 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3680 Move the current group to some other topic
3681 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3682 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3686 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3687 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3691 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3692 Copy the current group to some other topic
3693 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3694 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3698 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3699 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3700 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3704 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3705 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3706 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3710 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3711 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3712 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3713 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3714 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3715 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3716 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3719 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3720 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3724 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3725 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3726 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3730 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3731 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3732 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3736 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3737 Toggle hiding empty topics
3738 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3742 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3743 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3744 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3745 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3748 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3749 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3750 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3751 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3752 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3755 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3756 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3757 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3758 expiry process (if any)
3759 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3763 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3764 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3767 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3768 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3769 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3773 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3774 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3775 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3778 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3779 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3780 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3783 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3784 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3785 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3789 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3790 @cindex group parameters
3791 @cindex topic parameters
3793 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3794 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3799 @node Topic Variables
3800 @subsection Topic Variables
3801 @cindex topic variables
3803 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3804 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3806 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3807 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3808 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3821 Number of groups in the topic.
3823 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3825 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3828 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3829 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3830 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3833 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3834 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3836 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3837 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3838 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3842 @subsection Topic Sorting
3843 @cindex topic sorting
3845 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3851 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3852 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3853 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3854 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3857 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3858 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3859 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3860 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3863 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3864 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3865 Sort the current topic by group level
3866 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3869 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3870 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3871 Sort the current topic by group score
3872 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3875 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3876 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3877 Sort the current topic by group rank
3878 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3881 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3882 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3883 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3884 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3887 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3888 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3889 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3890 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3894 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3895 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3896 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3897 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3901 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3902 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3906 @node Topic Topology
3907 @subsection Topic Topology
3908 @cindex topic topology
3911 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3918 2: alt.religion.emacs
3921 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3923 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3924 13: comp.sources.unix
3928 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3929 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3930 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3935 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3936 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3940 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3941 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3942 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3943 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3944 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3945 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3947 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3948 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3949 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3952 @node Topic Parameters
3953 @subsection Topic Parameters
3954 @cindex topic parameters
3956 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3957 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3958 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3960 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3965 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3966 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3967 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3970 @item subscribe-level
3971 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3972 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3973 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3977 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3978 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3979 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3980 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3986 2: alt.religion.emacs
3990 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3992 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3993 13: comp.sources.unix
3997 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3998 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3999 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4000 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4001 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4002 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4004 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4005 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4006 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4007 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4008 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4010 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4011 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4012 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4013 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4014 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4015 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4016 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4017 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4020 @node Misc Group Stuff
4021 @section Misc Group Stuff
4024 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
4025 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
4026 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
4027 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
4028 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
4035 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
4036 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
4037 @xref{Server Buffer}.
4041 @findex gnus-group-post-news
4042 Start composing a message (a news by default)
4043 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
4044 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4045 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4046 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4047 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4051 @findex gnus-group-mail
4052 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4053 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4054 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4055 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4059 @findex gnus-group-news
4060 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4061 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4062 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4064 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4065 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4066 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4067 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4068 for this to work though.
4072 Variables for the group buffer:
4076 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4077 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4078 is called after the group buffer has been
4081 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4082 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4083 is called after the group buffer is
4084 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4087 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4088 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4089 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4090 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4092 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4093 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4094 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4095 whether they are empty or not.
4097 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4098 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4099 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4100 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4104 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4105 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4108 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4109 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4110 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4111 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4112 is used to show non-@acronym{ASCII} group names. @code{((".*"
4113 utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the
4114 default is @code{nil}.
4118 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4119 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4124 @node Scanning New Messages
4125 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4126 @cindex new messages
4127 @cindex scanning new news
4133 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4134 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4135 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4136 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4137 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4138 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4143 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4144 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4145 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4146 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4147 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4148 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4149 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4151 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4152 @cindex activating groups
4154 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4155 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4160 @findex gnus-group-restart
4161 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4162 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4163 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
4167 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4168 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4170 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4171 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4175 @node Group Information
4176 @subsection Group Information
4177 @cindex group information
4178 @cindex information on groups
4185 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4186 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4189 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
4190 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
4191 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
4192 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
4193 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4194 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
4195 used for fetching the file.
4197 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
4198 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4202 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4203 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4205 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4206 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4209 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4210 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4211 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4215 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4216 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4217 @cindex control message
4218 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4219 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4220 group if given a prefix argument.
4222 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4223 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4224 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4225 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4227 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4228 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
4229 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
4233 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4235 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4236 @cindex describing groups
4237 @cindex group description
4238 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4239 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4240 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4244 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4245 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4246 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4253 @findex gnus-version
4254 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4258 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4259 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4262 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4265 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4266 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4270 @node Group Timestamp
4271 @subsection Group Timestamp
4273 @cindex group timestamps
4275 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
4276 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4277 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4280 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4283 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4285 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4286 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4289 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4290 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4293 This will result in lines looking like:
4296 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4297 0: custom 19961002T012713
4300 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4301 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4305 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4306 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4309 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4310 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4314 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4315 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4316 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4317 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4319 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4325 @subsection File Commands
4326 @cindex file commands
4332 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4333 @vindex gnus-init-file
4334 @cindex reading init file
4335 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4336 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4340 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4341 @cindex saving .newsrc
4342 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4343 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4344 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4347 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4348 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4349 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4354 @node Sieve Commands
4355 @subsection Sieve Commands
4356 @cindex group sieve commands
4358 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4359 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4360 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4361 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4362 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4364 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4365 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4366 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4367 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4368 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4369 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4370 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4371 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4372 regenerate the Sieve script.
4374 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4375 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4376 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4377 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4378 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4379 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4380 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4381 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4382 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4383 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4386 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4387 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4392 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4398 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4399 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4400 @cindex generating sieve script
4401 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4402 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4406 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4407 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4408 @cindex updating sieve script
4409 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4410 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4411 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4416 @node Summary Buffer
4417 @chapter Summary Buffer
4418 @cindex summary buffer
4420 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4421 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4423 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4424 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4426 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4429 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4430 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4431 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4432 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4433 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4434 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4435 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4436 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4437 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4438 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4439 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4440 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4441 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4442 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4443 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4444 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4445 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4446 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4447 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4448 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4449 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4450 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4451 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4452 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4453 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4454 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4455 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4456 or reselecting the current group.
4457 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4458 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4459 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4460 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4464 @node Summary Buffer Format
4465 @section Summary Buffer Format
4466 @cindex summary buffer format
4470 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4471 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4472 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4478 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4479 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4480 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4481 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4484 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4485 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4486 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4487 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4488 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4489 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4490 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4491 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4492 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4493 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4494 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4495 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4496 other function instead:
4499 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4500 'mail-extract-address-components)
4503 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4504 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4505 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4506 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4509 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4510 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4512 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4513 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4514 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4515 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4516 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4518 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4519 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4520 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4521 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4522 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4523 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4525 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4527 The following format specification characters and extended format
4528 specification(s) are understood:
4534 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4535 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4537 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4538 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4539 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4541 Full @code{From} header.
4543 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4545 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4548 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4549 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4550 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4551 may be more thorough.
4553 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4556 Number of lines in the article.
4558 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4559 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4561 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4562 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4564 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4566 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4567 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4580 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4581 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4582 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4583 line-drawing glyphs.
4585 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4586 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4587 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4588 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4590 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4591 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4592 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4593 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4595 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4596 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4597 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4598 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4600 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4601 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4602 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4604 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4605 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4606 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4608 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4609 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4610 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4612 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4613 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4614 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4619 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4620 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4622 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4623 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4625 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4626 for adopted articles.
4628 One space for each thread level.
4630 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4632 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4635 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4636 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4637 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4640 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4642 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4643 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4644 default level. If the difference between
4645 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4646 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4654 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4656 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4662 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4663 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4665 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4666 article has any children.
4672 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4673 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4675 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4676 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4677 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
4678 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4679 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4680 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4683 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4684 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4685 There can only be one such area.
4687 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4688 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4689 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4690 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4691 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4692 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4694 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4695 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4697 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4700 @node To From Newsgroups
4701 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4705 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4706 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4707 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4708 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4709 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4713 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4714 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4715 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4719 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4720 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4723 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4724 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4727 @findex gnus-extra-header
4728 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4729 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4730 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4733 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4737 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4738 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4739 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4740 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4741 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4742 headers are used instead.
4746 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4747 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4748 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
4749 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4750 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4751 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4754 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4755 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4756 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4757 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4759 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4763 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4765 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4766 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4767 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4768 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4772 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4775 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4776 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4779 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4780 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4781 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4787 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4788 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4791 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4792 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4794 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4795 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4796 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4797 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4799 Here are the elements you can play with:
4805 Unprefixed group name.
4807 Current article number.
4809 Current article score.
4813 Number of unread articles in this group.
4815 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4818 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4819 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4820 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4821 and no unselected ones.
4823 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4824 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4826 Subject of the current article.
4828 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4830 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4832 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4834 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4836 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4838 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4842 @node Summary Highlighting
4843 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4847 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4848 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4849 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4850 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4851 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4853 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4854 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4855 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4856 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4858 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4859 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4860 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4861 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4863 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4864 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4865 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4866 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4867 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4868 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4871 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4872 ((> score default) . bold))
4874 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4875 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4879 @node Summary Maneuvering
4880 @section Summary Maneuvering
4881 @cindex summary movement
4883 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4884 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4886 None of these commands select articles.
4891 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4892 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4893 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4894 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4895 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4899 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4900 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4901 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4902 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4903 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4906 @kindex G g (Summary)
4907 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4908 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4909 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4912 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4913 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4914 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4915 to the group buffer.
4917 Variables related to summary movement:
4921 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4922 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4923 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4924 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4925 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4926 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4927 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4928 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4929 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4930 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4931 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4932 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4933 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4934 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4936 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4937 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4938 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4939 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4940 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4941 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4942 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4944 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4946 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4947 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4948 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4949 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4950 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4952 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4953 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4954 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4955 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4956 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4957 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4958 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4959 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4962 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4963 the given number of lines from the top.
4968 @node Choosing Articles
4969 @section Choosing Articles
4970 @cindex selecting articles
4973 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4974 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4978 @node Choosing Commands
4979 @subsection Choosing Commands
4981 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4982 and they all select and display an article.
4984 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4985 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4989 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4990 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4991 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4992 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4994 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
4995 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
4996 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
5001 @kindex G n (Summary)
5002 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
5003 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
5004 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
5009 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
5010 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
5011 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
5016 @kindex G N (Summary)
5017 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
5018 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
5023 @kindex G P (Summary)
5024 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
5025 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
5028 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
5029 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
5030 Go to the next article with the same subject
5031 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
5034 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
5035 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
5036 Go to the previous article with the same subject
5037 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
5041 @kindex G f (Summary)
5043 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5044 Go to the first unread article
5045 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5049 @kindex G b (Summary)
5051 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5052 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5053 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5054 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5059 @kindex G l (Summary)
5060 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5061 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5064 @kindex G o (Summary)
5065 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5067 @cindex article history
5068 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5069 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5070 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5071 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5072 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5073 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5078 @kindex G j (Summary)
5079 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5080 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5081 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5086 @node Choosing Variables
5087 @subsection Choosing Variables
5089 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5092 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5093 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5094 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5095 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5096 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5097 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5099 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5100 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5101 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
5102 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article. If you would
5103 like each article to be saved in the Agent as you read it, putting
5104 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this hook will do so.
5106 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5107 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5108 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5109 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5110 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5111 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5112 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5113 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5114 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
5115 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5116 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5117 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5118 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5119 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5124 @node Paging the Article
5125 @section Scrolling the Article
5126 @cindex article scrolling
5131 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5132 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5133 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5134 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5135 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5137 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5138 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5139 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5140 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5141 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5142 what is considered uninteresting with
5143 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5144 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5147 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5148 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5149 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5152 @kindex RET (Summary)
5153 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5154 Scroll the current article one line forward
5155 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5158 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5159 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5160 Scroll the current article one line backward
5161 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5165 @kindex A g (Summary)
5167 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5168 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5169 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5170 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5171 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5172 the way it came from the server.
5174 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5175 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5176 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5179 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5184 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5189 @kindex A < (Summary)
5190 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5191 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5192 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5197 @kindex A > (Summary)
5198 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5199 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5203 @kindex A s (Summary)
5205 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5206 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5207 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5211 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5212 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5217 @node Reply Followup and Post
5218 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5221 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5222 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5223 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5224 * Canceling and Superseding::
5228 @node Summary Mail Commands
5229 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5231 @cindex composing mail
5233 Commands for composing a mail message:
5239 @kindex S r (Summary)
5241 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5242 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5243 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5244 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5245 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5250 @kindex S R (Summary)
5251 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5252 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5253 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5254 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5255 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5258 @kindex S w (Summary)
5259 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5260 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5261 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5262 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5263 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
5264 present, that's used instead.
5267 @kindex S W (Summary)
5268 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5269 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5270 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5271 the process/prefix convention.
5274 @kindex S v (Summary)
5275 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5276 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5277 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5278 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5279 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5280 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5283 @kindex S V (Summary)
5284 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5285 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5286 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5287 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5290 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5291 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5292 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5293 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5294 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5295 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5296 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5297 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5300 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5301 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5302 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5303 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5304 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5308 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5309 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5310 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5311 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5312 Forward the current article to some other person
5313 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5314 headers of the forwarded article.
5319 @kindex S m (Summary)
5320 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5321 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5322 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5323 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5324 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5329 @kindex S i (Summary)
5330 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5331 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5332 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5333 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5335 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5336 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5337 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5338 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5339 for this to work though.
5342 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5343 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5344 @cindex bouncing mail
5345 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5346 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5347 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5348 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5349 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5350 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
5351 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5352 very well fail, though.
5355 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5356 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5357 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5358 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5359 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5360 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5361 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5362 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5363 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5364 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5366 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5367 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5368 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5369 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5370 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5372 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5373 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5376 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5377 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
5378 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5379 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
5380 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5383 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5384 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5385 @cindex crossposting
5386 @cindex excessive crossposting
5387 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5388 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5390 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5391 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5392 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5393 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5394 command understands the process/prefix convention
5395 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5399 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5400 Manual}, for more information.
5403 @node Summary Post Commands
5404 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5406 @cindex composing news
5408 Commands for posting a news article:
5414 @kindex S p (Summary)
5415 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5416 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5417 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5418 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5419 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5424 @kindex S f (Summary)
5425 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5426 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5427 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5431 @kindex S F (Summary)
5433 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5434 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5435 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5436 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5437 process/prefix convention.
5440 @kindex S n (Summary)
5441 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5442 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5443 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5446 @kindex S N (Summary)
5447 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5448 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5449 message through mail and include the original message
5450 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5451 the process/prefix convention.
5454 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5455 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5456 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5457 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5458 headers of the forwarded article.
5461 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5462 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
5464 @cindex making digests
5465 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5466 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5467 process/prefix convention.
5470 @kindex S u (Summary)
5471 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5472 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5473 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5474 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5477 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5478 Manual}, for more information.
5481 @node Summary Message Commands
5482 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5486 @kindex S y (Summary)
5487 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5488 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5489 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5490 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5491 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5496 @node Canceling and Superseding
5497 @subsection Canceling Articles
5498 @cindex canceling articles
5499 @cindex superseding articles
5501 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5502 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5504 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5506 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5508 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5509 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5510 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5511 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5512 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5513 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5515 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5516 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5519 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5520 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5521 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5523 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5524 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5525 your original article.
5527 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5529 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5530 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5531 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5534 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5535 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5536 have posted almost the same article twice.
5538 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5539 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5540 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5541 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5542 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5543 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5544 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5545 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5546 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5547 canceled/superseded.
5549 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5551 @node Delayed Articles
5552 @section Delayed Articles
5553 @cindex delayed sending
5554 @cindex send delayed
5556 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5557 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5558 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5559 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5562 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5565 @findex gnus-delay-article
5566 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5567 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5568 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5569 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5573 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5574 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5575 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5576 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5579 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5580 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5581 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5584 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5585 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5586 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5587 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5588 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5589 that means a time tomorrow.
5592 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5593 couple of variables:
5596 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5597 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5598 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5599 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5601 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5602 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5603 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5604 formats described above.
5606 @item gnus-delay-group
5607 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5608 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5609 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5610 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5612 @item gnus-delay-header
5613 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5614 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5615 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5616 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5619 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5620 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5621 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5622 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5623 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5625 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5626 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5627 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5628 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5629 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5630 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5631 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5634 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5635 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5637 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5638 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5639 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5640 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5641 argument is ignored.
5643 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5644 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5645 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5649 @node Marking Articles
5650 @section Marking Articles
5651 @cindex article marking
5652 @cindex article ticking
5655 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5657 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5658 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5659 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5661 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5664 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5665 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5666 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5670 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5674 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5675 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5676 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5680 @node Unread Articles
5681 @subsection Unread Articles
5683 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5688 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5689 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5691 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5692 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5693 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5694 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5695 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5696 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5697 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5700 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5701 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5703 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5704 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5705 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5706 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5710 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5711 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5713 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5718 @subsection Read Articles
5719 @cindex expirable mark
5721 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5726 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5727 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5728 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5731 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5732 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5735 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5736 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5737 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5740 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5741 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5744 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5745 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5748 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5749 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5752 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5753 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5756 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5757 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5760 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5761 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5764 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5765 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5769 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5770 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5771 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5775 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5776 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5778 One more special mark, though:
5782 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5783 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5785 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5786 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5787 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5788 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5794 @subsection Other Marks
5795 @cindex process mark
5798 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5804 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5805 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5806 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5807 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5808 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5811 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5812 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5813 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5814 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5817 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5818 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5819 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5822 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5823 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5824 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5827 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5828 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5829 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5830 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5833 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5834 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5835 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5836 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5837 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5838 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5841 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5842 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5843 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5844 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5847 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5848 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
5849 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5850 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5851 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5855 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5856 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
5857 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5858 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5859 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5860 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5863 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5864 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
5865 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5866 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5867 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5868 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5872 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5873 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5874 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5875 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5876 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5879 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5880 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5881 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5882 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5883 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5884 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5888 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5889 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5890 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5892 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5893 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5894 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5898 @subsection Setting Marks
5899 @cindex setting marks
5901 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5906 @kindex M c (Summary)
5907 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5908 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5909 @cindex mark as unread
5910 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5911 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5917 @kindex M t (Summary)
5918 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5919 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5920 @xref{Article Caching}.
5925 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5926 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5927 Mark the current article as dormant
5928 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5932 @kindex M d (Summary)
5934 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5935 Mark the current article as read
5936 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5940 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5941 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5942 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5947 @kindex M k (Summary)
5948 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5949 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5950 and then select the next unread article
5951 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5955 @kindex M K (Summary)
5956 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5957 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5958 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5959 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5962 @kindex M C (Summary)
5963 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5964 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5965 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5968 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5969 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5970 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5971 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5974 @kindex M H (Summary)
5975 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5976 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5977 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5980 @kindex M h (Summary)
5981 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5982 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5983 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5986 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5987 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5988 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5989 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5992 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5993 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5994 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5995 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5999 @kindex M e (Summary)
6001 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
6002 Mark the current article as expirable
6003 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
6006 @kindex M b (Summary)
6007 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
6008 Set a bookmark in the current article
6009 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
6012 @kindex M B (Summary)
6013 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
6014 Remove the bookmark from the current article
6015 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
6018 @kindex M V c (Summary)
6019 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
6020 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
6021 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6024 @kindex M V u (Summary)
6025 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
6026 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
6027 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
6030 @kindex M V m (Summary)
6031 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
6032 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
6033 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
6034 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6037 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6038 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6039 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6040 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6041 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6042 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6043 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6044 The default is @code{t}.
6047 @node Generic Marking Commands
6048 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6050 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6051 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6052 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6053 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6054 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6057 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6058 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6061 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6062 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6063 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6064 to list in this manual.
6066 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6067 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6068 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6069 article, you could say something like:
6073 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6074 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6075 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6083 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6084 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6088 @node Setting Process Marks
6089 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6090 @cindex setting process marks
6092 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6093 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6094 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6095 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6096 commands into the cache. For more information,
6097 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6104 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6105 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6106 Mark the current article with the process mark
6107 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6108 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6112 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6113 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6114 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6115 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6118 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6119 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6120 Remove the process mark from all articles
6121 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6124 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6125 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6126 Invert the list of process marked articles
6127 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6130 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6131 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6132 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6133 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6136 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6137 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6138 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6139 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6142 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6143 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6144 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6148 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6149 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6152 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6153 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6154 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6155 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6158 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6159 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6160 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6161 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6164 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6165 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6166 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6167 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6170 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6171 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6172 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6175 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6176 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6177 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6178 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6181 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6182 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6183 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6186 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6187 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6188 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6189 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6192 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6193 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6194 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6195 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6198 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6199 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6200 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6201 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6204 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6205 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6206 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6207 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6211 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
6212 set process marks based on article body contents.
6219 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6220 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6221 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6224 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6225 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6226 additional articles.
6232 @kindex / / (Summary)
6233 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6234 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6235 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6239 @kindex / a (Summary)
6240 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6241 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6242 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6246 @kindex / x (Summary)
6247 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6248 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6249 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6250 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6255 @kindex / u (Summary)
6257 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6258 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6259 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6260 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6261 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6264 @kindex / m (Summary)
6265 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6266 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6267 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6270 @kindex / t (Summary)
6271 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6272 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6273 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6274 articles younger than that number of days.
6277 @kindex / n (Summary)
6278 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6279 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6280 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6281 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6284 @kindex / w (Summary)
6285 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6286 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6287 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6291 @kindex / . (Summary)
6292 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6293 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6294 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6297 @kindex / v (Summary)
6298 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6299 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6300 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6303 @kindex / p (Summary)
6304 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6305 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6306 group parameter predicate
6307 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
6308 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
6312 @kindex M S (Summary)
6313 @kindex / E (Summary)
6314 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6315 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6316 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6319 @kindex / D (Summary)
6320 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6321 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6322 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6325 @kindex / * (Summary)
6326 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6327 Include all cached articles in the limit
6328 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6331 @kindex / d (Summary)
6332 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6333 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6334 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6337 @kindex / M (Summary)
6338 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6339 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6342 @kindex / T (Summary)
6343 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6344 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6347 @kindex / c (Summary)
6348 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6349 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6350 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6353 @kindex / C (Summary)
6354 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6355 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6356 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6357 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6360 @kindex / N (Summary)
6361 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6362 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6363 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6366 @kindex / o (Summary)
6367 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6368 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6369 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6377 @cindex article threading
6379 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6380 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6381 hierarchical fashion.
6383 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6384 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6385 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6386 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6387 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6388 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6389 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
6391 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6395 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6398 A tree-like article structure.
6401 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6404 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6405 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6406 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6407 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6408 called loose threads.
6410 @item thread gathering
6411 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6413 @item sparse threads
6414 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6415 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6421 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6422 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6426 @node Customizing Threading
6427 @subsection Customizing Threading
6428 @cindex customizing threading
6431 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6432 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6433 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6434 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6439 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6442 @cindex loose threads
6445 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6446 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6447 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6448 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6449 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6450 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6452 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
6453 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
6454 There are four possible values:
6458 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6459 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6460 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6461 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6462 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6467 @cindex adopting articles
6472 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6473 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6474 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6475 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6478 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6479 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6480 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6481 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6482 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6483 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6484 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6485 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6486 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6487 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6490 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6491 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6492 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6496 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6497 display them after one another.
6500 Don't gather loose threads.
6503 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6504 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6505 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6506 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
6507 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6508 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6509 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6510 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6511 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6512 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
6513 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6515 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6516 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
6517 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6520 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6521 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6522 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6523 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6524 simplification is used.
6526 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6527 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6528 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6529 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6531 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6533 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6539 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6540 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6541 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6542 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6547 (mapconcat 'identity
6548 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6550 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6553 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6556 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6557 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6558 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6559 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6560 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6561 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6563 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6566 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6567 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6568 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6570 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6571 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6574 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6575 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6576 Remove excessive whitespace.
6578 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6579 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6580 Remove all whitespace.
6583 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6586 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6587 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6588 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6589 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6590 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6591 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6592 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6593 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6595 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6596 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6597 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6598 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6599 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6600 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6601 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6602 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6603 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6607 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6608 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6609 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6610 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6612 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6613 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6614 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6617 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6621 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6622 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6628 @node Filling In Threads
6629 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6632 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6633 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6634 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6635 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6636 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6637 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6638 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6639 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6640 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6641 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6642 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6643 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6646 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6647 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6648 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6650 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6651 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6652 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
6655 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6656 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6657 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6658 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6659 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6660 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6661 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6662 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6663 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6664 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6665 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6666 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6667 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6668 @code{nil} by default.
6670 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6671 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6672 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6673 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6674 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6675 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6676 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6678 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6679 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6680 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6685 @node More Threading
6686 @subsubsection More Threading
6689 @item gnus-show-threads
6690 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6691 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6692 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6693 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6694 slower and more awkward.
6696 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6697 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6698 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6701 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6702 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6703 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
6708 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6709 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6710 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6713 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6714 unread, but you get my drift.)
6717 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6718 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6719 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6720 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6721 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6722 threads are expunged.
6724 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6725 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6726 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6729 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6730 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6731 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6732 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6733 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6734 result in a new thread.
6736 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6737 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6738 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6741 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6742 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6743 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6744 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6745 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6746 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6747 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6748 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6749 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6750 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6751 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6756 @node Low-Level Threading
6757 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6761 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6762 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6763 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6764 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6765 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6766 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6768 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6769 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6770 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6771 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6772 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6773 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6774 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6775 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6776 meaningful. Here's one example:
6779 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6781 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6782 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6784 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6786 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6793 @node Thread Commands
6794 @subsection Thread Commands
6795 @cindex thread commands
6801 @kindex T k (Summary)
6802 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6803 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6804 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6805 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6806 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6811 @kindex T l (Summary)
6812 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6813 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6814 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6815 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6818 @kindex T i (Summary)
6819 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6820 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6821 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6824 @kindex T # (Summary)
6825 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6826 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6827 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6830 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6831 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6832 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6833 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6836 @kindex T T (Summary)
6837 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6838 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6841 @kindex T s (Summary)
6842 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6843 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
6844 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6847 @kindex T h (Summary)
6848 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6849 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6852 @kindex T S (Summary)
6853 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6854 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6857 @kindex T H (Summary)
6858 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6859 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6862 @kindex T t (Summary)
6863 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6864 Re-thread the current article's thread
6865 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6866 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6869 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6870 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6871 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6872 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6876 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6877 understand the numeric prefix.
6882 @kindex T n (Summary)
6884 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6886 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6887 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6888 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6891 @kindex T p (Summary)
6893 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6895 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6896 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6897 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6900 @kindex T d (Summary)
6901 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6902 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6905 @kindex T u (Summary)
6906 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6907 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6910 @kindex T o (Summary)
6911 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6912 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6915 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6916 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6917 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6918 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6919 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6920 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6921 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6922 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6923 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6924 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6925 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6926 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6930 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6931 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6933 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6934 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6935 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6936 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6937 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6938 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6939 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6940 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6941 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
6942 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
6943 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6944 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6945 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6946 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6948 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6949 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6950 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6951 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6952 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6953 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6954 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6955 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6957 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6958 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6959 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6961 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6962 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6963 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6964 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6965 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6966 ascending article order.
6968 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6969 by number, you could do something like:
6972 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6973 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6974 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6975 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6978 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6979 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6980 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6981 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6982 which the articles arrived.
6984 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6988 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6990 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6991 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6994 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6995 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6996 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6997 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
7000 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
7001 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
7002 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
7003 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
7004 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
7005 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
7006 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
7007 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
7008 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
7009 variable. It is very similar to the
7010 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
7011 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
7012 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
7013 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
7014 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
7015 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
7016 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
7018 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
7022 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
7023 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
7024 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
7029 @node Asynchronous Fetching
7030 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
7031 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
7032 @cindex article pre-fetch
7035 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
7036 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
7037 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
7038 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7039 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7041 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7042 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
7044 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7045 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7046 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7047 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7048 connection is blocked.
7050 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7051 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7052 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7053 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
7055 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7056 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7057 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7058 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7061 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7064 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7065 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7066 happen automatically.
7068 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7069 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7070 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7071 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7072 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7073 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7074 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7076 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7077 @findex gnus-async-read-p
7078 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7079 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7080 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7081 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7082 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
7083 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7084 article data structure as the only parameter.
7086 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7087 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7090 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7091 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7092 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7093 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7096 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7099 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7100 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
7101 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7103 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7104 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7105 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7106 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7110 Remove articles when they are read.
7113 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7116 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7118 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7119 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7120 @c from the next group.
7123 @node Article Caching
7124 @section Article Caching
7125 @cindex article caching
7128 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7129 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7130 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7131 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7132 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7134 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7136 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7137 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7138 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7139 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7140 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7141 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7142 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7143 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7145 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7146 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7147 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7148 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7149 as dormant, and don't worry.
7151 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7153 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7154 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7155 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7156 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7157 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7158 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7159 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7160 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7161 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7162 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7164 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7165 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7166 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7167 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7168 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7169 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7170 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7171 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7172 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7173 not then be downloaded by this command.
7175 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7176 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7177 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7178 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7179 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7180 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7182 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7183 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7184 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7185 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7186 variables, the group is not cached.
7188 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7189 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7190 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7191 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7192 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7193 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
7194 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7195 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7196 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7199 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7200 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7201 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7202 where, isn't that cool?
7204 @node Persistent Articles
7205 @section Persistent Articles
7206 @cindex persistent articles
7208 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7209 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7210 useful in my opinion.
7212 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7213 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7214 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7215 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7216 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7217 the expiry going on at the news server.
7219 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7220 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7221 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7227 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7228 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7231 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7232 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7233 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7234 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7238 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7240 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7241 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7242 interested in persistent articles:
7245 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7249 @node Article Backlog
7250 @section Article Backlog
7252 @cindex article backlog
7254 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7255 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7256 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
7257 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7258 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7259 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7260 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
7261 increase memory usage some.
7263 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7264 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
7265 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7266 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
7267 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7268 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7269 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7271 The default value is 20.
7274 @node Saving Articles
7275 @section Saving Articles
7276 @cindex saving articles
7278 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7279 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7280 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7281 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7282 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7284 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7285 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7286 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7288 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7289 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
7290 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7292 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7293 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7294 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7295 deleted before saving.
7301 @kindex O o (Summary)
7303 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7304 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7305 Save the current article using the default article saver
7306 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7309 @kindex O m (Summary)
7310 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7311 Save the current article in mail format
7312 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7315 @kindex O r (Summary)
7316 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7317 Save the current article in Rmail format
7318 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7321 @kindex O f (Summary)
7322 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7323 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7324 Save the current article in plain file format
7325 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7328 @kindex O F (Summary)
7329 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7330 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7331 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7334 @kindex O b (Summary)
7335 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7336 Save the current article body in plain file format
7337 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7340 @kindex O h (Summary)
7341 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7342 Save the current article in mh folder format
7343 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7346 @kindex O v (Summary)
7347 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7348 Save the current article in a VM folder
7349 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7353 @kindex O p (Summary)
7355 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7356 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7357 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7358 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7359 complete headers in the piped output.
7362 @kindex O P (Summary)
7363 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7364 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7365 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7366 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7367 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7368 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7369 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7373 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7374 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7375 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7376 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7377 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7378 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7379 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7380 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7381 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7382 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7383 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7384 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7388 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7389 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7390 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7391 functions below, or you can create your own.
7395 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7396 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7397 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7398 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7399 This is the default format, @dfn{Babyl}. Uses the function in the
7400 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7401 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7403 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7404 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7405 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7406 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7407 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7408 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7410 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7411 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7412 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7413 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7414 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7415 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7416 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7418 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7419 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7420 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7421 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7422 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7423 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7425 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7426 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7427 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7428 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7429 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7431 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7432 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7433 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7434 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7435 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7438 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7439 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7440 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7441 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7442 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7444 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7445 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7446 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7447 reader to use this setting.
7450 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7451 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7452 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7453 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7456 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7457 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7458 available functions that generate names:
7462 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7463 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7464 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7466 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7467 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7468 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7470 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7471 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7472 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7474 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7475 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7476 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7478 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7479 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7480 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7483 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7484 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7485 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7486 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7487 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7491 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7492 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7493 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7494 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7497 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7498 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7499 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7500 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7501 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7502 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7503 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7504 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7505 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7507 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7508 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7509 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7510 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7512 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7513 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7514 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7517 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7518 lots of mail groups called things like
7519 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7520 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7521 following will do just that:
7524 (defun my-save-name (group)
7525 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7526 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7528 (setq gnus-split-methods
7529 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7534 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7535 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7536 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7537 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7538 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7539 all the files in the top level directory
7540 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7541 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7542 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7543 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7545 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7546 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7547 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7548 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7549 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7552 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7556 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
7557 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7558 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
7561 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7562 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7563 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7564 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7567 @node Decoding Articles
7568 @section Decoding Articles
7569 @cindex decoding articles
7571 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7572 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7575 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7576 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7577 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7578 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7579 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7580 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7584 @cindex article series
7585 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7586 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7587 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7588 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7589 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7591 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7592 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7593 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7595 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
7596 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7597 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7599 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7600 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7601 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7604 @node Uuencoded Articles
7605 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7607 @cindex uuencoded articles
7612 @kindex X u (Summary)
7613 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7614 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7615 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7618 @kindex X U (Summary)
7619 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7620 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7621 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7624 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7625 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7626 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7629 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7630 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7631 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7632 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7636 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7637 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7638 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7639 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7640 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7642 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7643 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7644 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7645 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7648 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7649 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7650 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7651 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7652 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7653 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7657 @node Shell Archives
7658 @subsection Shell Archives
7660 @cindex shell archives
7661 @cindex shared articles
7663 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7664 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7665 some commands to deal with these:
7670 @kindex X s (Summary)
7671 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7672 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7675 @kindex X S (Summary)
7676 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7677 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7680 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7681 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7682 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7685 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7686 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7687 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7688 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7692 @node PostScript Files
7693 @subsection PostScript Files
7699 @kindex X p (Summary)
7700 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7701 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7704 @kindex X P (Summary)
7705 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7706 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7707 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7710 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7711 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7712 View the current PostScript series
7713 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7716 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7717 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7718 View and save the current PostScript series
7719 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7724 @subsection Other Files
7728 @kindex X o (Summary)
7729 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7730 Save the current series
7731 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7734 @kindex X b (Summary)
7735 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7736 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7737 doesn't really work yet.
7741 @node Decoding Variables
7742 @subsection Decoding Variables
7744 Adjective, not verb.
7747 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7748 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7749 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7753 @node Rule Variables
7754 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7755 @cindex rule variables
7757 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7758 variables are of the form
7761 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7768 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7769 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7771 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7772 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7775 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7776 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7779 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7780 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7781 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7782 user and default view rules.
7784 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7785 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7786 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7791 @node Other Decode Variables
7792 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7795 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7797 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7798 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7799 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7800 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7801 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7805 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7806 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7809 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7810 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7811 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7814 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7815 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7816 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7817 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7818 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7821 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7822 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7823 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7825 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7826 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7827 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7828 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7829 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
7832 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7833 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7834 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7836 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7837 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7838 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7839 looking for files to display.
7841 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7842 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7843 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7846 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7847 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7848 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7851 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7852 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7853 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7856 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7857 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7858 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7861 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7862 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7863 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7864 decoded articles as unread.
7866 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7867 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7868 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7869 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7871 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7872 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7873 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7875 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7876 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7878 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7879 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
7880 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7881 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7883 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7884 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7885 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7886 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7887 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7888 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7889 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7890 simply dropped them.
7895 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7896 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7900 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7901 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7902 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7903 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7904 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7905 for you when you post the article.
7907 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7908 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7909 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7910 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7912 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7913 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7914 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7915 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7916 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7917 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7918 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
7920 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7921 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7922 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7923 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7924 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7925 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7926 Default is @code{t}.
7932 @subsection Viewing Files
7933 @cindex viewing files
7934 @cindex pseudo-articles
7936 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7937 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7938 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7939 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7940 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7941 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7942 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7944 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7945 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7946 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7947 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7949 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7950 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7951 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7953 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7954 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7955 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7956 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7957 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7959 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7960 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7961 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7962 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7963 a list of parameters to that command.
7965 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7966 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7967 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7969 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7970 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7971 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7974 @node Article Treatment
7975 @section Article Treatment
7977 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7978 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7979 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7980 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7981 these articles easier.
7984 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7985 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7986 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7987 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7988 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7989 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7990 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
7991 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7992 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7993 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7994 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
7998 @node Article Highlighting
7999 @subsection Article Highlighting
8000 @cindex highlighting
8002 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
8003 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
8008 @kindex W H a (Summary)
8009 @findex gnus-article-highlight
8010 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8011 Do much highlighting of the current article
8012 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
8013 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
8016 @kindex W H h (Summary)
8017 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
8018 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
8019 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
8020 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
8021 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
8022 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
8023 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
8024 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
8025 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
8026 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
8027 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
8030 @kindex W H c (Summary)
8031 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
8032 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
8034 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
8037 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8039 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8040 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
8041 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8043 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8044 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8045 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8047 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8048 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8049 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8050 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8051 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8052 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8054 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8055 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8056 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8058 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8059 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8060 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8062 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8063 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8064 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8065 that it's a citation.
8067 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8068 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8069 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8071 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8072 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8073 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8075 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8076 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8077 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8078 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8084 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8085 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8086 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8087 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8088 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8089 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8090 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8091 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8096 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8099 @node Article Fontisizing
8100 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8102 @cindex article emphasis
8104 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8105 @kindex W e (Summary)
8106 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8107 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8108 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8109 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8111 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8112 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8113 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8114 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8115 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8116 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8117 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8118 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8122 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8123 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8124 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8133 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8134 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8135 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8136 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8137 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8138 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8139 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8140 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8141 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8142 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8143 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8144 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8145 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8147 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8148 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8149 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8153 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8156 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8158 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8159 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8160 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8161 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8163 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8166 @node Article Hiding
8167 @subsection Article Hiding
8168 @cindex article hiding
8170 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8171 too much cruft in most articles.
8176 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8177 @findex gnus-article-hide
8178 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8179 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8180 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8183 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8184 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8185 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8189 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8190 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8191 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8192 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8195 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8196 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8197 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8201 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8202 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8203 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8204 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8205 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8206 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8207 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8208 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8212 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8213 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8214 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8215 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8220 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8221 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8222 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8223 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8226 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8227 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8228 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8229 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8232 @cindex stripping advertisements
8233 @cindex advertisements
8234 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8235 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8236 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8237 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8238 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8239 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8240 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8241 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8242 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8243 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8246 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8247 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8248 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8252 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8253 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8254 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8255 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8256 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8257 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8258 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8259 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8260 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8261 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8262 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8265 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8266 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8272 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8273 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8274 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8275 customizing the hiding:
8279 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8280 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8281 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8282 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8283 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8284 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8285 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8290 Starting point of the hidden text.
8292 Ending point of the hidden text.
8294 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8296 Number of lines of hidden text.
8299 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8300 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8301 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8302 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8303 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8308 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8309 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8311 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8312 following two variables:
8315 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8316 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8317 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8318 50), hide the cited text.
8320 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8321 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8322 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8327 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8328 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8329 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8330 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8331 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8332 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8336 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8337 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8338 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8340 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8341 citation customization.
8343 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8347 @node Article Washing
8348 @subsection Article Washing
8350 @cindex article washing
8352 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8353 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8355 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8356 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8359 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8360 articles by default.
8365 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8366 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8370 Force redisplaying of the current article
8371 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8372 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8373 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8374 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8377 @kindex W l (Summary)
8378 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8379 Remove page breaks from the current article
8380 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8384 @kindex W r (Summary)
8385 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8386 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8387 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8388 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8389 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8390 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8392 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8393 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8394 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8395 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8398 @kindex W m (Summary)
8399 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8400 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8404 @kindex W t (Summary)
8406 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8407 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8408 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8411 @kindex W v (Summary)
8412 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8413 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8414 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8417 @kindex W m (Summary)
8418 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
8419 Toggle whether to run the article through @acronym{MIME} before
8420 displaying (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
8423 @kindex W o (Summary)
8424 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8425 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8428 @kindex W d (Summary)
8429 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8430 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8432 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8434 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8435 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8436 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8437 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8440 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8441 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8442 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8443 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8446 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8447 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8448 @cindex Outlook Express
8449 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8450 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8451 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8454 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8455 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8456 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8457 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8458 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8459 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8460 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8461 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
8462 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8463 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8466 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8467 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8468 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
8469 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8472 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8473 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8474 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8475 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8478 @kindex W w (Summary)
8479 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8480 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8482 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8486 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8487 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8488 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8491 @kindex W C (Summary)
8492 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8493 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8494 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8497 @kindex W c (Summary)
8498 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8499 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8500 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8501 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8502 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8504 @kindex W q (Summary)
8505 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8506 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8507 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
8508 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
8509 makes strings like @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which
8510 doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually done
8511 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8512 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8513 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8516 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8517 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8518 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
8519 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
8520 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
8521 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8522 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8523 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8526 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8527 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8528 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8529 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8530 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8533 @kindex W u (Summary)
8534 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8535 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8536 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8537 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8538 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8541 @kindex W h (Summary)
8542 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8543 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8544 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8545 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
8547 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8549 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8550 The default is to use the function specified by
8551 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
8552 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
8553 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
8554 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8562 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
8565 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
8568 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
8571 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
8576 @kindex W b (Summary)
8577 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8578 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8579 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8582 @kindex W B (Summary)
8583 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8584 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8585 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8588 @kindex W p (Summary)
8589 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8590 Verify a signed control message
8591 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
8592 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
8593 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
8594 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8595 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
8596 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8599 @kindex W s (Summary)
8600 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8601 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
8602 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
8603 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8606 @kindex W a (Summary)
8607 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8608 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8609 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8612 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8613 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8614 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8615 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8618 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8619 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8620 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8621 lines with a single empty line.
8622 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8625 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8626 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8627 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8628 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8631 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8632 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8633 Do all the three commands above
8634 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8637 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8638 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8639 Remove all blank lines
8640 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8643 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8644 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8645 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8646 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8649 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8650 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8651 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8652 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8656 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8659 @node Article Header
8660 @subsection Article Header
8662 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8667 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8668 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8669 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8672 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8673 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8674 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8675 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8678 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8679 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8680 Fold all the message headers
8681 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8685 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8686 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8687 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8692 @node Article Buttons
8693 @subsection Article Buttons
8696 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8697 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8698 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8699 button on these references.
8701 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8702 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8703 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
8704 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
8705 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
8709 @item gnus-button-alist
8710 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8711 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8714 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8720 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8721 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8722 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8723 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8724 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
8727 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8728 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8729 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8732 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8733 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8734 avoid false matches. Often variables named
8735 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
8736 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
8738 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
8741 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8744 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8745 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8749 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8752 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8755 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8756 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8757 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8758 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8759 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8762 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8765 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8768 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
8771 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
8772 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
8774 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
8776 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8777 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8778 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8779 default values of the variables above.
8781 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
8783 @item gnus-button-man-handler
8784 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8785 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
8786 argument with a string naming the man page.
8788 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
8790 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8791 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8792 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
8794 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8795 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8796 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
8797 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
8798 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
8799 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
8800 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
8801 @code{ask}, always query the user what do do. If it is a function, this
8802 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
8803 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
8804 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
8805 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8807 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8808 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8809 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
8810 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
8811 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
8814 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8815 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8816 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
8817 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8819 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
8821 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
8822 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
8823 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
8824 argument, the string naming the URL.
8827 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
8828 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
8829 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
8833 @item gnus-article-button-face
8834 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8835 Face used on buttons.
8837 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8838 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8839 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8843 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8846 @node Article Button Levels
8847 @subsection Article button levels
8848 @cindex button levels
8849 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
8850 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
8851 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
8852 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
8853 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
8854 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
8855 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
8856 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
8859 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
8860 (setq gnus-parameters
8861 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
8862 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
8863 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
8868 @item gnus-button-browse-level
8869 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
8870 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
8871 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
8872 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
8873 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
8875 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
8876 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
8877 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
8878 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
8879 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
8880 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
8881 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
8882 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
8883 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
8884 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
8885 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
8886 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
8887 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
8889 @item gnus-button-man-level
8890 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
8891 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
8892 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
8894 @item gnus-button-message-level
8895 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
8896 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
8897 Related variables and functions include
8898 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
8899 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
8900 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
8901 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
8903 @item gnus-button-tex-level
8904 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
8905 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
8906 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
8907 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
8908 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
8909 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
8915 @subsection Article Date
8917 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8918 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8919 when the article was sent.
8924 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8925 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8926 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8927 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8930 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8931 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8933 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8934 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8937 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8938 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8939 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8942 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8943 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8944 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8945 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8948 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8949 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8950 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8951 @findex format-time-string
8952 Display the date using a user-defined format
8953 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8954 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8955 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8956 for a list of possible format specs.
8959 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8960 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8961 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8962 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8963 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8964 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8967 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8970 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
8971 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8972 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8975 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8976 into wonderful absurdities.
8978 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8981 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8984 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8985 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8989 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8990 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8991 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8992 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8993 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8994 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8995 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8999 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
9000 preferred format automatically.
9003 @node Article Display
9004 @subsection Article Display
9009 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
9010 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
9012 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
9013 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
9015 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
9016 headers (@pxref{Face}).
9018 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
9019 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
9021 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
9022 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
9024 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
9029 @kindex W D x (Summary)
9030 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
9031 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
9032 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
9035 @kindex W D d (Summary)
9036 @findex gnus-article-display-face
9037 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
9038 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
9041 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9042 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9043 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9046 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9047 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9048 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9051 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9052 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9053 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9054 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9057 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9058 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9059 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9060 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9063 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9064 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9065 Remove all images from the article buffer
9066 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9072 @node Article Signature
9073 @subsection Article Signature
9075 @cindex article signature
9077 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9078 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9079 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9080 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9081 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9082 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9083 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9084 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9085 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9088 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9089 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9090 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9091 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9092 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9093 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9094 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9095 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9098 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9101 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9102 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9103 signature when displaying articles.
9107 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9110 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9113 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9114 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9116 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9117 in question is not a signature.
9120 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9121 listed above. Here's an example:
9124 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9125 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9128 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9129 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9130 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9131 signature after all.
9134 @node Article Miscellanea
9135 @subsection Article Miscellanea
9139 @kindex A t (Summary)
9140 @findex gnus-article-babel
9141 Translate the article from one language to another
9142 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9148 @section MIME Commands
9149 @cindex MIME decoding
9151 @cindex viewing attachments
9153 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9154 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9160 @kindex K v (Summary)
9161 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9164 @kindex K o (Summary)
9165 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9168 @kindex K c (Summary)
9169 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9172 @kindex K e (Summary)
9173 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9176 @kindex K i (Summary)
9177 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9180 @kindex K | (Summary)
9181 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9184 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9189 @kindex K b (Summary)
9190 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9191 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9195 @kindex K m (Summary)
9196 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9197 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9198 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9199 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9200 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9203 @kindex X m (Summary)
9204 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9205 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9206 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9207 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9210 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9211 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9212 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9213 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9216 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9217 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9218 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9219 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9222 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9223 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9224 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9225 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9227 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9228 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9229 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9230 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9231 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9232 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9235 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9236 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9237 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9238 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9245 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9246 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9247 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9248 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9251 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9254 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9258 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9259 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9260 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9261 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9262 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9263 default is @code{nil}.
9265 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9266 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9267 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9268 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9269 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9270 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9271 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9273 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9274 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9275 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9276 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9277 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9278 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9279 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9280 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9282 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9283 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9284 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9285 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9286 displayed. This variable overrides
9287 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9288 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9291 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9292 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9293 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9295 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9296 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9297 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9298 default value is @code{nil}.
9300 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9301 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9302 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9303 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9304 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9305 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9306 save all jpegs into some directory).
9308 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9311 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9312 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9314 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9315 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9316 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9317 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9318 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9321 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9322 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9323 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9325 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9326 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9327 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9328 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9330 Ready-made functions include@*
9331 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9332 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9333 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9334 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9335 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9336 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9337 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9338 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9339 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9340 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9341 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9342 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9344 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9345 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9347 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9348 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9349 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9352 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9353 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9354 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9355 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9359 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9368 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
9369 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9370 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
9371 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9372 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9373 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9374 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9376 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9377 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9378 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9379 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9381 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9382 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
9383 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9384 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9385 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9386 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9387 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9388 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9389 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9391 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9392 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9393 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
9394 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9395 quoted-printable header encoding.
9397 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9398 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9399 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9403 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9406 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9407 means encode all charsets),
9409 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9410 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9411 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9418 @cindex coding system aliases
9419 @cindex preferred charset
9421 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9423 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9424 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9427 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9428 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9431 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9432 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
9434 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9437 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9440 This will almost do the right thing.
9442 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9446 (codepage-setup 1251)
9447 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9451 @node Article Commands
9452 @section Article Commands
9459 @kindex A P (Summary)
9460 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9461 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9462 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9463 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9464 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9465 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9470 @node Summary Sorting
9471 @section Summary Sorting
9472 @cindex summary sorting
9474 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9475 can't really see why you'd want that.
9480 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9481 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9482 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9485 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9486 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9487 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9490 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9491 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9492 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9495 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9496 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9497 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9500 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9501 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9502 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9505 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9506 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9507 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9510 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9511 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9512 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9515 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9516 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9517 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9520 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9521 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9522 Sort using the default sorting method
9523 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9526 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9527 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9528 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9529 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9530 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9534 @node Finding the Parent
9535 @section Finding the Parent
9536 @cindex parent articles
9537 @cindex referring articles
9542 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9543 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9544 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9545 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
9546 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9547 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9548 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9549 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9550 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9552 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9553 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9554 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
9555 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9556 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9560 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9561 @kindex A R (Summary)
9562 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9563 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9566 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9567 @kindex A T (Summary)
9568 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9569 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9570 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9571 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9572 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9573 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9574 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9576 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9577 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9578 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9579 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9580 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9581 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9584 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9585 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9587 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9588 You can also ask the @acronym{NNTP} server for an arbitrary article, no
9589 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9590 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9591 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9592 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9593 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9596 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9597 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9598 by giving this command a prefix.
9600 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9601 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9602 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9603 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
9604 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
9605 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9608 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9609 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9610 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9613 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9614 then ask Google if that fails:
9617 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9619 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9622 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9623 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9624 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9625 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9626 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9627 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9628 support this at all.
9631 @node Alternative Approaches
9632 @section Alternative Approaches
9634 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9635 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9638 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9639 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9644 @subsection Pick and Read
9645 @cindex pick and read
9647 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9648 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9649 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9650 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9652 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9653 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9654 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9655 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9656 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9657 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9659 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9664 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9665 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9666 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9667 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9668 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9669 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9670 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9671 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9674 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9675 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9676 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9677 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9681 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9682 Unpick the thread or article
9683 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9684 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9685 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9686 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9687 the thread or article at that line.
9691 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9692 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9693 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9694 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9695 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9696 will still be visible when you are reading.
9700 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9701 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9702 which is mapped to the same function
9703 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9705 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9708 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9711 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9712 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9714 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9715 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9716 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9718 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9719 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9720 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9721 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9722 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9723 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9724 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9728 @subsection Binary Groups
9729 @cindex binary groups
9731 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9732 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9733 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9734 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9735 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9736 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9737 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9740 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9741 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9742 command, when you have turned on this mode
9743 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9745 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9746 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9750 @section Tree Display
9753 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9754 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
9755 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9756 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9759 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9762 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9763 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9764 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9766 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9767 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9768 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9769 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9770 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9772 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9773 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9774 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9775 default is @code{modeline}.
9777 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9778 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9779 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9780 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9781 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9782 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9783 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9789 The name of the poster.
9791 The @code{From} header.
9793 The number of the article.
9795 The opening bracket.
9797 The closing bracket.
9802 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9804 Variables related to the display are:
9807 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9808 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9809 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9810 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
9812 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9813 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
9814 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
9816 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9818 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9819 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9820 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9821 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9825 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9826 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9827 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
9828 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
9829 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9830 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9831 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9832 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9833 other windows displayed next to it.
9835 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9839 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9840 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9843 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9844 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9845 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9846 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9847 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9848 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9849 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9853 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9856 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9866 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9871 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9872 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9874 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9876 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9882 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9883 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9884 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
9887 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9888 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9889 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9890 (gnus-add-configuration
9894 (summary 0.75 point)
9899 @xref{Window Layout}.
9902 @node Mail Group Commands
9903 @section Mail Group Commands
9904 @cindex mail group commands
9906 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9907 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9909 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9910 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9915 @kindex B e (Summary)
9916 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9917 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9918 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9919 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9920 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9923 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9924 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9925 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9926 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9927 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9928 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9931 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9932 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9933 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9934 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9935 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9936 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9939 @kindex B m (Summary)
9941 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9942 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9943 Move the article from one mail group to another
9944 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9945 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9948 @kindex B c (Summary)
9950 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9951 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9952 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9953 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9954 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9957 @kindex B B (Summary)
9958 @cindex crosspost mail
9959 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9960 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9961 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9962 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9963 be properly updated.
9966 @kindex B i (Summary)
9967 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9968 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9969 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9970 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9973 @kindex B I (Summary)
9974 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9975 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9976 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9977 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9980 @kindex B r (Summary)
9981 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9982 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
9983 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9984 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9985 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9986 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9987 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9988 (which is the default).
9992 @kindex B w (Summary)
9994 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9995 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9996 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
9997 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9998 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9999 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
10000 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
10003 @kindex B q (Summary)
10004 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
10005 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
10006 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
10007 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
10010 @kindex B t (Summary)
10011 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
10012 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
10013 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
10016 @kindex B p (Summary)
10017 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
10018 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
10019 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
10020 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
10021 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
10022 article from your news server (or rather, from
10023 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
10024 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
10025 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
10026 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
10027 just not have arrived yet.
10030 @kindex K E (Summary)
10031 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
10032 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
10033 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
10034 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
10035 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
10039 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
10040 @cindex moving articles
10041 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
10042 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10043 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10044 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10045 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10046 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10047 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10050 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10051 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10052 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10053 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10057 @node Various Summary Stuff
10058 @section Various Summary Stuff
10061 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10062 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10063 * Summary Generation Commands::
10064 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10068 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10069 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10070 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10071 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10072 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10073 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10075 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
10076 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
10077 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
10080 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10081 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10082 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10084 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10085 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10086 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10087 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10088 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10089 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10092 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10093 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10094 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10095 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10096 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10098 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10099 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10100 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10103 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10104 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10105 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10106 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10107 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10108 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10109 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
10110 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10111 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10112 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10114 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10115 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10116 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10117 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10118 list of articles to be selected.
10120 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10121 the list in one particular group:
10124 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10125 (if (string= group "some.group")
10126 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10130 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10131 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10132 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10133 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
10134 @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary buffer is
10135 active. These variables can be used to set variables in the group
10136 parameters while still allowing them to affect operations done in
10137 other buffers. For example:
10140 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10141 '(message-use-followup-to
10142 (gnus-visible-headers .
10143 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10149 @node Summary Group Information
10150 @subsection Summary Group Information
10155 @kindex H f (Summary)
10156 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
10157 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
10158 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} (list of frequently asked questions)
10159 for the current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try
10160 to get the @acronym{FAQ} from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which
10161 is usually a directory on a remote machine. This variable can also be
10162 a list of directories. In that case, giving a prefix to this command
10163 will allow you to choose between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp}
10164 or @code{efs} will probably be used for fetching the file.
10167 @kindex H d (Summary)
10168 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10169 Give a brief description of the current group
10170 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10171 rereading the description from the server.
10174 @kindex H h (Summary)
10175 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10176 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10177 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10180 @kindex H i (Summary)
10181 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10182 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10186 @node Searching for Articles
10187 @subsection Searching for Articles
10192 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10193 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10194 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10195 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10198 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10199 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10200 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10201 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10204 @kindex & (Summary)
10205 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10206 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10207 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10208 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10209 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10210 search backward instead.
10212 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
10213 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10216 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10217 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10218 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10219 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10222 @node Summary Generation Commands
10223 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10228 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10229 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10230 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10233 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10234 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10235 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10236 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10239 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10240 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10241 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10242 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10247 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10248 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10254 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10255 @kindex A D (Summary)
10256 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10257 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10258 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10259 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10260 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10261 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10262 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10263 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10267 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10268 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10269 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10270 several documents into one biiig group
10271 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10272 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10273 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10274 command understands the process/prefix convention
10275 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10278 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10279 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10280 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10281 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10282 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10283 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10286 @kindex = (Summary)
10287 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10288 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10289 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10292 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10293 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10294 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10295 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10298 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10299 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10300 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10301 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10306 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10307 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10308 @cindex summary exit
10309 @cindex exiting groups
10311 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10312 group and return you to the group buffer.
10319 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10320 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
10321 @kindex q (Summary)
10322 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10323 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10324 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10325 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10326 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10327 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10328 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10329 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10330 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10331 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10332 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10333 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10337 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10338 @kindex Q (Summary)
10339 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10340 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10341 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10345 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10346 @kindex c (Summary)
10347 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10348 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10349 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10350 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10353 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10354 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10355 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10356 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10359 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10360 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10361 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10362 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10366 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10367 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
10368 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10369 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10370 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10371 all articles, both read and unread.
10375 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10376 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10377 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10378 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10379 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10380 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10381 articles, both read and unread.
10384 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10385 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10386 Exit the group and go to the next group
10387 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10390 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10391 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10392 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10393 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10396 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10397 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10398 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10399 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10400 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10401 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10404 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10405 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10406 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10407 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10409 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10410 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10411 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10412 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10413 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10414 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10415 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10416 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10417 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10418 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10419 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10420 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10422 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10424 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10425 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10426 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10427 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10428 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10429 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10430 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10431 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10432 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10435 @node Crosspost Handling
10436 @section Crosspost Handling
10440 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10441 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10442 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10443 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10444 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10445 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10448 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10449 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10450 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10451 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10452 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10454 @cindex cross-posting
10456 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
10457 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10458 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
10459 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10460 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
10461 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10462 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10463 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10464 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10465 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10466 the cross reference mechanism.
10468 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10469 @cindex overview.fmt
10470 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10471 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10472 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10473 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10474 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10475 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10478 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10479 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10480 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10485 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10488 @node Duplicate Suppression
10489 @section Duplicate Suppression
10491 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10492 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10493 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10494 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10499 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10500 is evil and not very common.
10503 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10504 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10507 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10508 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
10511 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10514 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10515 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10517 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10518 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10519 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10520 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10521 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10522 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10523 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10526 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10527 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10528 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10529 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10530 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10531 saw the article in.
10534 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10535 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10536 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10538 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10539 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10540 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10541 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10542 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
10543 session are suppressed.
10545 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10546 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10547 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10548 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10550 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10551 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10552 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10553 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10556 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
10557 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10558 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10559 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10560 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
10561 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10562 to you to figure out, I think.
10567 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10568 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
10569 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
10574 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
10575 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
10576 to GnuPG included with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG
10577 Manual}), but Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10580 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10581 or newer is recommended.
10585 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10586 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10589 @item mm-verify-option
10590 @vindex mm-verify-option
10591 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10592 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10593 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10595 @item mm-decrypt-option
10596 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10597 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10598 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10599 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10602 @vindex mml1991-use
10603 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10604 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10605 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10609 @vindex mml2015-use
10610 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10611 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10612 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10617 @cindex snarfing keys
10618 @cindex importing PGP keys
10619 @cindex PGP key ring import
10620 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
10621 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
10622 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
10623 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
10624 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
10625 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
10626 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
10627 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
10628 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
10631 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
10634 This happens to also be the default action defined in
10635 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
10638 @section Mailing List
10639 @cindex mailing list
10642 @kindex A M (summary)
10643 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10644 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10645 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10646 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10649 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10654 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10655 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10656 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10659 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10660 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10661 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10664 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10665 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10666 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10670 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10671 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10672 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10675 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10676 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10677 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10680 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10681 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10682 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10687 @node Article Buffer
10688 @chapter Article Buffer
10689 @cindex article buffer
10691 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10692 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10693 tell gnus otherwise.
10696 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10697 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
10698 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10699 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10700 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10704 @node Hiding Headers
10705 @section Hiding Headers
10706 @cindex hiding headers
10707 @cindex deleting headers
10709 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10710 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10712 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10713 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10714 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10715 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10716 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10717 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10718 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
10719 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10720 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10722 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10726 @item gnus-visible-headers
10727 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10728 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10729 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10730 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10732 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10733 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10736 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10739 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10742 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10743 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10744 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10745 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10746 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10747 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10749 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
10750 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
10753 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10756 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10759 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10760 variable will have no effect.
10764 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10765 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10766 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10767 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10768 the headers are to be displayed.
10770 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10771 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10774 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10777 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10778 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10780 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10781 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10782 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10783 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10784 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10785 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10786 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10789 These conditions are:
10792 Remove all empty headers.
10794 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10795 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10797 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10798 @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter is
10801 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10804 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10805 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
10807 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10808 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10810 Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
10811 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10813 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10816 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10818 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10821 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10824 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10825 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10828 This is also the default value for this variable.
10832 @section Using MIME
10833 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
10835 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10836 while people stand around yawning.
10838 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10839 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10841 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10842 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10843 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10845 @vindex gnus-show-mime
10846 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
10847 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
10848 gnus handles @acronym{MIME} by pushing the articles through
10849 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
10850 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
10851 calls the @acronym{SEMI} MIME-View program to actually do the work. For
10852 more information on @acronym{SEMI} MIME-View, see its manual page
10853 (however it is not existed yet, sorry).
10855 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
10856 @acronym{MIME} all the time. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime} set,
10857 then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article buffer.
10858 These can't be avoided.
10860 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
10861 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
10862 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
10863 @acronym{MIME} has decoded the sound file in the article and some
10864 horrible sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you
10865 can't find the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are
10866 starting to look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't,
10867 and you can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else
10868 in the room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll
10869 feel rather stupid.)
10871 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10873 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
10874 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
10875 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
10876 buffer when there are nobody else.
10878 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10881 @node Customizing Articles
10882 @section Customizing Articles
10883 @cindex article customization
10885 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10886 exist. You can call these functions interactively
10887 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
10888 called automatically when you select the articles.
10890 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10891 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10892 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10893 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10895 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10896 for sensible values.
10900 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10903 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10906 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10909 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10912 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10916 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10917 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10918 regexps in the list.
10921 A list where the first element is not a string:
10923 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10924 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10925 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10929 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10933 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
10938 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10939 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
10940 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10941 considered to contain just a single part.
10943 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10944 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10945 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10946 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10947 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10948 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10949 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10951 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10952 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10953 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10954 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10957 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10958 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10960 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10962 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10963 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10964 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10965 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10966 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10967 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10968 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10969 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10970 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10971 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
10972 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset (t, integer)
10974 @xref{Article Washing}.
10976 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10977 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10978 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10979 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10980 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10981 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10982 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10984 @xref{Article Date}.
10986 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10987 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10988 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10992 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10994 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10996 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10997 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10998 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
11002 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
11006 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
11010 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
11011 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
11012 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
11013 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
11014 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
11015 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
11016 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
11017 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
11018 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
11019 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
11021 @xref{Article Hiding}.
11023 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
11024 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
11025 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
11027 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
11029 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
11030 @item gnus-treat-translate
11031 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
11033 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
11034 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
11035 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
11036 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
11038 @xref{Article Header}.
11043 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
11044 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
11045 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
11046 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
11047 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
11051 @node Article Keymap
11052 @section Article Keymap
11054 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
11055 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
11056 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
11057 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
11060 A few additional keystrokes are available:
11065 @kindex SPACE (Article)
11066 @findex gnus-article-next-page
11067 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
11068 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
11071 @kindex DEL (Article)
11072 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
11073 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
11074 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
11077 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
11078 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
11079 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
11080 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
11081 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
11084 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
11085 @findex gnus-article-mail
11086 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
11087 given a prefix, include the mail.
11090 @kindex s (Article)
11091 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
11092 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
11093 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
11096 @kindex ? (Article)
11097 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
11098 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
11099 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
11102 @kindex TAB (Article)
11103 @findex gnus-article-next-button
11104 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
11105 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
11108 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
11109 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
11110 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
11113 @kindex R (Article)
11114 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
11115 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
11116 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
11117 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11121 @kindex F (Article)
11122 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
11123 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
11124 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
11125 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11133 @section Misc Article
11137 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
11138 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
11139 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
11140 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
11143 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
11144 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
11145 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11146 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
11147 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
11149 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
11150 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
11151 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
11152 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
11153 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
11154 the contents of the article buffer.
11156 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
11157 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
11158 Hook called in article mode buffers.
11160 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11161 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11162 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
11163 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
11165 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
11166 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
11167 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
11168 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
11170 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
11171 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
11172 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
11173 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
11174 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
11180 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
11181 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
11182 performed. The characters and their meaning:
11187 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
11190 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
11193 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
11194 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
11195 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
11198 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
11201 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
11204 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
11209 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
11213 @vindex gnus-break-pages
11215 @item gnus-break-pages
11216 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
11217 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
11218 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
11219 paging will not be done.
11221 @item gnus-page-delimiter
11222 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
11223 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
11227 @cindex internationalized domain names
11228 @vindex gnus-use-idna
11229 @item gnus-use-idna
11230 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
11231 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
11232 @samp{Cc} headers. This requires
11233 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
11234 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
11239 @node Composing Messages
11240 @chapter Composing Messages
11241 @cindex composing messages
11244 @cindex sending mail
11249 @cindex using s/mime
11250 @cindex using smime
11252 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
11253 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
11254 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
11255 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
11256 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
11257 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
11260 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
11261 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
11262 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
11263 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
11264 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
11265 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
11266 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
11267 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
11270 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
11271 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
11277 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
11280 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
11281 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
11282 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
11283 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
11284 @code{nil} include all headers.
11286 @item gnus-add-to-list
11287 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11288 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11289 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11291 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11292 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11293 This can also be a function receiving the group name as the only
11294 parameter which should return non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is
11295 needed, or a regular expression matching group names, where
11296 confirmation is should be asked for.
11298 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11299 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
11301 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11302 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11303 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11304 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11305 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11310 @node Posting Server
11311 @section Posting Server
11313 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11314 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11316 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11318 It can be quite complicated.
11320 @vindex gnus-post-method
11321 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11322 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11323 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11324 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11325 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11326 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11327 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11328 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11329 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11332 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11335 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11336 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11337 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11338 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11340 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11341 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11343 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11344 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11347 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11348 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11350 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11351 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11352 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11353 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11354 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @acronym{SMTP}
11355 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11356 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11357 package correctly. An example:
11360 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11361 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11362 ;; The following variable needs to be set because of the FLIM version of
11363 ;; smtpmail.el. Which smtpmail.el is used depends on the `load-path'.
11364 (setq smtp-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11367 To the thing similar to this, there is
11368 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}. It is useful if your ISP requires
11369 the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. See the
11370 documentation for the function @code{mail-source-touch-pop}.
11372 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11373 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11374 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11376 @node Mail and Post
11377 @section Mail and Post
11379 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11383 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11384 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11385 @cindex mailing lists
11387 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11388 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
11389 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11390 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11391 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11392 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11393 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11394 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11395 still a pain, though.
11397 @item gnus-user-agent
11398 @vindex gnus-user-agent
11401 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
11402 User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
11403 Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
11404 @code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
11405 configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
11406 system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
11407 use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
11411 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11412 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11413 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11416 @findex ispell-message
11418 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11421 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11422 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11425 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11429 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11430 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11432 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11435 Modify to suit your needs.
11438 @node Archived Messages
11439 @section Archived Messages
11440 @cindex archived messages
11441 @cindex sent messages
11443 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11444 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11445 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11446 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11449 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11450 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11453 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11454 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
11455 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11458 (nnfolder "archive"
11459 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11460 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11461 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11462 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11465 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11466 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11467 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11468 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11471 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11472 '(nnfolder "archive"
11473 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11474 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11475 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11478 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11480 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11481 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11482 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11484 This variable can be used to do the following:
11488 Messages will be saved in that group.
11490 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11491 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11492 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11493 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11494 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11495 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11496 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11497 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11500 @item a list of strings
11501 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11503 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11504 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11507 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11512 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11514 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11517 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11519 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11522 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11524 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11525 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11526 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11527 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11530 More complex stuff:
11532 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11533 '((if (message-news-p)
11538 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11539 messages in one file per month:
11542 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11543 '((if (message-news-p)
11545 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11548 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11549 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11551 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11552 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11553 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11554 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11555 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11556 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11557 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11558 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11559 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11560 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11562 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11563 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11564 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11565 this will disable archiving.
11568 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11569 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11570 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11571 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11572 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11575 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11576 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11577 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11580 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11581 but the latter is the preferred method.
11583 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11584 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11585 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11587 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11588 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11589 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11590 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11591 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11592 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11593 changed in the future.
11598 @node Posting Styles
11599 @section Posting Styles
11600 @cindex posting styles
11603 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11605 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11606 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11607 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11610 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11611 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11612 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11613 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11614 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11619 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11620 (organization "What me?"))
11622 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11623 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11624 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11627 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11628 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11629 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11630 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11631 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11632 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11633 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11634 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11636 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11637 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11638 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
11639 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
11640 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
11641 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
11642 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
11643 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11644 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
11645 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11646 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11647 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
11648 said to @dfn{match}.
11650 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11651 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11652 attribute name can be one of:
11655 @item @code{signature}
11656 @item @code{signature-file}
11657 @item @code{x-face-file}
11658 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
11659 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
11663 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
11664 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
11665 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
11666 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
11667 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
11669 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11670 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11671 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11672 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11673 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11674 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11675 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11676 references chars lines xref extra.
11678 @vindex message-reply-headers
11680 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11681 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11682 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11684 @findex message-mail-p
11685 @findex message-news-p
11687 So here's a new example:
11690 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11692 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11694 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11695 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11697 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11698 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
11699 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11700 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
11701 (signature my-news-signature))
11702 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
11703 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11704 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
11705 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11706 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11707 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
11708 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11709 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11710 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11711 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11713 (From (save-excursion
11714 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11715 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11717 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11720 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11721 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11722 if you fill many roles.
11724 Setting the @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} variable will make
11725 posting-styles allow to have distinctive names. You can specify an
11726 arbitrary posting-style when article posting with @kbd{S P} in the
11727 summary buffer. @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} is an alist which maps
11728 the names to styles. Once a posting-style is added to the alist, we can
11729 import it from @code{gnus-posting-styles}. If an attribute whose name
11730 is @code{import} is found, Gnus will look for the attribute value in
11731 @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} and expand it in place.
11736 (setq gnus-named-posting-styles
11738 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11740 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11741 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11744 (organization "The Church of Emacs"))))
11747 The posting-style named "Emacs" will inherit all the attributes from
11748 "Default" except @code{organization}.
11755 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11756 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11757 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11758 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11759 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11761 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11762 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11763 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11764 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11765 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11769 @vindex nndraft-directory
11770 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11771 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11772 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11773 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11774 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11775 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11777 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11778 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11779 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
11780 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
11781 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
11782 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
11783 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
11784 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
11785 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
11787 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11788 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11789 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11790 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11791 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11792 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11793 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11794 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11795 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11796 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11797 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11798 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11799 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11800 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11802 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11803 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11804 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11806 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11807 @kindex D e (Draft)
11808 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11809 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11810 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11812 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11815 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11816 @kindex D s (Draft)
11817 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11818 @kindex D S (Draft)
11819 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11820 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11821 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11822 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11823 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11826 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
11827 @kindex D t (Draft)
11828 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11829 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11830 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11833 @node Rejected Articles
11834 @section Rejected Articles
11835 @cindex rejected articles
11837 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11838 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11839 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11840 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11842 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
11843 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11844 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11845 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
11846 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11848 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11849 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11850 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11852 @node Signing and encrypting
11853 @section Signing and encrypting
11855 @cindex using s/mime
11856 @cindex using smime
11858 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
11859 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
11860 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
11861 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
11863 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
11864 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
11865 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
11866 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11867 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11868 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11869 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11870 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11871 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11872 automatically encrypted messages.
11874 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
11875 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
11876 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11881 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11882 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
11884 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
11887 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11888 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11890 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
11893 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11894 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11896 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
11899 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11900 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
11902 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
11905 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11906 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
11908 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
11911 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11912 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
11914 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
11917 @kindex C-c C-m C-n
11918 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11919 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
11923 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
11925 @node Select Methods
11926 @chapter Select Methods
11927 @cindex foreign groups
11928 @cindex select methods
11930 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11931 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11932 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11933 personal mail group.
11935 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11936 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11937 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11938 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11939 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11940 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11942 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11943 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11945 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11948 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
11949 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11950 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11951 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11952 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11954 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11957 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11958 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11959 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11960 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11961 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
11962 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11963 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11964 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11968 @node Server Buffer
11969 @section Server Buffer
11971 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11972 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11973 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11974 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11975 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11976 back end represents a virtual server.
11978 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11979 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11980 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11981 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11983 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11984 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11985 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11986 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11987 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11988 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11989 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11991 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11992 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11995 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11996 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11997 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11998 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11999 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
12000 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
12001 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
12004 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
12005 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
12008 @node Server Buffer Format
12009 @subsection Server Buffer Format
12010 @cindex server buffer format
12012 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
12013 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
12014 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
12015 variable, with some simple extensions:
12020 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
12023 The name of this server.
12026 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
12029 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
12032 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
12033 The mode line can also be customized by using the
12034 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
12035 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
12045 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
12048 @node Server Commands
12049 @subsection Server Commands
12050 @cindex server commands
12056 @findex gnus-server-add-server
12057 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
12061 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
12062 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
12065 @kindex SPACE (Server)
12066 @findex gnus-server-read-server
12067 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
12071 @findex gnus-server-exit
12072 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
12076 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
12077 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
12081 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
12082 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
12086 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
12087 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
12091 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
12092 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
12096 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
12097 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
12098 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
12103 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
12104 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
12105 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
12106 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
12111 @node Example Methods
12112 @subsection Example Methods
12114 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
12117 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
12120 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
12126 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
12127 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
12130 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
12131 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
12133 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
12134 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
12138 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
12141 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
12142 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
12144 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
12145 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
12146 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
12150 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
12153 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
12156 Here's the method for a public spool:
12160 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
12161 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
12167 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
12168 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
12169 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12170 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
12171 should probably look something like this:
12175 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
12176 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
12177 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
12178 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12181 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
12182 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
12183 configuration to the example above:
12186 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12189 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
12191 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
12192 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
12193 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
12197 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12198 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
12199 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
12200 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12203 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
12204 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
12205 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
12206 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
12209 @node Creating a Virtual Server
12210 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
12212 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
12213 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
12215 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
12216 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
12217 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
12219 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
12221 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
12222 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
12223 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
12224 will contain the following:
12234 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
12235 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
12238 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
12239 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
12240 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
12243 @node Server Variables
12244 @subsection Server Variables
12245 @cindex server variables
12246 @cindex server parameters
12248 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
12249 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
12250 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
12251 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
12252 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
12254 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
12255 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
12256 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
12257 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
12258 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
12259 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
12260 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
12261 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
12262 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
12266 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
12267 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
12268 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
12271 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
12273 @node Servers and Methods
12274 @subsection Servers and Methods
12276 Wherever you would normally use a select method
12277 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
12278 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
12279 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
12283 @node Unavailable Servers
12284 @subsection Unavailable Servers
12286 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
12287 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
12288 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
12289 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
12290 actually the case or not.
12292 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
12293 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
12294 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
12295 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
12296 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
12297 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
12298 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
12299 it will regard that server as ``down''.
12301 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
12302 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
12304 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
12305 with the following commands:
12311 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12312 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12313 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12317 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12318 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12319 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12323 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12324 Mark the current server as unreachable
12325 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12328 @kindex M-o (Server)
12329 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12330 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12331 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12334 @kindex M-c (Server)
12335 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12336 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12337 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12341 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12342 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12343 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12347 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12348 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12354 @section Getting News
12355 @cindex reading news
12356 @cindex news back ends
12358 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12359 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
12360 or it can read from a local spool.
12363 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12364 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12372 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
12373 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
12374 server as the, uhm, address.
12376 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12377 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12378 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12379 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12381 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12382 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12383 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12385 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12390 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12391 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12392 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12394 @cindex authentification
12395 @cindex nntp authentification
12396 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12397 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12398 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12399 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
12400 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12401 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12402 present in this hook.
12404 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12405 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12406 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12407 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12408 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
12409 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12410 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12411 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12412 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12413 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12414 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12415 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12419 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12422 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12424 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12425 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12426 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12427 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12428 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12429 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12430 @samp{force} is explained below.
12434 Here's an example file:
12437 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12438 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12441 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12442 have to be first, for instance.
12444 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12445 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12446 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12447 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12448 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12449 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12450 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12452 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12453 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12459 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12460 previously mentioned.
12462 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12464 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12465 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12466 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12467 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12468 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12471 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12472 '(("innd" (ding))))
12475 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12477 The default value is
12480 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12481 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12482 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12485 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12486 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12488 @item nntp-maximum-request
12489 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12490 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
12491 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12492 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12493 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12494 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12495 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12497 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12498 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12499 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12500 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
12501 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12502 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12503 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12504 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12505 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12506 no timeouts are done.
12508 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12509 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12510 @c @cindex PPP connections
12511 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12512 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12513 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12514 @c changes after connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will simply sit
12515 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12516 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12517 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12518 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12519 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12520 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12522 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12523 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12524 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12525 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12526 @c described above.
12528 @item nntp-server-hook
12529 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12530 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @acronym{NNTP}
12533 @item nntp-buggy-select
12534 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12535 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12537 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12538 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12539 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
12540 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
12543 @item nntp-xover-commands
12544 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12545 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
12547 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
12548 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12552 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12553 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
12554 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12555 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12556 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
12557 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12558 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12559 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12560 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12561 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12562 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12564 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12565 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12566 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12568 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12569 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12570 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12571 server closes connection.
12573 @item nntp-record-commands
12574 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12575 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12576 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12577 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
12578 that doesn't seem to work.
12580 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12581 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12582 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12583 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12584 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12585 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12586 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12587 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12589 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12590 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12591 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12592 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12593 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12594 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12595 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12598 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12601 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12602 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12604 @item nntp-read-timeout
12605 @vindex nntp-read-timeout
12606 How long nntp should wait between checking for the end of output.
12607 Shorter values mean quicker response, but is more CPU intensive. The
12608 default is 0.1 seconds. If you have a slow line to the server (and
12609 don't like to see Emacs eat your available CPU power), you might set
12612 @item nntp-list-options
12613 @vindex nntp-list-options
12614 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
12615 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
12616 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
12617 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
12618 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
12622 (setq gnus-select-method
12623 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12624 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
12627 @item nntp-options-subscribe
12628 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
12629 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
12630 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12631 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12632 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12633 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12636 (setq gnus-select-method
12637 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12638 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
12641 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
12642 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
12643 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
12644 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12645 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12646 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12647 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12650 (setq gnus-select-method
12651 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12652 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
12657 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12658 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12659 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12663 @node Direct Functions
12664 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12665 @cindex direct connection functions
12667 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12668 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
12669 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12670 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12673 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12674 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12675 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12678 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
12679 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
12680 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12681 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
12682 installed. You then define a server as follows:
12685 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12686 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
12688 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12689 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
12690 (nntp-port-number )
12691 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12694 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12695 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12696 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12697 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
12698 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
12699 then define a server as follows:
12702 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12703 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
12705 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12706 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12707 (nntp-port-number 563)
12708 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12711 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12712 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12713 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12714 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12715 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12716 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12717 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12718 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12722 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12723 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12724 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12727 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12728 session, which is not a good idea.
12732 @node Indirect Functions
12733 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12734 @cindex indirect connection functions
12736 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12737 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12738 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12739 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
12740 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12741 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12744 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12745 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12746 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12747 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12748 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12750 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12753 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12754 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12755 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12756 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12758 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12759 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12760 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12761 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12762 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
12763 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12764 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
12765 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
12769 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12770 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12771 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12772 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12774 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12777 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12778 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12779 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12782 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12783 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12784 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12785 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12787 @item nntp-via-user-password
12788 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12789 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12791 @item nntp-via-envuser
12792 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12793 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12794 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12795 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12797 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12798 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12799 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12800 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12807 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12812 @item nntp-via-user-name
12813 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12814 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12816 @item nntp-via-address
12817 @vindex nntp-via-address
12818 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12823 @node Common Variables
12824 @subsubsection Common Variables
12826 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12827 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12832 @item nntp-pre-command
12833 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12834 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
12835 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
12836 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is
12837 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
12840 @vindex nntp-address
12841 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12843 @item nntp-port-number
12844 @vindex nntp-port-number
12845 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
12846 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
12847 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you may want to use integer ports rather
12848 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
12849 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
12850 not work with named ports.
12852 @item nntp-end-of-line
12853 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12854 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
12855 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12856 using a non native connection function.
12858 @item nntp-telnet-command
12859 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12860 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
12861 @samp{telnet}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
12862 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
12865 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12866 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12867 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12874 @subsection News Spool
12878 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12879 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12880 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12883 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12884 anything else) as the address.
12886 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12887 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12888 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12889 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12893 @item nnspool-inews-program
12894 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12895 Program used to post an article.
12897 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12898 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12899 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12901 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12902 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12903 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12904 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12906 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12907 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12908 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
12909 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12911 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12912 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12913 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12915 @item nnspool-active-file
12916 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12917 The name of the active file.
12919 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12920 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12921 The name of the group descriptions file.
12923 @item nnspool-history-file
12924 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12925 The name of the news history file.
12927 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12928 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12929 The name of the active date file.
12931 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12932 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12933 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
12936 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12937 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12939 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12940 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
12941 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
12948 @section Getting Mail
12949 @cindex reading mail
12952 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12956 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12957 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12958 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12959 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12960 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12961 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12962 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12963 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12964 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12965 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
12966 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12967 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12968 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12972 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12973 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12975 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12976 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12977 of a culture shock.
12979 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12980 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12982 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12983 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12984 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12985 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12987 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12989 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12990 deleted? How awful!
12992 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12993 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12994 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12995 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
12998 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12999 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
13000 they want to treat a message.
13002 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
13003 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
13004 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
13005 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
13006 archived somewhere else.
13008 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
13009 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
13010 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
13011 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
13012 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
13014 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
13015 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
13016 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
13018 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
13019 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
13022 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
13023 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
13024 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
13025 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
13026 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
13028 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
13029 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
13030 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
13031 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
13032 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
13033 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
13037 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
13038 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
13040 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
13041 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
13042 and things will happen automatically.
13044 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
13045 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13048 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
13051 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
13052 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
13053 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
13054 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
13055 like any other group.
13057 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
13060 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13061 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13062 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13066 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
13067 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
13068 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
13071 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
13072 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
13073 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
13076 @node Splitting Mail
13077 @subsection Splitting Mail
13078 @cindex splitting mail
13079 @cindex mail splitting
13080 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
13082 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
13083 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
13084 to be split into groups.
13087 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13088 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13089 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13090 ("mail.other" "")))
13093 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
13094 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
13095 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
13096 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
13097 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
13098 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
13099 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
13102 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
13105 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13106 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
13107 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
13108 mail belongs in that group.
13110 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
13111 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{*} so that it matches any mails
13112 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
13113 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
13114 rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled.
13115 In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.)
13117 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
13118 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
13119 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
13120 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
13121 thinks should carry this mail message.
13123 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
13124 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
13125 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
13126 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
13128 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
13129 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
13130 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
13131 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
13132 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{*}) group.
13134 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
13137 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
13138 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
13139 links. If that's the case for you, set
13140 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
13141 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
13143 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
13144 @findex nnmail-split-history
13145 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
13146 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
13147 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
13148 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
13151 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
13152 Header lines longer than the value of
13153 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
13156 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
13157 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
13158 By default the splitting codes @acronym{MIME} decodes headers so you
13159 can match on non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. The
13160 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset} variable specifies the default
13161 charset for decoding. The behaviour can be turned off completely by
13162 binding @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to @code{nil}, which is
13163 useful if you want to match articles based on the raw header data.
13165 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13166 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
13167 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
13168 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
13169 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
13170 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
13171 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
13172 other kinds of entries.)
13174 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
13175 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
13176 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
13177 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
13178 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
13179 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
13180 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
13181 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
13182 month's rent money.
13186 @subsection Mail Sources
13188 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
13189 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
13190 maildir, for instance.
13193 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
13194 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
13195 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
13199 @node Mail Source Specifiers
13200 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
13202 @cindex mail server
13205 @cindex mail source
13207 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
13208 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
13213 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
13216 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
13217 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
13218 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
13221 The following mail source types are available:
13225 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
13231 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
13232 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
13233 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
13237 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13240 An example file mail source:
13243 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
13246 Or using the default file name:
13252 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
13253 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
13254 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
13255 mail spool while moving the mail.
13257 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
13261 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
13264 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
13268 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
13271 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
13273 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
13276 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
13280 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
13281 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
13282 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
13283 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
13284 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
13285 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
13286 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
13287 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
13288 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
13289 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
13291 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13292 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
13293 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
13294 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
13300 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
13304 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
13308 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
13309 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
13310 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
13311 predicate are considered.
13315 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13319 An example directory mail source:
13322 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13327 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
13333 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
13334 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13337 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
13338 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13339 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13340 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13341 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13344 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
13348 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
13349 the user is prompted.
13352 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
13353 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13356 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13359 The valid format specifier characters are:
13363 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13364 included in this string.
13367 The name of the server.
13370 The port number of the server.
13373 The user name to use.
13376 The password to use.
13379 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13380 corresponding keywords.
13383 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13384 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13387 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13388 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13391 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
13392 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
13393 mail should be moved to.
13395 @item :authentication
13396 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13397 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13401 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this can be the symbol
13402 @code{ssl}, the symbol @code{tls} or others. The default is @code{nil}
13403 and use insecure connections. Note that for SSL/TLS, you need external
13404 programs and libraries:
13408 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL@. Requires OpenSSL (the program
13409 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
13410 library @samp{ssl.el}.
13412 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to SSL)@.
13413 Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13418 Non-@code{nil} if mail is to be left on the server and UIDL used for
13419 message retrieval. The default is @code{nil}.
13423 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13424 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
13426 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server,
13427 using the default user name, and default fetcher:
13433 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13436 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13437 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13440 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13443 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13447 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13448 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13449 contains exactly one mail.
13455 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13456 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13459 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13460 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13462 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13463 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13464 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13467 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13468 from locking problems).
13472 Two example maildir mail sources:
13475 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13476 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13480 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13485 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
13486 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
13487 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
13488 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
13489 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
13491 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
13492 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13498 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
13499 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13502 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13503 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
13506 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
13510 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
13514 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13515 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13516 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
13517 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13519 @item :authentication
13520 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13521 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13522 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13523 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13526 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13527 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
13528 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13534 The valid format specifier characters are:
13538 The name of the server.
13541 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
13544 The port number of the server.
13547 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13548 corresponding keywords.
13551 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13552 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13555 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13556 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13557 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
13558 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13559 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13560 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13563 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13564 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13565 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13566 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13569 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
13570 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
13574 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
13577 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13579 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13583 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
13584 @uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
13585 @uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
13587 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13588 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13590 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13596 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13597 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13600 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13604 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13608 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
13609 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
13613 An example webmail source:
13616 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13618 :password "secret")
13623 @item Common Keywords
13624 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13630 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
13631 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
13636 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13641 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13642 useful when you use local mail and news.
13647 @subsubsection Function Interface
13649 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13650 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13651 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13652 consider the following mail-source setting:
13655 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13656 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13659 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13660 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13661 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13662 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13663 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13665 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13668 @node Mail Source Customization
13669 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13671 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13672 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13676 @item mail-source-crash-box
13677 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13678 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
13679 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13681 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13682 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13683 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
13684 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
13685 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
13686 (This will only happen, when receiving new mail). You may also set
13687 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
13688 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
13690 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13691 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13692 If non-@code{nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
13693 files. This variable only applies when
13694 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
13696 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
13697 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
13698 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
13700 @item mail-source-directory
13701 @vindex mail-source-directory
13702 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
13703 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
13704 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
13707 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13708 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13709 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13710 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13711 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13712 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13714 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13715 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13716 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13718 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13719 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13720 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
13721 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13726 @node Fetching Mail
13727 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13729 @vindex mail-sources
13730 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13731 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13732 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13733 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13735 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13736 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13739 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
13740 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
13745 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13746 :password "secret")))
13749 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13753 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13754 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13757 :password "secret")))
13761 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13762 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13763 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13764 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13765 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13766 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13770 @node Mail Back End Variables
13771 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13773 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13777 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13778 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13779 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13780 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13782 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13783 @item nnmail-split-hook
13784 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
13785 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
13786 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
13787 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13788 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13789 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13790 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13791 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13792 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13795 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13796 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13797 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13798 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13799 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13800 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13801 starting to handle the new mail) and
13802 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13803 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13804 default file modes the new mail files get:
13807 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13808 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13810 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13811 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13814 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13815 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13816 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13817 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13818 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13819 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13820 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13822 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13823 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13824 @findex delete-file
13825 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13827 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13828 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13829 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13830 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13831 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13833 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13834 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13835 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13836 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13837 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
13839 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
13840 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
13841 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
13846 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13847 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13848 @cindex mail splitting
13849 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13851 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13852 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13853 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13854 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13855 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13856 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13858 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13861 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
13862 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
13863 ;; @r{from real errors.}
13864 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13866 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
13867 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
13868 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
13869 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13870 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13871 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
13872 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13873 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13874 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
13875 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
13876 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
13877 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
13878 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13879 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13880 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
13881 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13882 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
13886 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
13887 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
13888 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
13893 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
13894 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
13896 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split})
13897 If the split is a list, the first element of which is a string, then
13898 store the message as specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field}
13899 (a regexp) contains @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict}
13900 (yet another regexp) matches some string after @var{field} and before
13901 the end of the matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If
13902 none of the @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13904 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
13905 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
13906 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
13907 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
13908 stored in one or more groups.
13910 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
13911 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
13912 process all @var{split}s in the list.
13915 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
13916 this message. Use with extreme caution.
13918 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
13919 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
13920 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
13921 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
13924 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13925 body of the messages:
13928 (defun split-on-body ()
13931 (goto-char (point-min))
13932 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13936 The buffer is narrowed to the message in question when @var{function}
13937 is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called after
13938 @code{save-excursion} in the example above. Also note that with the
13939 nnimap backend, message bodies will not be downloaded by default. You
13940 need to set @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to t to do that
13941 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
13943 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
13944 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
13945 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
13946 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
13947 should return a split.
13950 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13954 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13955 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13956 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13957 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13958 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13960 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13961 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
13962 they are expanded as specified by the variable
13963 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
13964 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
13965 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
13966 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
13970 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
13972 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
13973 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
13975 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
13978 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13979 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13980 when all this splitting is performed.
13982 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13983 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13984 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13987 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13990 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13991 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13993 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13994 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13995 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13996 groupings 1 through 9.
13998 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13999 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
14000 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
14001 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
14002 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
14003 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
14004 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
14005 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
14006 it once per thread.
14008 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
14009 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
14010 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
14011 using the colon feature, like so:
14013 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
14014 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
14016 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
14017 ;; @r{other splits go here}
14021 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
14022 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
14023 in the file specified by the variable
14024 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
14025 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
14026 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
14027 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
14028 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
14029 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
14030 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
14031 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
14032 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
14033 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
14034 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
14035 300 kBytes in size.)
14036 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14037 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
14038 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
14039 messages goes into the new group.
14041 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
14042 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
14043 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
14044 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
14045 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
14046 ``outgoing'' group.
14049 @node Group Mail Splitting
14050 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
14051 @cindex mail splitting
14052 @cindex group mail splitting
14054 @findex gnus-group-split
14055 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
14056 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
14057 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
14058 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
14059 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
14060 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
14061 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
14062 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
14064 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
14065 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
14066 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
14067 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
14069 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
14070 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
14071 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
14072 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
14073 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
14074 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
14075 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
14077 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
14078 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
14079 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
14080 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
14081 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
14082 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
14083 @code{gnus-group-split}.
14085 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
14086 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
14087 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
14088 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
14089 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
14090 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
14091 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
14092 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
14093 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
14094 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
14095 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
14096 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
14097 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
14099 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
14104 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
14105 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
14107 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
14108 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
14109 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
14110 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
14112 ((split-spec . catch-all))
14115 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
14116 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
14117 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
14120 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
14121 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
14122 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
14126 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
14127 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
14128 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
14132 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
14135 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
14136 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
14137 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
14138 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
14139 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
14140 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
14141 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
14142 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
14143 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
14145 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
14146 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
14147 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
14148 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
14149 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
14150 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
14151 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
14152 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
14153 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
14155 @findex gnus-group-split-update
14156 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
14157 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
14158 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
14159 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
14160 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
14163 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
14166 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
14167 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
14168 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
14169 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
14170 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
14173 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
14174 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
14175 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
14176 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
14178 @node Incorporating Old Mail
14179 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
14180 @cindex incorporating old mail
14181 @cindex import old mail
14183 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
14184 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
14185 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
14188 Doing so can be quite easy.
14190 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
14191 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
14192 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
14193 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
14194 your @code{nnml} groups.
14200 Go to the group buffer.
14203 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
14204 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14207 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
14210 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
14211 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14214 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
14215 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
14218 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
14219 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
14220 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
14221 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
14222 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
14224 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
14225 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
14226 using the new mail back end.
14229 @node Expiring Mail
14230 @subsection Expiring Mail
14231 @cindex article expiry
14233 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
14234 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
14235 different approach to mail reading.
14237 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
14238 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
14239 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
14240 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
14241 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
14242 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
14245 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
14246 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
14247 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
14248 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
14249 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
14250 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
14251 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
14252 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
14253 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
14255 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
14256 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
14257 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
14258 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
14259 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
14260 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
14261 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
14264 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
14265 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
14266 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
14267 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
14268 into its own group.)
14270 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
14271 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
14272 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
14273 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
14274 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
14275 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
14276 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
14277 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
14280 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14281 Groups that match the regular expression
14282 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
14283 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
14284 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
14286 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
14287 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
14288 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
14289 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
14290 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14292 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
14294 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
14295 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
14296 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
14299 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
14300 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
14301 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
14302 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
14303 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
14305 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
14306 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
14309 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14310 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
14313 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
14314 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
14316 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
14317 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
14318 don't really mix very well.
14320 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
14321 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
14322 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
14323 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
14326 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
14327 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
14328 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
14329 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
14332 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14334 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14336 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
14338 ((string= group "mail.junk")
14340 ((string= group "important")
14346 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
14347 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
14349 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
14350 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
14351 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
14354 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
14355 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14357 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
14358 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
14359 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
14360 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
14361 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
14362 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
14363 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
14364 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
14365 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
14366 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
14367 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
14368 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
14369 name or @code{delete}.
14371 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
14373 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
14376 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14377 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14378 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
14379 expire mail to groups according to the variable
14380 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
14383 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14384 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14385 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
14386 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
14387 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
14390 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
14391 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
14392 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
14393 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
14394 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
14395 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14397 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14398 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14399 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14400 easier for procmail users.
14402 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14403 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14404 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14405 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14406 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14407 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14408 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14409 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14410 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14411 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14412 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14413 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14414 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14417 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14419 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14420 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14421 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14422 auto-expire turned on.
14426 @subsection Washing Mail
14427 @cindex mail washing
14428 @cindex list server brain damage
14429 @cindex incoming mail treatment
14431 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
14432 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
14433 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
14434 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
14435 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
14436 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
14438 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
14439 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
14440 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
14443 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
14444 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
14445 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
14446 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
14449 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14450 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14451 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
14452 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
14453 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
14456 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14457 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14458 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
14459 Emacs running on MS machines.
14463 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14464 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14465 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
14466 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
14469 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14470 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14471 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
14472 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
14474 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
14475 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
14476 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
14477 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
14478 into a feature by documenting it.)
14480 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14481 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14482 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
14483 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
14484 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
14485 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
14486 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
14489 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
14490 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
14493 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
14494 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14497 This can also be done non-destructively with
14498 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14500 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14501 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14502 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14504 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14505 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14507 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14508 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14509 @code{References} headers.
14513 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14514 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14515 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14519 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14520 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14521 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14528 @subsection Duplicates
14530 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14531 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14532 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14533 @cindex duplicate mails
14534 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14535 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14536 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14537 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14538 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14539 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14540 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14541 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14542 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14543 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14544 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14545 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14546 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14548 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14549 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14550 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14551 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14553 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14556 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14557 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14561 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14562 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
14563 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14564 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
14565 (any mail "mail.misc")
14566 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14572 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14573 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14574 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14578 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14579 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14580 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14581 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14582 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14585 @node Not Reading Mail
14586 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14588 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14589 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14590 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14592 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14593 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14594 mail, which should help.
14596 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14597 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14598 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14599 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14600 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14601 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14602 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old Rmail
14603 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14604 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14605 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14606 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14608 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14609 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14613 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14614 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14616 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14617 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14618 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14620 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14621 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14622 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14626 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14627 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
14628 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14629 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14630 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
14631 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14632 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14636 @node Unix Mail Box
14637 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14639 @cindex unix mail box
14641 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14642 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14643 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14644 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14645 which group it belongs in.
14647 Virtual server settings:
14650 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14651 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14652 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14655 @item nnmbox-active-file
14656 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14657 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14658 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14660 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14661 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14662 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14663 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14668 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14672 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14673 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14674 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{Rmail
14675 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14676 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14678 Virtual server settings:
14681 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14682 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14683 The name of the Rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14685 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14686 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14687 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14688 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14690 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14691 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14692 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14698 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14700 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
14702 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14703 format. It should be used with some caution.
14705 @vindex nnml-directory
14706 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14707 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14708 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14709 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14711 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14714 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14715 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14716 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14717 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14718 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14719 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
14720 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
14721 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
14723 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
14724 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
14725 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
14726 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
14728 @cindex self contained nnml servers
14730 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
14731 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14732 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14733 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
14734 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
14735 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
14736 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
14737 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
14740 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
14741 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
14742 them next time it starts.
14744 Virtual server settings:
14747 @item nnml-directory
14748 @vindex nnml-directory
14749 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
14750 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
14753 @item nnml-active-file
14754 @vindex nnml-active-file
14755 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
14756 @file{~/Mail/active}.
14758 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
14759 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
14760 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14761 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
14763 @item nnml-get-new-mail
14764 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14765 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
14768 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
14769 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
14770 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
14771 default is @code{nil}.
14773 @item nnml-nov-file-name
14774 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
14775 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
14777 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14778 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14779 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
14781 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
14782 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
14783 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14784 default is @code{nil}.
14786 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14787 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14788 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14790 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
14791 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
14792 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14797 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14798 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of whack,
14799 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14800 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14801 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14802 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14803 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14808 @subsubsection MH Spool
14810 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14812 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14813 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
14814 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
14815 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
14817 Virtual server settings:
14820 @item nnmh-directory
14821 @vindex nnmh-directory
14822 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
14823 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14826 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
14827 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14828 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
14832 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
14833 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
14834 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
14835 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
14836 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
14837 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
14838 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
14843 @subsubsection Maildir
14847 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
14848 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
14849 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
14850 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. nnmaildir also
14851 stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory within a
14854 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
14855 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
14856 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
14857 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
14858 can still do that with nnmaildir, but the more common configuration is
14859 to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs that appear as
14862 nnmaildir is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will never
14863 corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never corrupt its
14864 data in the filesystem.
14866 nnmaildir stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each maildir. So you
14867 can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to another, and you will
14870 Virtual server settings:
14874 For each of your nnmaildir servers (it's very unlikely that you'd need
14875 more than one), you need to create a directory and populate it with
14876 maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not choose a
14877 directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir will be
14878 represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the filename of the
14879 symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames in the directory
14880 starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is scanned when you
14881 first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in the group buffer;
14882 if any maildirs have been removed or added, nnmaildir notices at these
14885 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
14886 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
14887 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
14888 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
14889 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
14890 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
14891 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
14892 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
14893 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
14894 if nnmaildir uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical value.
14896 @item target-prefix
14897 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
14898 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
14899 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
14902 When you create a group on an nnmaildir server, the maildir is created
14903 with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
14904 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
14905 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
14906 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
14907 the group @code{foo}, nnmaildir will create
14908 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
14909 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
14910 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
14912 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
14913 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
14914 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
14915 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
14916 symlinks pointing to them will be).
14918 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
14919 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
14920 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
14921 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
14922 @code{force} argument.
14924 @item directory-files
14925 This should be a function with the same interface as
14926 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
14927 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
14928 parameter is optional; the default is
14929 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
14930 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
14931 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
14932 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
14933 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
14934 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
14937 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
14938 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
14939 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
14940 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
14941 value is @code{nil}.
14943 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
14944 an nnmaildir group. The results might happen to be useful, but that
14945 would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be different
14946 in the future. If your split rules create new groups, remember to
14947 supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
14950 @subsubsection Group parameters
14952 nnmaildir uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore all
14953 this; the default behavior for nnmaildir is the same as the default
14954 behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after one week,
14955 etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this functionality is
14956 unique to nnmaildir, so you can ignore it if you're just trying to
14957 duplicate the behavior you already have with another back end.
14959 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
14960 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
14961 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
14962 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
14963 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
14964 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
14965 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
14966 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
14967 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
14971 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article before
14972 it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
14973 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
14974 nnmaildir falls back to the usual
14975 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (overrideable by
14976 the @code{expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) group parameters. If you
14977 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
14978 60 60)]}; nnmaildir will evaluate the form and use the result. An
14979 article's age is measured starting from the article file's
14980 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
14981 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
14982 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
14985 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
14987 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
14989 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
14990 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
14991 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an nnmaildir group, the
14992 article will be just as old in the destination group as it was in the
14993 source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
14994 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
14995 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
14996 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
14997 article. So that form can refer to
14998 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
14999 article. @emph{If this parameter is not set, nnmaildir does not fall
15000 back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
15001 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
15004 If this is set to @code{t}, nnmaildir will treat the articles in this
15005 maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed from
15006 @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in @file{new/},
15007 not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles cannot be
15008 edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the @file{new/}
15009 directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox containing
15010 a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the maildir outside
15011 @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for a shared
15012 mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or have write
15013 permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't contain
15014 extra copies of the articles.
15016 @item directory-files
15017 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
15018 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
15019 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
15020 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
15022 @item distrust-Lines:
15023 If non-@code{nil}, nnmaildir will always count the lines of an
15024 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
15025 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
15028 A list of mark symbols, such as
15029 @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever Gnus asks nnmaildir for
15030 article marks, nnmaildir will say that all articles have these
15031 marks, regardless of whether the marks stored in the filesystem
15032 say so. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will probably be
15033 removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
15034 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15037 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
15038 Gnus asks nnmaildir for article marks, nnmaildir will say that no
15039 articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks stored in
15040 the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
15041 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
15042 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
15043 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15045 @item nov-cache-size
15046 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To speed
15047 things up, nnmaildir keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory for a limited number of
15048 articles in each group. (This is probably not worthwhile, and will
15049 probably be removed in the future.) This parameter's value is noticed
15050 only the first time a group is seen after the server is opened---i.e.,
15051 when you first start Gnus, typically. The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized
15052 until the server is closed and reopened. The default is an estimate
15053 of the number of articles that would be displayed in the summary
15054 buffer: a count of articles that are either marked with @code{tick} or
15055 not marked with @code{read}, plus a little extra.
15058 @subsubsection Article identification
15059 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
15060 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
15061 contains no colons. nnmaildir ignores, but preserves, the
15062 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
15063 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
15064 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
15065 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
15066 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
15067 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
15068 request the article in the summary buffer.
15070 @subsubsection NOV data
15071 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used to
15072 generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
15073 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
15074 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
15075 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically when the
15076 article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can force
15077 nnmaildir to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a single article simply by
15078 deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV} file, but @emph{beware}: this will also
15079 cause nnmaildir to assign a new article number for this article, which
15080 may cause trouble with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
15082 @subsubsection Article marks
15083 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
15084 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
15085 When Gnus asks nnmaildir for a group's marks, nnmaildir looks for such
15086 files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus asks nnmaildir
15087 to store a new set of marks, nnmaildir creates and deletes the
15088 corresponding files as needed. (Actually, rather than create a new
15089 file for each mark, it just creates hard links to
15090 @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
15092 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
15093 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
15094 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
15095 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
15096 this while Gnus is running and your nnmaildir server is open, it's
15097 best to exit all summary buffers for nnmaildir groups and type @kbd{s}
15098 in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or @kbd{M-g} in the
15099 group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not pick up the
15100 changes, and might undo them.
15104 @subsubsection Mail Folders
15106 @cindex mbox folders
15107 @cindex mail folders
15109 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
15110 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
15111 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
15114 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
15116 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
15117 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15118 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15119 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
15120 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
15121 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
15122 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
15123 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
15124 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
15125 @code{nnfolder} directory).
15127 Virtual server settings:
15130 @item nnfolder-directory
15131 @vindex nnfolder-directory
15132 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
15133 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
15136 @item nnfolder-active-file
15137 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
15138 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
15140 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15141 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15142 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15143 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
15145 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
15146 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
15147 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
15150 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15151 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15152 @cindex backup files
15153 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
15154 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
15155 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
15156 your @file{.emacs} file:
15159 (defun turn-off-backup ()
15160 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
15162 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
15165 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15166 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15167 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
15168 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
15169 extract some information from it before removing it.
15171 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15172 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15173 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15174 default is @code{nil}.
15176 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15177 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15178 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
15180 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
15181 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
15182 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
15183 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15185 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15186 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15187 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15188 default is @code{nil}.
15190 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15191 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15192 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
15194 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
15195 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
15196 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
15197 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15202 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
15203 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
15204 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
15205 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
15206 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
15207 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
15210 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
15211 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
15213 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
15214 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
15215 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
15216 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
15217 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
15219 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
15220 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
15221 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
15222 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
15223 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
15224 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
15225 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
15226 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
15229 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
15230 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
15231 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
15232 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
15237 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
15238 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
15239 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
15240 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
15241 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
15242 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
15243 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
15244 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
15245 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
15246 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
15247 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
15248 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
15249 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
15254 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
15255 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
15256 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
15257 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
15258 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
15259 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
15260 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
15261 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
15262 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
15263 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
15264 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
15265 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
15266 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
15267 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
15269 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
15270 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
15275 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
15276 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
15277 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
15278 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
15279 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
15280 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
15281 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
15282 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
15283 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
15284 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
15285 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
15286 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
15287 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
15288 provided by the active file and overviews.
15290 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
15291 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
15292 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
15293 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
15294 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
15297 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
15298 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
15303 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
15304 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
15305 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
15306 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
15307 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
15308 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
15309 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
15313 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
15314 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
15315 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
15316 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
15317 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
15318 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
15319 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
15320 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
15321 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
15323 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
15324 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
15325 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
15326 friendly mail back end all over.
15330 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
15331 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
15334 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
15335 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
15336 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
15337 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
15338 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
15339 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
15340 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
15341 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
15344 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
15345 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
15346 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
15347 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
15348 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
15349 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
15350 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
15351 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
15352 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
15353 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
15354 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
15356 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
15357 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
15358 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
15359 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
15360 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
15363 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
15364 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
15365 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
15366 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
15367 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
15368 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
15369 removed in the future.
15371 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
15372 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
15373 on your file system.
15375 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
15376 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
15381 @node Browsing the Web
15382 @section Browsing the Web
15384 @cindex browsing the web
15388 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
15389 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
15390 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
15391 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
15392 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
15393 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
15394 even know what a news group is.
15396 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
15397 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
15398 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
15399 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
15400 you mad in the end.
15402 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
15405 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
15406 interfaces to these sources.
15410 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
15411 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
15412 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
15413 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
15414 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
15415 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
15418 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
15420 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
15421 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
15422 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
15423 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
15424 though, you should be ok.
15426 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
15427 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
15428 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
15429 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
15430 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
15432 @node Archiving Mail
15433 @subsection Archiving Mail
15434 @cindex archiving mail
15435 @cindex backup of mail
15437 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
15438 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
15439 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
15440 marks is fairly simple.
15442 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
15443 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
15446 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
15447 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
15448 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
15449 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
15450 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
15451 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
15452 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
15453 before you restore the data.
15455 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
15456 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
15457 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
15458 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
15459 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
15460 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
15461 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
15462 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
15463 is unnecessary in that case.
15466 @subsection Web Searches
15471 @cindex Usenet searches
15472 @cindex searching the Usenet
15474 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
15475 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
15476 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
15477 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
15478 searches without having to use a browser.
15480 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
15481 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
15482 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
15483 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
15484 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
15486 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
15487 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
15488 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
15489 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
15490 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
15491 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
15492 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
15493 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
15494 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
15495 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
15498 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
15499 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
15500 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
15501 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
15502 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
15503 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
15505 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
15506 to use @code{nnweb}.
15508 Virtual server variables:
15513 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
15514 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
15515 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
15518 @vindex nnweb-search
15519 The search string to feed to the search engine.
15521 @item nnweb-max-hits
15522 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
15523 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
15526 @item nnweb-type-definition
15527 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
15528 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
15529 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
15534 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
15538 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
15541 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
15544 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
15548 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
15555 @subsection Slashdot
15559 @uref{http://slashdot.org/, Slashdot} is a popular news site, with
15560 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
15561 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
15563 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
15564 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
15567 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15568 '((nnslashdot "")))
15571 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
15572 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
15573 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
15574 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
15575 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
15578 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
15579 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
15581 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
15582 comments), some light @acronym{HTML}izations will be performed. In
15583 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
15584 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
15585 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @acronym{HTML}
15586 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
15587 @acronym{HTML} forms.
15589 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
15592 @item nnslashdot-threaded
15593 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
15594 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
15595 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
15596 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
15597 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
15598 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
15600 @item nnslashdot-login-name
15601 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
15602 The login name to use when posting.
15604 @item nnslashdot-password
15605 @vindex nnslashdot-password
15606 The password to use when posting.
15608 @item nnslashdot-directory
15609 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
15610 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
15611 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
15613 @item nnslashdot-active-url
15614 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
15615 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
15616 news articles and comments. The default is@*
15617 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
15619 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
15620 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
15621 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
15623 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
15625 @item nnslashdot-article-url
15626 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
15627 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
15629 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
15631 @item nnslashdot-threshold
15632 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
15633 The score threshold. The default is -1.
15635 @item nnslashdot-group-number
15636 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
15637 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
15638 updated. The default is 0.
15645 @subsection Ultimate
15647 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
15649 @uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/, The Ultimate Bulletin Board} is
15650 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
15651 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
15652 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15654 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
15655 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
15656 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
15657 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
15658 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
15659 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
15660 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
15662 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
15665 @item nnultimate-directory
15666 @vindex nnultimate-directory
15667 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is@*
15668 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
15673 @subsection Web Archive
15675 @cindex Web Archive
15677 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
15678 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
15679 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
15680 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15683 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
15684 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
15685 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
15686 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET @var{an_egroup} RET egroups RET
15687 www.egroups.com RET @var{your@@email.address} RET}. (Substitute the
15688 @var{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
15689 @var{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
15690 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
15692 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
15695 @item nnwarchive-directory
15696 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
15697 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is@*
15698 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
15700 @item nnwarchive-login
15701 @vindex nnwarchive-login
15702 The account name on the web server.
15704 @item nnwarchive-passwd
15705 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
15706 The password for your account on the web server.
15714 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
15715 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
15716 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15719 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
15720 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
15723 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
15726 @item nnrss-directory
15727 @vindex nnrss-directory
15728 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
15729 @file{~/News/rss/}.
15733 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
15734 the summary buffer.
15737 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
15738 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
15740 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
15742 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
15743 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
15746 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
15749 (require 'browse-url)
15751 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
15753 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
15756 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
15757 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
15760 (browse-url (cdr url))
15761 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
15762 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
15764 (eval-after-load "gnus"
15765 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
15766 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
15767 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
15770 @node Customizing w3
15771 @subsection Customizing w3
15777 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
15778 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
15779 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
15781 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
15782 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
15783 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
15786 (eval-after-load "w3"
15788 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
15789 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
15790 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
15791 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
15793 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
15796 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
15797 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
15804 @cindex @acronym{IMAP}
15806 @acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
15807 think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
15808 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
15809 specify the network address of the server.
15811 @acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
15812 everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
15813 @acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
15814 similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
15815 @acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
15816 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
15818 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
15819 entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
15820 the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
15821 not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
15823 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
15824 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
15825 manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
15826 usage explained in this section.
15828 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP}
15829 servers might look something like the following. (Note that for
15830 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you need external programs and libraries,
15834 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15835 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
15836 ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
15838 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15839 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
15840 ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
15842 (nnimap-server-port 143)
15843 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15844 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
15845 ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
15846 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
15847 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
15848 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
15849 (nnimap-stream network))
15850 ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
15852 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
15853 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
15854 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
15857 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
15858 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
15859 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
15860 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
15862 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
15867 @item nnimap-address
15868 @vindex nnimap-address
15870 The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
15871 server name if not specified.
15873 @item nnimap-server-port
15874 @vindex nnimap-server-port
15875 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
15877 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
15880 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15881 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
15884 @item nnimap-list-pattern
15885 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
15886 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
15887 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
15888 interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
15889 @acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
15890 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
15892 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
15893 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
15894 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
15897 Example server specification:
15900 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15901 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
15902 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
15905 @item nnimap-stream
15906 @vindex nnimap-stream
15907 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
15908 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
15909 of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over
15910 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can
15911 be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
15913 Example server specification:
15916 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15917 (nnimap-stream ssl))
15920 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
15924 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
15925 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
15927 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
15929 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
15930 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
15933 @dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
15934 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
15936 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
15937 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
15939 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
15941 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
15944 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
15945 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
15946 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
15947 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
15948 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
15949 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
15950 restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
15951 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
15952 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
15955 For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
15956 needed. It is available from
15957 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
15959 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
15960 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
15961 authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
15962 sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
15963 exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
15964 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
15965 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
15968 @vindex imap-ssl-program
15969 For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
15970 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
15971 and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
15972 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
15973 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
15974 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
15977 @vindex imap-shell-program
15978 @vindex imap-shell-host
15979 For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
15980 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
15982 @item nnimap-authenticator
15983 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
15985 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
15986 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
15988 Example server specification:
15991 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15992 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
15995 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
15999 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
16000 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
16002 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
16005 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
16006 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
16008 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
16010 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
16012 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as ``anonymous'', supplying your email address as password.
16015 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
16017 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
16018 Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers have decided things that
16019 don't exist actually do exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
16020 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
16021 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
16022 nnimap does when you delete an article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
16025 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
16026 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
16027 running in circles yet?
16029 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
16030 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
16033 The possible options are:
16038 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
16041 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
16042 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
16043 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
16044 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
16046 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
16051 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
16052 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
16054 If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
16055 well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
16056 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
16057 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
16058 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
16061 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
16062 enable per-user persistent dormant flags, using something like:
16065 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
16066 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16067 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
16068 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16071 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
16072 as ticked for other users.
16074 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
16076 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
16078 This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
16079 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
16080 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
16081 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
16083 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
16084 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
16085 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
16086 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
16088 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
16089 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
16091 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
16092 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
16093 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
16096 @item nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16097 @vindex nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16099 Unselect mailboxes before looking for new mail in them. Some servers
16100 seem to need this under some circumstances; it was reported that
16106 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
16107 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
16108 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
16109 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
16110 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
16115 @node Splitting in IMAP
16116 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
16117 @cindex splitting imap mail
16119 Splitting is something Gnus users have loved and used for years, and now
16120 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
16121 @acronym{IMAP} servers have server side splitting and those that have
16122 splitting seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that
16123 @acronym{IMAP} support for Gnus has to do its own splitting.
16127 (Incidentally, people seem to have been dreaming on, and Sieve has
16128 gaining a market share and is supported by several IMAP servers.
16129 Fortunately, Gnus support it too, @xref{Sieve Commands}.)
16131 Here are the variables of interest:
16135 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
16136 @cindex splitting, crosspost
16138 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
16140 If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
16141 mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
16142 found will be used.
16144 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
16146 @item nnimap-split-inbox
16147 @cindex splitting, inbox
16149 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
16151 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
16152 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
16153 splitting is disabled!
16156 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
16157 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
16160 No nnmail equivalent.
16162 @item nnimap-split-rule
16163 @cindex splitting, rules
16164 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
16166 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
16169 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
16170 sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
16171 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
16172 Neither did I, we need examples.
16175 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16177 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
16178 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
16179 ("INBOX.private" "")))
16182 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
16183 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
16184 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
16186 The first string may contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by
16187 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
16191 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
16194 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
16195 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
16197 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
16198 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
16199 containing the headers of the article. It should return a
16200 non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
16202 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
16203 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
16204 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
16205 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
16206 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
16207 them every time you fetch new mail.)
16209 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
16210 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
16211 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
16213 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
16214 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
16215 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16217 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
16219 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
16220 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
16221 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
16224 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16225 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
16226 ("junk" "From:.*Simon"))))
16227 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
16228 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
16229 ("junk" my-junk-func))))))
16232 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
16233 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
16234 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
16235 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
16236 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
16237 group/function elements.
16239 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16241 @item nnimap-split-predicate
16243 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
16245 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
16246 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
16248 This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
16249 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
16250 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
16253 @item nnimap-split-fancy
16254 @cindex splitting, fancy
16255 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
16256 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
16258 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16259 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
16260 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
16262 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
16263 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16264 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
16265 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16270 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
16271 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
16274 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
16276 @item nnimap-split-download-body
16277 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
16278 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
16280 Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
16281 This is generally not required, and will slow things down
16282 considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
16283 splitting function that analyses the body to split the article.
16287 @node Expiring in IMAP
16288 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
16289 @cindex expiring imap mail
16291 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
16292 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
16293 Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
16294 IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
16295 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
16296 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
16299 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
16300 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
16301 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
16302 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
16303 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
16304 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
16305 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
16306 messages. Most do, fortunately.
16310 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
16311 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16313 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
16314 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
16316 @item nnmail-expiry-target
16318 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
16319 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
16320 that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
16321 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
16325 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
16326 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
16327 @cindex editing imap acls
16328 @cindex Access Control Lists
16329 @cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
16331 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
16333 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
16334 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
16335 @acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
16338 To edit an ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
16339 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with an ACL
16340 editing window with detailed instructions.
16342 Some possible uses:
16346 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
16347 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
16348 follow the list without subscribing to it.
16350 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
16351 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
16352 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
16356 @node Expunging mailboxes
16357 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
16361 @cindex manual expunging
16363 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
16365 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
16366 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
16367 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
16369 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
16372 @node A note on namespaces
16373 @subsection A note on namespaces
16374 @cindex IMAP namespace
16377 The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
16378 by the following text in the RFC:
16381 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
16383 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
16384 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
16385 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
16386 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
16388 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
16389 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
16390 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
16391 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
16392 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
16393 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
16396 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
16397 @acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
16398 prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
16400 Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
16401 mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
16402 in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
16403 created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
16404 without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
16405 not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
16406 mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
16407 you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
16410 See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
16411 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
16412 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
16414 @node Other Sources
16415 @section Other Sources
16417 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
16418 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
16422 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
16423 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
16424 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
16425 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
16426 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
16430 @node Directory Groups
16431 @subsection Directory Groups
16433 @cindex directory groups
16435 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
16436 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
16439 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
16440 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
16441 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
16442 back end to read directories. Big deal.
16444 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
16445 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
16446 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
16447 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
16448 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
16450 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
16452 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
16453 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
16454 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
16455 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
16458 @node Anything Groups
16459 @subsection Anything Groups
16462 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
16463 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
16464 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
16467 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
16468 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
16469 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
16470 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
16471 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
16472 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
16473 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
16474 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
16475 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
16476 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
16479 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
16480 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
16481 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
16482 in the article buffer, just as usual.
16484 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
16485 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
16486 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
16487 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
16489 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
16490 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
16491 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
16492 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
16493 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
16494 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
16495 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
16496 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
16501 @item nneething-map-file-directory
16502 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
16503 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
16504 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
16506 @item nneething-exclude-files
16507 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
16508 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
16509 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
16511 @item nneething-include-files
16512 @vindex nneething-include-files
16513 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
16514 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
16516 @item nneething-map-file
16517 @vindex nneething-map-file
16518 Name of the map files.
16522 @node Document Groups
16523 @subsection Document Groups
16525 @cindex documentation group
16528 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
16529 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
16536 The Babyl (Rmail) mail box.
16541 The standard Unix mbox file.
16543 @cindex MMDF mail box
16545 The MMDF mail box format.
16548 Several news articles appended into a file.
16551 @cindex rnews batch files
16552 The rnews batch transport format.
16553 @cindex forwarded messages
16556 Forwarded articles.
16559 Netscape mail boxes.
16562 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
16564 @item standard-digest
16565 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
16568 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
16570 @item lanl-gov-announce
16571 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
16573 @item rfc822-forward
16574 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
16577 The Outlook mail box.
16580 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
16583 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
16586 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
16589 An RFC934-forwarded message.
16595 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
16598 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
16604 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
16605 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
16606 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
16609 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
16610 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
16611 group. And that's it.
16613 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
16614 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
16615 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
16616 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
16617 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
16618 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
16619 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
16620 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
16621 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
16622 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
16624 Virtual server variables:
16627 @item nndoc-article-type
16628 @vindex nndoc-article-type
16629 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
16630 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
16631 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
16632 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
16633 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
16635 @item nndoc-post-type
16636 @vindex nndoc-post-type
16637 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
16638 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
16643 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
16647 @node Document Server Internals
16648 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
16650 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
16651 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
16652 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
16653 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
16655 First, here's an example document type definition:
16659 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
16660 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
16663 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
16664 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
16665 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
16666 types can be defined with very few settings:
16669 @item first-article
16670 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
16671 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
16674 @item article-begin
16675 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
16676 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
16678 @item head-begin-function
16679 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
16682 @item nndoc-head-begin
16683 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
16686 @item nndoc-head-end
16687 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
16688 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
16690 @item body-begin-function
16691 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
16695 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
16698 @item body-end-function
16699 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
16703 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
16706 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
16707 regexp will be totally ignored.
16711 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
16712 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
16713 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
16714 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
16715 something that's palatable for Gnus:
16718 @item prepare-body-function
16719 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
16720 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
16721 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
16723 @item article-transform-function
16724 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
16725 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
16726 body of the article.
16728 @item generate-head-function
16729 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
16730 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
16731 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
16732 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
16736 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
16741 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16742 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16743 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
16744 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
16745 (head-end . "^ ?$")
16746 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
16747 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
16748 (subtype digest guess))
16751 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
16752 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
16753 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
16754 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
16755 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
16757 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
16758 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
16759 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
16760 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
16761 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
16762 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
16763 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
16764 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
16765 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
16766 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
16767 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
16768 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
16776 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
16777 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
16778 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
16780 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
16781 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
16782 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
16785 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
16786 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
16787 that interested in doing things properly.
16789 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
16790 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
16793 First some terminology:
16798 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
16799 get news and/or mail from.
16802 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
16803 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
16806 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
16810 @item message packets
16811 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
16812 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
16813 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16815 @item response packets
16816 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
16817 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
16818 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16828 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
16829 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
16830 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
16831 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
16834 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
16837 You put the packet in your home directory.
16840 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
16841 the native or secondary server.
16844 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
16845 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
16848 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
16852 You transfer this packet to the server.
16855 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
16858 You then repeat until you die.
16862 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
16863 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
16866 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
16867 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
16868 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
16872 @node SOUP Commands
16873 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
16875 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
16879 @kindex G s b (Group)
16880 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
16881 Pack all unread articles in the current group
16882 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
16883 process/prefix convention.
16886 @kindex G s w (Group)
16887 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
16888 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
16891 @kindex G s s (Group)
16892 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
16893 Send all replies from the replies packet
16894 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
16897 @kindex G s p (Group)
16898 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
16899 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
16902 @kindex G s r (Group)
16903 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
16904 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
16907 @kindex O s (Summary)
16908 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
16909 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
16910 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
16911 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16916 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
16921 @item gnus-soup-directory
16922 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
16923 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
16924 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
16926 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
16927 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
16928 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
16929 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
16931 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
16932 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
16933 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
16934 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
16936 @item gnus-soup-packer
16937 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
16938 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16939 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
16941 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
16942 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
16943 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16944 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16946 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
16947 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
16948 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
16950 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16951 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16952 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
16953 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
16959 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
16962 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
16963 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
16964 you can read them at leisure.
16966 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
16970 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
16971 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
16972 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
16973 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
16975 @item nnsoup-directory
16976 @vindex nnsoup-directory
16977 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
16978 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
16980 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
16981 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
16982 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
16983 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
16985 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
16986 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
16987 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
16988 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
16989 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
16991 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
16992 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
16993 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
16994 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
16996 @item nnsoup-active-file
16997 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
16998 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
16999 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
17000 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
17001 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
17003 @item nnsoup-packer
17004 @vindex nnsoup-packer
17005 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
17006 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
17008 @item nnsoup-unpacker
17009 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
17010 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
17011 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17013 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
17014 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
17015 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
17018 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
17019 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
17020 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
17023 @item nnsoup-always-save
17024 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
17025 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
17031 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
17033 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
17034 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
17035 more for that to happen.
17037 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
17038 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
17039 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
17042 In specific, this is what it does:
17045 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
17046 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
17049 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
17050 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
17051 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
17054 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
17055 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
17056 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
17059 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
17060 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
17061 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
17063 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
17069 @item nngateway-address
17070 @vindex nngateway-address
17071 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
17073 @item nngateway-header-transformation
17074 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
17075 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
17076 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
17077 transformation should be called, and defaults to
17078 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
17079 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
17082 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
17083 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
17084 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
17087 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
17090 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
17093 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
17096 The following pre-defined functions exist:
17098 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17101 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17102 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17103 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
17105 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17107 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17108 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17109 @code{nngateway-address}.
17117 (setq gnus-post-method
17119 "mail2news@@replay.com"
17120 (nngateway-header-transformation
17121 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
17124 So, to use this, simply say something like:
17127 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
17132 @node Combined Groups
17133 @section Combined Groups
17135 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
17139 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
17140 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
17144 @node Virtual Groups
17145 @subsection Virtual Groups
17147 @cindex virtual groups
17148 @cindex merging groups
17150 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
17153 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
17154 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
17155 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
17157 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
17158 regexp to match component groups.
17160 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
17161 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
17162 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
17163 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
17164 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
17165 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
17166 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
17167 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
17169 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
17170 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
17173 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
17176 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
17177 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
17179 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
17180 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
17181 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
17182 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
17185 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
17188 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
17189 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
17190 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
17192 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
17193 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
17194 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
17195 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
17196 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
17198 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
17199 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
17200 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
17202 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
17203 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
17204 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
17205 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
17206 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
17207 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
17208 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
17209 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
17210 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
17211 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
17212 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
17214 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
17215 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
17216 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
17217 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
17218 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
17219 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
17220 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
17222 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
17223 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
17225 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
17226 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
17230 @node Kibozed Groups
17231 @subsection Kibozed Groups
17235 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by the @acronym{OED} as ``grepping through
17236 (parts of) the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will
17237 do this for you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @acronym{NNTP} server
17238 down to a halt with useless requests! Oh happiness!
17240 @kindex G k (Group)
17241 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
17244 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
17245 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
17246 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between
17247 @code{nnkiboze} and @code{nnvirtual} end.
17249 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an
17250 @code{nnkiboze} group must have a score file to say what articles are
17251 to be included in the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
17253 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
17254 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
17255 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
17256 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time.
17257 Lots of time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the
17258 headers from all the articles in all the component groups and run them
17259 through the scoring process to determine if there are any articles in
17260 the groups that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
17262 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
17263 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
17264 @acronym{NNTP} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
17265 Stranger things have happened.
17267 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
17268 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
17270 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
17271 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
17272 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/kiboze/} by default.
17273 One contains the @acronym{NOV} header lines for all the articles in
17274 the group, and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store
17275 information on what groups have been searched through to find
17276 component articles.
17278 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
17279 their @acronym{NOV} lines removed from the @acronym{NOV} file.
17282 @node Gnus Unplugged
17283 @section Gnus Unplugged
17288 @cindex Gnus unplugged
17290 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
17291 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
17292 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
17293 read news. Believe it or not.
17295 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
17296 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
17297 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
17298 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
17299 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
17301 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
17302 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
17303 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
17304 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
17305 reading news on a machine.
17307 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
17308 fact, you don't even have to configure anything.
17310 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
17313 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
17314 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
17315 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
17316 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
17317 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
17318 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
17319 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
17320 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
17321 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
17322 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
17323 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
17324 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
17325 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
17330 @subsection Agent Basics
17332 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
17334 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
17335 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
17336 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
17337 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
17339 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
17340 connected to the net continuously.
17342 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
17343 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
17345 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
17346 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
17347 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
17348 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
17349 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
17351 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
17352 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
17353 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
17354 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
17355 they're kinda like plugged always).
17357 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
17358 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
17359 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
17362 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
17363 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
17364 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
17365 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
17366 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
17368 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
17373 @findex gnus-unplugged
17374 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
17375 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
17376 already fetched while in this mode.
17379 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
17380 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
17381 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
17382 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
17383 Source Specifiers}).
17386 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
17387 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
17388 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
17389 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
17390 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
17393 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
17394 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
17395 then you read the news offline.
17398 And then you go to step 2.
17401 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
17407 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
17408 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
17409 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
17410 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
17411 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
17412 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
17413 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
17414 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
17417 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
17418 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
17419 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
17420 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
17422 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
17423 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
17424 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
17425 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
17426 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
17427 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
17431 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
17435 @node Agent Categories
17436 @subsection Agent Categories
17438 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
17439 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
17440 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
17441 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
17442 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
17443 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
17444 you're interested in the articles anyway.
17446 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
17447 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
17448 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
17449 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
17450 buffer for creating and managing categories.
17452 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
17453 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
17454 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
17455 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
17456 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
17459 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
17460 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
17461 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
17462 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
17463 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
17464 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
17468 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
17469 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
17470 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
17474 @node Category Syntax
17475 @subsubsection Category Syntax
17477 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
17478 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
17479 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
17483 @item gnus-agent-cat-name
17484 The name of the category.
17486 @item gnus-agent-cat-groups
17487 The list of groups that are in this category.
17489 @item gnus-agent-cat-predicate
17490 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
17491 are eligible for downloading; and
17493 @item gnus-agent-cat-score-file
17494 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
17495 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
17496 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
17498 @item gnus-agent-cat-enable-expiration
17499 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
17500 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
17501 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
17502 only groups that should not be expired.
17504 @item gnus-agent-cat-days-until-old
17505 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
17506 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
17508 @item gnus-agent-cat-low-score
17509 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
17511 @item gnus-agent-cat-high-score
17512 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
17514 @item gnus-agent-cat-length-when-short
17515 an integer that overrides the value of
17516 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
17518 @item gnus-agent-cat-length-when-long
17519 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
17522 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
17525 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
17526 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
17527 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
17530 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
17531 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
17532 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
17533 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
17535 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
17536 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
17537 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
17539 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
17540 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
17541 operators sprinkled in between.
17543 Perhaps some examples are in order.
17545 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
17546 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
17552 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
17553 short (for some value of ``short'').
17555 Here's a more complex predicate:
17564 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
17565 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
17568 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
17569 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
17570 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
17572 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
17573 you want to do, you can write your own.
17575 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
17576 bound to the value determined by calling
17577 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
17578 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
17579 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
17580 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
17581 predicate to individual groups.
17585 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
17586 lines; default 100.
17589 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
17590 lines; default 200.
17593 True iff the article has a download score less than
17594 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
17597 True iff the article has a download score greater than
17598 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
17601 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
17602 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
17603 checksum and sees whether articles match.
17612 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
17613 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
17614 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
17617 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
17618 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
17619 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
17620 something along the lines of the following:
17623 (defun my-article-old-p ()
17624 "Say whether an article is old."
17625 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
17626 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
17629 with the predicate then defined as:
17632 (not my-article-old-p)
17635 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
17636 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
17640 (require 'gnus-agent)
17641 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
17642 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
17643 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
17646 and simply specify your predicate as:
17652 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
17653 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
17654 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
17655 just don't give a damn.
17657 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
17658 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
17659 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
17660 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
17661 parameters like so:
17664 (agent-predicate . short)
17667 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
17668 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
17669 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
17671 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
17674 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
17677 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
17678 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
17679 predicate is assumed to be a list.
17682 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
17683 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
17684 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
17685 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
17686 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
17687 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
17689 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
17690 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
17691 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
17692 if it's to be specific to that group.
17694 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
17701 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
17702 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
17708 Category specification
17712 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
17718 Group/Topic Parameter specification
17721 (agent-score ("from"
17722 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
17727 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
17733 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
17734 keywords stated above.
17740 Category specification
17743 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
17749 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
17753 Group Parameter specification
17756 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
17759 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
17764 Use @code{normal} score files
17766 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
17767 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
17768 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
17769 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
17771 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
17772 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
17773 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
17774 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
17778 Category Specification
17785 Group Parameter specification
17788 (agent-score . file)
17793 @node Category Buffer
17794 @subsubsection Category Buffer
17796 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
17797 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
17798 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
17800 The following commands are available in this buffer:
17804 @kindex q (Category)
17805 @findex gnus-category-exit
17806 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
17809 @kindex e (Category)
17810 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
17811 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
17812 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
17815 @kindex k (Category)
17816 @findex gnus-category-kill
17817 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
17820 @kindex c (Category)
17821 @findex gnus-category-copy
17822 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
17825 @kindex a (Category)
17826 @findex gnus-category-add
17827 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
17830 @kindex p (Category)
17831 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
17832 Edit the predicate of the current category
17833 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
17836 @kindex g (Category)
17837 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
17838 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
17839 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
17842 @kindex s (Category)
17843 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
17844 Edit the download score rule of the current category
17845 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
17848 @kindex l (Category)
17849 @findex gnus-category-list
17850 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
17854 @node Category Variables
17855 @subsubsection Category Variables
17858 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
17859 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
17860 Hook run in category buffers.
17862 @item gnus-category-line-format
17863 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
17864 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
17865 Variables}). Valid elements are:
17869 The name of the category.
17872 The number of groups in the category.
17875 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
17876 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
17877 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
17879 @item gnus-agent-short-article
17880 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
17881 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
17883 @item gnus-agent-long-article
17884 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
17885 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
17887 @item gnus-agent-low-score
17888 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
17889 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
17892 @item gnus-agent-high-score
17893 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
17894 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
17897 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
17898 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
17899 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
17900 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
17901 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
17902 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
17903 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
17904 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
17908 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
17909 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
17910 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
17911 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
17912 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
17913 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
17914 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
17919 @node Agent Commands
17920 @subsection Agent Commands
17921 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
17922 @kindex J j (Agent)
17924 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
17925 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
17926 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
17930 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
17931 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
17932 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
17938 @node Group Agent Commands
17939 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
17943 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
17944 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
17945 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
17946 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
17949 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
17950 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
17951 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
17954 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
17955 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
17956 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
17957 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
17960 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
17961 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
17962 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
17963 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
17966 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
17967 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
17968 Add the current group to an Agent category
17969 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
17970 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17973 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
17974 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
17975 Remove the current group from its category, if any
17976 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
17977 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17980 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
17981 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17982 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
17988 @node Summary Agent Commands
17989 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
17993 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
17994 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
17995 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
17998 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
17999 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
18000 Remove the downloading mark from the article
18001 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
18005 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
18006 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
18007 Toggle whether to download the article
18008 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
18012 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
18013 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
18014 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
18017 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
18018 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
18019 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
18020 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
18023 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
18024 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-series
18025 Download all processable articles in this group.
18026 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-series}).
18029 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
18030 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
18031 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
18032 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
18037 @node Server Agent Commands
18038 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
18042 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
18043 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
18044 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
18045 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
18048 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
18049 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
18050 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
18051 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
18056 @node Agent Visuals
18057 @subsection Agent Visuals
18059 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
18060 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
18061 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
18062 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
18063 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
18064 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
18065 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
18066 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
18067 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
18068 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
18070 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
18071 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
18072 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
18073 way, "If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
18074 less than satisfying unplugged session". For this reason, the Agent
18075 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
18076 the download status of each article so that you always know which
18077 articles will be available when unplugged.
18079 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
18080 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
18081 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
18082 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
18083 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
18084 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
18085 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
18086 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
18088 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
18089 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
18090 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
18091 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
18092 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
18093 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
18094 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
18095 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
18096 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
18098 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
18099 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
18100 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
18101 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
18102 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear.
18104 For occasional Agent users, the undownloaded faces may appear to be an
18105 absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since most of their
18106 articles have not been fetched into the Agent, most of the normal
18107 faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces. If this is your
18108 situation, you have two choices available. First, you can completely
18109 disable the undownload faces by customizing
18110 @code{gnus-summary-highlight} to delete the three cons-cells that
18111 refer to the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face} faces. Second, if
18112 you prefer to take a more fine-grained approach, you may set the
18113 @code{agent-disable-undownloaded-faces} group parameter to t. This
18114 parameter, like all other agent parameters, may be set on an Agent
18115 Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}), a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic
18116 Parameters}), or an individual group (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
18118 @node Agent as Cache
18119 @subsection Agent as Cache
18121 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
18122 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
18123 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
18124 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
18125 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
18126 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
18127 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
18128 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
18129 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
18131 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
18132 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
18133 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
18134 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
18135 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
18138 @subsection Agent Expiry
18140 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18141 @findex gnus-agent-expire
18142 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
18143 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
18144 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
18145 @cindex agent expiry
18146 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
18149 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
18150 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
18151 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
18152 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
18153 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
18154 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
18155 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
18156 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
18158 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
18159 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
18160 synchronized with the group.
18162 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
18163 prevent expiration in selected groups.
18165 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
18166 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
18167 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
18168 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
18169 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
18170 be kept indefinitely.
18172 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
18173 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
18174 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
18175 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
18177 @node Agent Regeneration
18178 @subsection Agent Regeneration
18180 @cindex agent regeneration
18181 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
18182 @cindex regeneration
18184 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
18185 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
18186 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
18187 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
18188 internal inconsistencies.
18190 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
18191 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
18192 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
18193 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
18194 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
18195 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
18197 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
18198 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
18199 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
18200 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
18201 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
18202 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
18204 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
18205 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
18206 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
18207 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
18208 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
18209 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
18212 @node Agent and IMAP
18213 @subsection Agent and IMAP
18215 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
18216 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
18217 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
18218 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
18220 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
18221 are kept on the @acronym{IMAP} server, rather than in @file{.newsrc} as is the
18222 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
18223 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
18225 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
18226 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
18227 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
18228 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
18230 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18231 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
18232 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
18233 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
18234 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
18235 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
18237 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
18238 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
18239 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
18240 in the group buffer.
18242 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
18243 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
18248 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
18251 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
18255 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
18256 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
18257 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
18258 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group and
18259 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
18260 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
18261 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
18262 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
18265 @node Outgoing Messages
18266 @subsection Outgoing Messages
18268 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
18269 stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view
18270 them there after posting, and edit them at will.
18272 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
18273 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
18274 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
18275 messages in the draft group.
18279 @node Agent Variables
18280 @subsection Agent Variables
18283 @item gnus-agent-directory
18284 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
18285 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
18286 @file{~/News/agent/}.
18288 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
18289 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
18290 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
18291 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
18292 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
18295 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
18296 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
18297 Hook run when connecting to the network.
18299 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
18300 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
18301 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
18303 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
18304 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
18305 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
18307 @item gnus-agent-cache
18308 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
18309 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
18310 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
18311 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
18313 @item gnus-agent-go-online
18314 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
18315 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
18316 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
18317 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
18318 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
18319 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
18322 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
18323 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
18324 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
18325 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
18326 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
18327 read. The default is t.
18329 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
18330 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
18331 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
18332 agent will fetch all missing headers. When @code{nil}, the agent will
18333 fetch only new headers. The default is @code{nil}.
18335 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
18336 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
18337 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
18338 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
18339 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
18340 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
18341 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
18342 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
18343 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
18344 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
18345 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
18346 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
18349 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
18350 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
18351 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
18352 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
18353 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
18354 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
18355 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
18356 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
18357 is only valid if the Agent is used.
18359 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
18360 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
18361 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
18362 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
18363 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
18364 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
18366 The legal values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
18367 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
18368 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
18369 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
18370 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
18375 @node Example Setup
18376 @subsection Example Setup
18378 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
18379 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
18380 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
18383 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
18384 ;;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
18385 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
18387 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
18388 ;;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
18389 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
18391 ;;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
18392 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
18394 ;;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
18395 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
18396 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
18399 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
18400 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
18403 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
18404 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
18405 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
18406 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
18407 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
18410 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
18411 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
18412 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
18413 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
18414 back all the killed groups.)
18416 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
18417 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
18418 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
18421 @node Batching Agents
18422 @subsection Batching Agents
18423 @findex gnus-agent-batch
18425 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
18426 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
18427 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
18429 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
18430 following incantation:
18434 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
18438 @node Agent Caveats
18439 @subsection Agent Caveats
18441 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
18442 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
18446 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
18448 @strong{No}. If you want this behaviour, add
18449 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
18450 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
18452 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
18453 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
18455 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
18459 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
18460 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
18461 locally stored articles.
18468 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
18469 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
18470 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
18473 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
18474 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
18475 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
18476 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
18477 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
18479 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
18480 before generating the summary buffer.
18482 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
18483 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
18484 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
18486 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
18487 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
18488 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
18489 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
18492 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
18493 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
18494 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
18495 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
18496 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
18497 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
18498 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
18499 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
18500 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
18501 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
18502 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
18503 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
18504 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
18505 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
18506 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
18507 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
18508 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
18512 @node Summary Score Commands
18513 @section Summary Score Commands
18514 @cindex score commands
18516 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
18517 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
18518 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
18519 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
18520 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
18522 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
18523 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
18524 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
18525 score file the current one.
18527 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
18532 @kindex V s (Summary)
18533 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
18534 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
18537 @kindex V S (Summary)
18538 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
18539 Display the score of the current article
18540 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
18543 @kindex V t (Summary)
18544 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
18545 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
18546 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
18547 can use @kbd{q} to quit. @kbd{e} edits the corresponding score file.
18548 When point is on a string within the match element, @kbd{e} will try to
18549 bring you to this string in the score file.
18552 @kindex V w (Summary)
18553 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
18554 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
18557 @kindex V R (Summary)
18558 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
18559 Run the current summary through the scoring process
18560 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
18561 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
18562 effect you're having.
18565 @kindex V c (Summary)
18566 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
18567 Make a different score file the current
18568 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
18571 @kindex V e (Summary)
18572 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
18573 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
18574 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
18578 @kindex V f (Summary)
18579 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
18580 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
18581 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
18584 @kindex V F (Summary)
18585 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
18586 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
18587 after editing score files.
18590 @kindex V C (Summary)
18591 @findex gnus-score-customize
18592 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
18593 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
18597 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
18602 @kindex V m (Summary)
18603 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
18604 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
18605 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
18608 @kindex V x (Summary)
18609 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
18610 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
18611 expunge all articles below this score
18612 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
18615 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
18616 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
18619 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
18620 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
18624 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
18625 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
18627 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
18628 keys are available:
18632 Score on the author name.
18635 Score on the subject line.
18638 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
18641 Score on the @code{References} line.
18647 Score on the number of lines.
18650 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
18653 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
18654 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
18657 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
18658 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
18659 @file{ADAPT} files.)
18668 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
18674 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
18675 what headers you are scoring on.
18687 Substring matching.
18690 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
18719 Greater than number.
18724 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
18725 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
18726 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
18731 Temporary score entry.
18734 Permanent score entry.
18737 Immediately scoring.
18741 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
18742 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
18743 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
18747 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
18748 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
18749 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
18750 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
18752 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
18753 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
18754 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
18755 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
18756 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
18758 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
18759 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
18760 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
18761 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
18762 current score file.
18764 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
18765 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
18766 pretend they are keymaps or not.
18769 @node Group Score Commands
18770 @section Group Score Commands
18771 @cindex group score commands
18773 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
18778 @kindex W f (Group)
18779 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
18780 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
18781 all the time. This command will flush the cache
18782 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
18786 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
18788 @findex gnus-batch-score
18789 @cindex batch scoring
18791 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
18795 @node Score Variables
18796 @section Score Variables
18797 @cindex score variables
18801 @item gnus-use-scoring
18802 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
18803 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
18804 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
18806 @item gnus-kill-killed
18807 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
18808 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
18809 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
18810 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
18811 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
18812 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
18813 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
18815 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
18816 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
18817 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
18818 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
18819 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
18821 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
18822 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
18823 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
18824 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
18826 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
18827 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
18828 @cindex score cache
18829 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
18830 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
18831 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
18832 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
18833 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
18834 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
18835 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
18838 @item gnus-save-score
18839 @vindex gnus-save-score
18840 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
18841 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
18842 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
18844 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
18845 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
18846 across group visits.
18848 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
18849 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
18850 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
18851 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
18852 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
18853 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
18854 manually entered data.
18856 @item gnus-summary-default-score
18857 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
18858 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
18860 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
18861 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
18862 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
18863 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
18864 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
18865 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
18867 @item gnus-score-over-mark
18868 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
18869 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
18870 default. Default is @samp{+}.
18872 @item gnus-score-below-mark
18873 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
18874 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
18875 default. Default is @samp{-}.
18877 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
18878 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
18879 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
18880 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
18882 Predefined functions available are:
18885 @item gnus-score-find-single
18886 @findex gnus-score-find-single
18887 Only apply the group's own score file.
18889 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
18890 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
18891 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
18892 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
18893 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
18894 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
18895 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
18896 then a regexp match is done.
18898 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
18899 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
18901 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
18902 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
18903 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
18904 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
18906 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
18907 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
18908 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
18909 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
18910 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
18914 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
18915 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
18916 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
18917 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
18918 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
18919 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
18920 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
18923 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
18924 overall score file, you could use the value
18926 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
18927 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
18930 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
18931 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
18932 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
18933 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
18934 are expired. It's 7 by default.
18936 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
18937 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
18938 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
18939 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
18940 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
18941 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
18942 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
18943 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
18945 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
18946 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
18947 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
18949 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
18950 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
18951 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
18952 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
18953 threading---according to the current value of
18954 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
18955 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
18956 simplified in this manner.
18961 @node Score File Format
18962 @section Score File Format
18963 @cindex score file format
18965 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
18966 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
18967 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
18969 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
18973 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
18975 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
18977 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
18979 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
18984 (mark-and-expunge -10)
18988 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
18989 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
18990 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
18991 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
18995 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
18996 Scoring}, for a different approach.
18998 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
18999 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
19000 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
19002 Six keys are supported by this alist:
19007 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
19008 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
19009 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
19010 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
19011 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
19012 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
19013 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
19014 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
19015 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
19016 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
19017 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
19018 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
19019 to articles that matches these score entries.
19021 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
19022 score entry has one to four elements.
19026 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
19027 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
19031 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
19032 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
19033 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
19034 is successful. If this element is not present, the
19035 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
19036 instead. This is 1000 by default.
19039 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
19040 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
19041 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
19042 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
19043 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
19046 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
19047 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
19048 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
19049 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
19052 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
19053 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
19054 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
19055 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
19056 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
19057 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
19058 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
19059 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
19060 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
19061 instead, if you feel like.
19064 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
19065 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
19066 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
19067 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
19068 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
19069 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
19072 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
19076 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
19077 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
19079 These predicates are true if
19082 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
19085 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
19086 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
19093 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
19094 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
19095 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
19096 it's not. I think.)
19098 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
19099 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
19100 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
19101 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
19104 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
19105 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
19106 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
19107 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
19108 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
19109 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
19110 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
19114 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
19115 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
19116 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
19117 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
19118 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
19119 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
19120 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
19121 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
19124 @item Head, Body, All
19125 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
19129 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
19130 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
19131 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
19132 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
19133 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
19134 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
19135 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
19139 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
19140 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
19141 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
19142 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
19143 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
19144 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
19145 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
19146 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
19147 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
19148 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
19149 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
19153 @cindex score file atoms
19155 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19156 lower than this number will be marked as read.
19159 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19160 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
19162 @item mark-and-expunge
19163 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19164 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
19167 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
19168 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
19169 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
19170 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
19171 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
19174 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
19175 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
19178 @item exclude-files
19179 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
19180 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
19184 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
19185 ignored when handling global score files.
19188 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
19189 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
19190 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
19191 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
19194 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
19195 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
19196 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
19197 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
19199 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
19203 (mark-and-expunge -100)
19206 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
19207 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
19208 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
19209 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
19210 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
19212 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
19213 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
19214 scoring rules exist.
19217 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
19218 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
19219 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
19220 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
19221 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
19222 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
19223 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
19224 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
19225 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
19226 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
19227 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
19231 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
19232 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
19233 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
19234 file for a number of groups.
19237 @cindex local variables
19238 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
19239 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
19240 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
19241 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
19242 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
19247 @node Score File Editing
19248 @section Score File Editing
19250 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
19251 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
19252 with a mode for that.
19254 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
19255 additional commands:
19260 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
19261 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
19262 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
19263 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
19266 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
19267 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
19268 Insert the current date in numerical format
19269 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
19270 you were wondering.
19273 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
19274 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
19275 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
19276 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
19277 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
19282 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
19284 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
19285 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
19287 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
19288 e} to begin editing score files.
19291 @node Adaptive Scoring
19292 @section Adaptive Scoring
19293 @cindex adaptive scoring
19295 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
19296 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
19297 stupidity, to be precise.
19299 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
19300 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
19301 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
19302 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
19303 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
19304 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
19305 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
19306 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
19307 variable to @code{(word line)}.
19309 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
19310 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
19311 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
19312 might look something like this:
19315 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
19316 '((gnus-unread-mark)
19317 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
19318 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
19319 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
19320 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
19321 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
19322 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
19323 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
19324 (gnus-ancient-mark)
19325 (gnus-low-score-mark)
19326 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
19329 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
19330 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
19331 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
19332 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
19333 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
19334 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
19337 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
19338 will be applied to each article.
19340 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
19341 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
19342 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
19343 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
19345 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
19346 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
19347 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
19348 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
19350 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
19351 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
19352 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
19353 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
19355 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
19356 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
19357 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
19358 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
19359 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
19360 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
19362 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
19363 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
19364 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
19366 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
19367 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
19368 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
19370 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
19371 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
19372 let you use different rules in different groups.
19374 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
19375 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
19376 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
19379 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
19380 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
19381 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
19382 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
19383 the length of the match is less than
19384 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
19385 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
19388 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
19389 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
19390 headers. If you adapt on words, the
19391 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
19392 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
19395 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
19396 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
19397 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
19398 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
19399 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
19402 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
19403 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
19404 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
19405 score with 30 points.
19407 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
19408 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
19409 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
19410 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
19411 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
19413 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
19414 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
19415 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
19416 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
19417 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
19419 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
19420 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
19421 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
19422 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
19424 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
19425 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
19426 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
19427 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
19429 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
19430 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
19431 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
19432 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
19433 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
19435 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
19436 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
19437 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
19439 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
19440 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
19441 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
19442 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
19445 @node Home Score File
19446 @section Home Score File
19448 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
19449 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
19450 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
19451 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
19453 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
19454 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
19455 could perhaps use the same home score file.
19457 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
19458 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
19463 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
19467 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
19468 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
19472 A list. The elements in this list can be:
19476 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
19477 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
19480 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
19481 be used as the home score file.
19484 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
19487 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
19492 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
19495 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19496 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
19499 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
19500 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
19502 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
19504 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19505 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
19508 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
19509 Other functions include
19512 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
19513 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
19514 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
19515 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
19519 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
19520 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
19521 their own home score files:
19524 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19525 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
19526 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
19527 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
19528 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
19531 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
19532 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
19533 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
19534 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
19535 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
19537 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
19538 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
19539 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
19540 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
19541 precedence over this variable.
19544 @node Followups To Yourself
19545 @section Followups To Yourself
19547 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
19548 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
19549 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
19550 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
19551 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
19552 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
19556 @item gnus-score-followup-article
19557 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
19558 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
19561 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
19562 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
19563 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
19567 @vindex message-sent-hook
19568 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
19569 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
19571 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
19575 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
19576 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
19580 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
19581 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
19584 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
19585 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
19590 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
19594 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
19595 is system-dependent.
19598 @node Scoring On Other Headers
19599 @section Scoring On Other Headers
19600 @cindex scoring on other headers
19602 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
19603 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
19604 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
19605 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
19606 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
19608 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
19609 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
19610 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
19611 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
19612 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
19614 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
19617 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
19618 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
19621 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
19622 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
19623 time if you have much mail.
19625 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
19626 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
19632 @section Scoring Tips
19633 @cindex scoring tips
19639 @cindex scoring crossposts
19640 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
19641 the @code{Xref} header.
19643 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
19646 @item Multiple crossposts
19647 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
19648 more than, say, 3 groups:
19651 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
19655 @item Matching on the body
19656 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
19657 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
19658 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
19659 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
19660 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
19661 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
19662 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
19665 @item Marking as read
19666 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
19667 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
19668 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
19672 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
19674 @item Negated character classes
19675 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
19676 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
19677 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
19681 @node Reverse Scoring
19682 @section Reverse Scoring
19683 @cindex reverse scoring
19685 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
19686 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
19687 like this in your score file:
19691 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
19696 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
19697 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
19700 @node Global Score Files
19701 @section Global Score Files
19702 @cindex global score files
19704 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
19705 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
19706 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
19708 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
19709 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
19710 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
19712 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
19713 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
19714 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
19715 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
19716 files are applicable to which group.
19718 To use the score file
19719 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
19720 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
19724 (setq gnus-global-score-files
19725 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
19726 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
19729 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
19731 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
19732 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
19733 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
19734 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
19736 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
19737 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
19739 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
19740 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
19741 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
19742 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
19743 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
19744 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
19746 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
19752 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
19754 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
19756 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
19758 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
19759 lowered out of existence.
19761 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
19762 articles completely.
19765 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
19766 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
19767 old articles for a long time.
19770 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
19771 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
19772 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
19773 holding our breath yet?
19777 @section Kill Files
19780 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
19781 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
19782 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
19784 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
19785 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
19786 files into score files.
19788 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
19789 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
19790 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
19791 that isn't a very good idea.
19793 Normal kill files look like this:
19796 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19797 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
19801 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
19802 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
19804 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
19805 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
19808 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
19813 @kindex M-k (Summary)
19814 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
19815 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
19818 @kindex M-K (Summary)
19819 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
19820 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
19823 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
19828 @kindex M-k (Group)
19829 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
19830 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
19833 @kindex M-K (Group)
19834 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
19835 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
19838 Kill file variables:
19841 @item gnus-kill-file-name
19842 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
19843 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
19844 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
19845 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
19846 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
19847 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
19849 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
19850 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
19851 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
19852 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
19855 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
19856 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
19857 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
19858 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
19859 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
19860 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
19861 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
19862 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
19863 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
19865 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
19866 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
19867 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
19872 @node Converting Kill Files
19873 @section Converting Kill Files
19875 @cindex converting kill files
19877 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
19878 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
19879 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
19882 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
19883 You can fetch it from
19884 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
19886 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
19887 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
19888 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
19896 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
19897 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
19899 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/, GroupLens} is a
19900 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
19901 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
19902 news articles generated every day.
19904 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
19905 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
19906 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
19907 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
19908 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
19909 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
19910 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
19911 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
19915 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
19916 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
19917 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
19918 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
19922 @node Using GroupLens
19923 @subsection Using GroupLens
19925 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local
19926 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html, Better Bit
19927 Bureau (BBB)} is the only better bit in town at the moment.
19929 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
19933 @item gnus-use-grouplens
19934 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
19935 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
19936 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
19938 @item grouplens-pseudonym
19939 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
19940 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
19941 with the Better Bit Bureau.
19943 @item grouplens-newsgroups
19944 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
19945 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
19949 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
19950 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
19951 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
19952 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
19953 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
19954 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
19957 @node Rating Articles
19958 @subsection Rating Articles
19960 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
19961 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
19962 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
19963 yourself is, ``on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
19966 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
19971 @kindex r (GroupLens)
19972 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
19973 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
19976 @kindex k (GroupLens)
19977 @findex grouplens-score-thread
19978 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
19979 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
19980 threads in rec.humor.
19984 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
19985 the score of the article you're reading.
19990 @kindex n (GroupLens)
19991 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
19992 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
19995 @kindex , (GroupLens)
19996 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
19997 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
20001 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
20002 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
20005 @node Displaying Predictions
20006 @subsection Displaying Predictions
20008 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
20009 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
20010 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
20011 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
20012 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
20014 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
20015 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
20016 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
20017 regular Gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
20018 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
20019 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
20020 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
20021 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
20022 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
20023 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
20024 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
20025 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
20026 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
20028 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
20029 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
20030 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
20031 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
20033 The following are valid values for that variable.
20036 @item prediction-spot
20037 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
20040 @item confidence-interval
20041 A numeric confidence interval.
20043 @item prediction-bar
20044 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
20046 @item confidence-bar
20047 Numerical confidence.
20049 @item confidence-spot
20050 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
20052 @item prediction-num
20053 Plain-old numeric value.
20055 @item confidence-plus-minus
20056 Prediction +/- confidence.
20061 @node GroupLens Variables
20062 @subsection GroupLens Variables
20066 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
20067 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
20068 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
20069 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
20072 @item grouplens-bbb-host
20073 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
20076 @item grouplens-bbb-port
20077 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
20079 @item grouplens-score-offset
20080 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
20081 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
20084 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
20085 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
20086 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
20091 @node Advanced Scoring
20092 @section Advanced Scoring
20094 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
20095 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
20096 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
20097 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
20098 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
20100 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
20104 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
20105 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
20106 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
20110 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
20111 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
20113 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
20114 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
20115 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
20116 non-@code{nil} value.
20118 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
20119 operator, and various match operators.
20126 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20127 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
20128 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
20133 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20134 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
20135 then this operator will return @code{false}.
20140 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
20141 logical negation of the value of its argument.
20145 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
20146 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
20147 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
20148 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
20149 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
20150 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
20151 the ancestry you want to go.
20153 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
20154 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
20155 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
20156 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
20157 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
20160 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
20161 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
20163 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
20164 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
20167 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
20168 when he's talking about Gnus:
20173 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20174 ("subject" "Gnus"))
20181 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
20185 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20192 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
20193 really don't want to read what he's written:
20197 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20198 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
20202 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
20203 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
20204 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
20211 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
20212 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
20213 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
20214 ("body" "white.*socks"))
20218 The possibilities are endless.
20221 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
20222 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
20224 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
20225 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
20226 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
20227 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
20228 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
20229 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
20230 @samp{subject}) first.
20232 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
20233 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
20244 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
20245 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
20251 ("subject" "Gnus")))
20258 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
20259 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
20264 @section Score Decays
20265 @cindex score decays
20268 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
20269 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
20270 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
20271 use them in any sensible way.
20273 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
20274 @findex gnus-decay-score
20275 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
20276 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
20277 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
20278 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
20279 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
20280 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
20281 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
20282 definition of that function:
20285 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
20287 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
20288 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
20291 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
20293 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
20295 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
20298 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
20299 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
20300 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
20301 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
20305 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
20308 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
20311 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
20315 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
20316 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
20317 the new score, which should be an integer.
20319 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
20320 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
20325 @include message.texi
20326 @chapter Emacs MIME
20327 @include emacs-mime.texi
20329 @include sieve.texi
20331 @c @include pgg.texi
20339 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
20340 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
20341 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
20342 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
20343 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
20344 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
20345 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
20346 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
20347 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
20348 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
20349 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
20350 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
20351 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
20352 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
20353 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
20354 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
20355 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
20356 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
20357 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
20361 @node Process/Prefix
20362 @section Process/Prefix
20363 @cindex process/prefix convention
20365 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
20366 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
20368 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
20369 command to be performed on.
20373 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
20374 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
20375 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
20376 with the current one.
20378 @vindex transient-mark-mode
20379 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
20380 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
20382 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
20383 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
20386 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
20387 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
20389 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
20392 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
20393 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
20394 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
20395 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
20397 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
20398 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
20399 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
20400 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
20401 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
20402 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
20403 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
20404 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
20406 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
20407 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
20408 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
20409 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
20410 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
20414 @section Interactive
20415 @cindex interaction
20419 @item gnus-novice-user
20420 @vindex gnus-novice-user
20421 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
20422 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
20423 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
20424 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
20427 @item gnus-expert-user
20428 @vindex gnus-expert-user
20429 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
20430 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
20431 matter how strange.
20433 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
20434 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
20435 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
20436 is @code{t} by default.
20438 @item gnus-interactive-exit
20439 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
20440 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
20445 @node Symbolic Prefixes
20446 @section Symbolic Prefixes
20447 @cindex symbolic prefixes
20449 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
20450 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
20451 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
20452 rule of 900 to the current article.
20454 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
20455 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
20456 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
20457 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
20458 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
20459 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
20460 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
20462 @kindex M-i (Summary)
20463 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
20464 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
20465 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
20466 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
20467 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
20468 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
20469 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
20470 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
20472 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
20473 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
20474 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
20476 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
20480 @node Formatting Variables
20481 @section Formatting Variables
20482 @cindex formatting variables
20484 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
20485 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
20486 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
20487 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
20488 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
20491 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
20492 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
20493 lots of percentages everywhere.
20496 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
20497 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
20498 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
20499 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
20500 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
20501 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
20502 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
20503 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
20506 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
20507 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
20508 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
20509 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
20510 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
20511 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
20512 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
20513 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
20515 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
20516 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
20518 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
20519 @findex gnus-update-format
20520 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
20521 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
20522 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
20523 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
20527 @node Formatting Basics
20528 @subsection Formatting Basics
20530 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
20531 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
20532 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
20534 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
20535 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
20536 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
20537 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
20538 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
20541 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
20542 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
20543 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
20544 less than 4 characters wide.
20546 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
20547 @samp{%&user-date;}.
20550 @node Mode Line Formatting
20551 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
20553 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
20554 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
20555 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
20556 with the following two differences:
20561 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
20564 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
20565 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
20566 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
20567 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
20568 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
20569 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
20570 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
20575 @node Advanced Formatting
20576 @subsection Advanced Formatting
20578 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
20579 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
20580 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
20581 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
20583 These are the valid modifiers:
20588 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
20592 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
20597 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
20600 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
20605 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
20608 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
20611 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
20614 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
20620 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
20625 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
20626 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
20627 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
20628 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
20629 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
20630 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
20631 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
20633 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
20634 last operation, padding.
20636 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
20637 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
20638 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
20639 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
20640 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
20641 the look of your lines.
20642 @xref{Compilation}.
20645 @node User-Defined Specs
20646 @subsection User-Defined Specs
20648 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
20649 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
20650 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
20651 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
20652 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
20653 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
20654 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
20655 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
20656 should protect against that.
20658 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
20659 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
20661 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
20662 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
20663 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
20664 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
20668 @node Formatting Fonts
20669 @subsection Formatting Fonts
20671 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
20672 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
20673 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
20674 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
20677 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
20678 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
20679 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
20680 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
20681 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
20682 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
20684 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
20685 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
20686 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
20687 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
20688 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
20689 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
20690 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
20691 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
20692 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
20693 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
20694 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
20697 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
20700 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
20701 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
20702 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
20704 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
20705 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
20706 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
20707 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
20708 ;; @r{Set the color.}
20709 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
20710 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
20712 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
20713 (setq gnus-group-line-format
20714 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
20717 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
20718 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
20720 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
20721 mode-line variables.
20723 @node Positioning Point
20724 @subsection Positioning Point
20726 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
20727 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
20728 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
20730 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
20732 @findex gnus-goto-colon
20733 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
20734 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
20736 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
20737 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
20738 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
20743 @subsection Tabulation
20745 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
20746 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
20747 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
20748 about lining up the following text afterwards.
20750 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
20751 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
20753 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20754 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
20755 This is the soft tabulator.
20757 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20758 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
20759 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
20762 @node Wide Characters
20763 @subsection Wide Characters
20765 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
20766 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
20767 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
20769 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
20770 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
20771 these countries, that's not true.
20773 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
20774 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
20775 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
20776 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
20780 @node Window Layout
20781 @section Window Layout
20782 @cindex window layout
20784 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
20786 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
20787 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
20788 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
20789 @code{t} by default.
20791 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
20792 glitches. Use at your own peril.
20794 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
20795 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
20796 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
20799 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
20800 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
20801 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20805 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
20806 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
20807 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
20808 possible names is listed below.
20810 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
20811 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
20814 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20818 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
20819 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
20820 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
20821 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
20822 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
20823 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
20824 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
20825 size spec per split.
20827 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
20828 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
20829 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
20830 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
20831 present) gets focus.
20833 Here's a more complicated example:
20836 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
20837 (summary 0.25 point)
20838 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
20842 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
20843 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
20844 occupy, not a percentage.
20846 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
20847 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
20848 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
20849 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
20850 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
20853 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
20856 (article (horizontal 1.0
20861 (summary 0.25 point)
20866 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
20867 @code{horizontal} thingie?
20869 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
20870 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
20871 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
20872 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
20873 the screen is to be given to this strip.
20875 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
20876 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
20877 lines from the splits.
20879 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
20884 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
20885 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
20886 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
20887 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
20888 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
20889 size = number | frame-params
20890 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
20894 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
20895 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
20896 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
20897 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
20899 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
20900 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
20901 @cindex window height
20902 @cindex window width
20903 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
20904 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
20905 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
20906 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
20907 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
20908 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
20910 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
20911 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
20912 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
20913 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
20915 @findex gnus-configure-frame
20916 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
20917 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
20918 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
20919 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
20920 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
20921 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
20922 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
20923 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
20924 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
20925 configuration list.
20928 (gnus-configure-frame
20932 (article 0.3 point))
20940 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
20941 @code{frame} split:
20944 (gnus-configure-frame
20947 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
20949 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
20950 (user-position . t)
20951 (left . -1) (top . 1))
20956 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
20957 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
20958 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
20959 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
20960 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
20961 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
20962 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
20963 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
20965 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
20966 be found in its default value.
20968 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
20969 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
20970 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
20974 (message (horizontal 1.0
20975 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
20977 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
20982 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
20983 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
20984 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
20989 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
20990 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
20991 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
20992 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
20993 (name . "Message"))
20994 (message 1.0 point))))
20997 @findex gnus-add-configuration
20998 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
20999 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
21000 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
21001 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
21004 (gnus-add-configuration
21005 '(article (vertical 1.0
21007 (summary .25 point)
21011 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
21012 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
21013 Gnus has been loaded.
21015 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
21016 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
21017 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
21018 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
21019 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
21021 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
21022 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
21023 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
21026 @subsection Example Window Configurations
21030 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
21031 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
21046 (gnus-add-configuration
21049 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21051 (summary 0.16 point)
21054 (gnus-add-configuration
21057 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21058 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
21064 @node Faces and Fonts
21065 @section Faces and Fonts
21070 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
21071 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
21072 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
21077 @section Compilation
21078 @cindex compilation
21079 @cindex byte-compilation
21081 @findex gnus-compile
21083 Remember all those line format specification variables?
21084 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
21085 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
21086 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
21087 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
21088 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
21089 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
21090 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
21093 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
21094 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
21095 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
21096 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
21097 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
21100 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
21101 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
21102 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
21103 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
21104 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
21109 @section Mode Lines
21112 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
21113 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
21114 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
21115 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
21116 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
21117 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
21118 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
21121 @cindex display-time
21123 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
21124 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
21125 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
21126 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
21127 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
21128 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
21129 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
21130 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
21133 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
21135 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
21136 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
21138 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
21139 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
21140 (length display-time-string)))))
21143 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
21144 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
21145 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
21146 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
21147 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
21150 @node Highlighting and Menus
21151 @section Highlighting and Menus
21153 @cindex highlighting
21156 @vindex gnus-visual
21157 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
21158 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
21159 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
21162 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
21163 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
21166 @item group-highlight
21167 Do highlights in the group buffer.
21168 @item summary-highlight
21169 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
21170 @item article-highlight
21171 Do highlights in the article buffer.
21173 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
21175 Create menus in the group buffer.
21177 Create menus in the summary buffers.
21179 Create menus in the article buffer.
21181 Create menus in the browse buffer.
21183 Create menus in the server buffer.
21185 Create menus in the score buffers.
21187 Create menus in all buffers.
21190 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
21191 buffers, you could say something like:
21194 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
21197 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
21200 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
21203 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
21204 in all Gnus buffers.
21206 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
21209 @item gnus-mouse-face
21210 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
21211 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
21212 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
21216 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
21220 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
21221 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
21222 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
21224 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
21225 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
21226 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
21228 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
21229 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
21230 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
21232 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
21233 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
21234 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
21236 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
21237 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
21238 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
21240 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
21241 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
21242 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
21253 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
21254 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
21255 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
21256 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
21257 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
21261 @vindex gnus-carpal
21262 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
21263 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
21264 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
21269 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21270 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21271 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
21273 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
21274 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
21275 Face used on buttons.
21277 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
21278 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
21279 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
21281 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21282 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21283 Buttons in the group buffer.
21285 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21286 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21287 Buttons in the summary buffer.
21289 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21290 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21291 Buttons in the server buffer.
21293 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21294 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21295 Buttons in the browse buffer.
21298 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
21299 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
21300 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
21308 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
21309 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
21310 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
21311 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
21312 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
21314 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
21315 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
21316 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
21318 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
21319 been idle for thirty minutes:
21322 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
21325 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
21329 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
21332 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
21333 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
21334 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
21336 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
21337 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
21338 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
21339 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
21341 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
21342 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
21343 @var{idle} minutes.
21345 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
21346 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
21349 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
21350 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
21351 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
21353 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
21354 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
21355 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
21356 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
21358 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
21359 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21361 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
21363 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
21366 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
21367 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
21368 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
21369 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
21370 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
21371 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
21372 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
21373 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
21374 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
21375 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
21376 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
21378 @findex gnus-demon-init
21379 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
21380 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
21381 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
21382 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
21383 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
21385 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
21386 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
21387 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
21396 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
21397 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
21399 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
21400 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
21401 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
21402 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
21405 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
21406 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
21407 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
21408 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
21410 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
21411 this will make spam disappear.
21413 There are some variables to customize, of course:
21416 @item gnus-use-nocem
21417 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
21418 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
21421 @item gnus-nocem-groups
21422 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
21423 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
21426 ("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
21427 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")
21430 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
21431 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
21432 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
21433 people you want to listen to. The default is
21435 ("Automoose-1" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
21436 "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo" "hweede@@snafu.de")
21438 fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
21440 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
21441 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
21443 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
21444 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
21445 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
21446 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
21447 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
21448 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
21449 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
21450 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
21451 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
21452 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
21454 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
21455 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
21458 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
21461 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
21462 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
21465 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
21468 The specs are applied left-to-right.
21471 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
21472 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
21474 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
21475 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
21476 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
21477 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
21479 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
21480 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
21483 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
21485 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
21493 This might be dangerous, though.
21495 @item gnus-nocem-directory
21496 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
21497 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
21498 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
21500 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21501 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21502 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
21503 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
21504 might then see old spam.
21506 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
21507 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
21508 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
21509 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
21510 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
21513 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21514 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21515 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
21516 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
21520 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
21521 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
21522 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
21523 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
21530 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
21531 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
21532 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
21534 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
21535 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
21536 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
21537 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
21538 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
21539 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
21540 @code{undo} function.
21542 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
21543 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
21544 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
21545 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
21546 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
21547 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
21548 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
21549 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
21550 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
21551 never be totally undoable.
21553 @findex gnus-undo-mode
21554 @vindex gnus-use-undo
21556 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
21557 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
21558 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
21559 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
21563 @node Predicate Specifiers
21564 @section Predicate Specifiers
21565 @cindex predicate specifiers
21567 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
21568 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
21569 to type all that much.
21571 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
21576 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
21577 gnus-article-unread-p)
21580 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
21581 functions all take one parameter.
21583 @findex gnus-make-predicate
21584 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
21585 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
21586 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
21591 @section Moderation
21594 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
21595 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
21596 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
21599 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
21603 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
21606 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
21608 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
21613 You split your incoming mail by matching on
21614 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
21615 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
21618 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
21619 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
21622 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
21623 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
21627 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
21630 (setq gnus-moderated-list
21631 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
21635 @node Image Enhancements
21636 @section Image Enhancements
21638 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
21639 support images yet.}, is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has
21640 taken advantage of that.
21643 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
21644 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
21645 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
21646 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
21647 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
21655 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
21656 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
21657 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
21661 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
21662 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
21663 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
21671 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
21672 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
21673 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
21674 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
21676 The variable that controls this is the
21677 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
21678 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
21679 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
21680 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
21681 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
21683 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
21684 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
21685 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
21686 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
21689 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
21690 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
21691 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
21692 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
21693 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
21694 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
21695 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
21696 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
21698 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
21701 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
21702 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
21704 @findex gnus-random-x-face
21705 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
21706 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
21707 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
21708 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
21709 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
21710 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
21711 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
21712 header data as a string.
21714 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
21715 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
21716 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
21717 randomly generated data.
21719 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
21720 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
21721 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
21722 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
21723 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
21725 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
21726 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21729 (setq message-required-news-headers
21730 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21731 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
21734 Using the last function would be something like this:
21737 (setq message-required-news-headers
21738 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21739 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
21740 (gnus-x-face-from-file
21741 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
21749 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces'implementations should really be harmonized.
21751 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
21752 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
21753 represent the author of the message.
21756 @findex gnus-article-display-face
21757 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
21758 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
21761 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
21762 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
21764 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
21765 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
21766 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
21768 @findex gnus-face-from-file
21769 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
21770 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
21771 converts the file to Face format by using the
21772 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
21774 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
21775 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21778 (setq message-required-news-headers
21779 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21780 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
21781 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
21786 @subsection Smileys
21791 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
21796 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
21797 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
21799 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
21800 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21803 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
21806 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
21807 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
21808 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
21809 text and maps that to file names.
21811 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
21812 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
21813 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
21814 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
21815 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
21818 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
21823 @item smiley-data-directory
21824 @vindex smiley-data-directory
21825 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
21827 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
21828 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
21829 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
21843 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
21844 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
21845 over your shoulder as you read news.
21847 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
21856 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
21857 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
21858 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
21859 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
21860 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
21861 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
21862 @code{GIF} formats.
21865 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
21866 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
21867 point your Web browser at
21868 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
21870 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
21871 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
21873 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
21874 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
21877 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
21881 @item gnus-picon-databases
21882 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
21883 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
21884 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
21885 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
21886 "/usr/local/faces")}.
21888 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
21889 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
21890 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
21891 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
21893 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
21894 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
21895 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
21896 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
21898 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
21899 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
21900 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
21901 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
21902 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
21904 @item gnus-picon-file-types
21905 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
21906 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
21907 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
21913 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
21916 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
21917 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
21918 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
21919 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
21920 unusual directory structure.
21922 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
21923 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
21924 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
21925 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
21927 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
21928 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
21929 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
21930 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
21931 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
21932 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
21934 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
21935 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
21936 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
21941 @subsubsection Toolbar
21945 @item gnus-use-toolbar
21946 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
21947 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
21948 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
21949 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
21951 @item gnus-group-toolbar
21952 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
21953 The toolbar in the group buffer.
21955 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
21956 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
21957 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
21959 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
21960 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
21961 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
21972 @node Fuzzy Matching
21973 @section Fuzzy Matching
21974 @cindex fuzzy matching
21976 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
21977 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
21979 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
21980 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
21981 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
21983 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
21984 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
21985 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
21986 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
21987 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
21990 @node Thwarting Email Spam
21991 @section Thwarting Email Spam
21995 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21997 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
21998 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
21999 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
22000 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
22001 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
22002 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
22003 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
22004 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
22007 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
22008 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
22009 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
22010 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
22011 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
22012 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
22014 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
22017 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
22018 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
22019 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
22020 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
22021 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
22022 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
22025 @node The problem of spam
22026 @subsection The problem of spam
22028 @cindex spam filtering approaches
22029 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
22031 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22033 First, some background on spam.
22035 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
22036 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it exists
22037 because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail, so only
22038 a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to make it
22039 worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most common
22040 spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for further
22041 spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers}, but terms like
22042 @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, and @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
22044 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
22045 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
22046 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
22047 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
22048 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
22049 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
22050 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
22051 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
22052 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
22055 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering. If you get 200
22056 spam messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you
22057 block @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about
22058 @samp{VIAGRA}, you discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the
22059 message. This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate
22060 e-mail. For instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest
22061 has been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it
22062 @strong{contained} words that were common in spam messages.
22063 Nevertheless, in isolated cases, with great care, direct filtering of
22064 mail can be useful.
22066 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
22067 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
22068 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
22069 China, Ghana, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
22070 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into
22071 a database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the
22072 number of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When
22073 a user of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a
22074 message is spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
22076 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
22077 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
22078 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
22079 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
22080 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
22081 sending spam, and their web sites have been shut down for some time
22082 because of the incident.
22084 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
22085 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
22086 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
22087 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
22088 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
22089 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
22090 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
22091 to store the database of spam analyses.
22093 @node Anti-Spam Basics
22094 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
22098 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22100 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
22101 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
22103 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
22104 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
22105 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
22106 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
22107 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
22108 part of the mail address.)
22111 (setq message-default-news-headers
22112 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
22115 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
22116 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22121 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
22122 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
22123 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
22129 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
22130 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
22131 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
22132 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
22134 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
22135 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
22136 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
22137 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
22138 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
22139 your fancy split rule in this way:
22144 (to "larsi" "misc")
22148 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
22149 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
22150 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
22151 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
22152 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
22154 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
22155 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
22156 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
22157 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
22162 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
22163 @cindex SpamAssassin
22164 @cindex Vipul's Razor
22167 The days where the hints in the previous section was sufficient in
22168 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
22169 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
22170 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
22171 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
22172 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
22173 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
22175 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
22176 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
22177 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
22178 Specifiers}) follow.
22182 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
22185 :postscript "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
22188 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
22189 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
22190 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
22193 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
22197 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22200 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
22201 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
22205 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
22206 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
22207 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
22208 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
22211 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
22213 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
22216 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
22217 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
22221 Note that with the nnimap backend, message bodies will not be
22222 downloaded by default. You need to set
22223 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to t to do that (@pxref{Splitting in
22226 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
22227 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
22228 spam. And here is the nifty function:
22231 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
22232 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
22234 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
22235 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
22236 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
22240 @subsection Hashcash
22243 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
22244 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
22245 you cannot rely on everyone in the world using this technique,
22246 since it is not part of the Internet standards, but it may be useful
22247 in smaller communities.
22249 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
22250 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
22251 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
22252 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
22253 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
22254 instead requires that everyone you communicate with supports the
22255 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
22256 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
22257 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
22258 one of them separately.
22261 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
22262 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
22263 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
22264 header. For more details, and for the external application
22265 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
22266 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
22267 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
22269 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
22273 (require 'hashcash)
22274 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
22277 The @file{hashcash.el} library can be found in the Gnus development
22278 contrib directory or at
22279 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}.
22281 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
22285 @item hashcash-default-payment
22286 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
22287 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
22288 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
22289 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
22291 @item hashcash-payment-alist
22292 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
22293 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
22294 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
22295 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
22296 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
22297 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
22298 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
22299 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
22303 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
22307 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
22308 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
22309 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
22310 a useful contribution, however.
22312 @node Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
22313 @subsection Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
22314 @cindex spam filtering
22317 The idea behind @file{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
22318 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @file{spam.el} does two things: it
22319 filters incoming mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
22320 @dfn{Ham} is the name used throughout @file{spam.el} to indicate
22323 First of all, you @strong{must} run the function
22324 @code{spam-initialize} to autoload @code{spam.el} and to install the
22325 @code{spam.el} hooks:
22331 So, what happens when you load @file{spam.el}?
22333 You get the following keyboard commands:
22343 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
22344 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
22346 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark.
22347 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
22348 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
22349 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
22355 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
22356 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
22358 You must have Bogofilter installed for that command to work properly.
22364 Also, when you load @file{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
22365 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
22368 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
22369 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
22370 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
22371 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
22372 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
22373 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
22374 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
22375 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
22376 will be detected later.
22378 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
22379 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
22380 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
22381 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
22382 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
22383 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
22384 by customizing the corresponding variable
22385 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
22386 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
22387 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
22388 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
22389 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
22390 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
22391 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
22394 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
22396 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
22397 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
22398 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
22399 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
22400 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
22401 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
22402 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
22403 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
22404 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
22405 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
22406 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
22407 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
22408 processor which will study them as spam samples.
22410 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
22411 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
22412 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
22413 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
22414 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
22415 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
22416 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
22417 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
22420 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
22421 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
22422 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks.
22426 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
22427 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
22431 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
22432 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
22433 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
22434 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
22435 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
22436 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
22439 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
22440 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
22441 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
22442 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
22443 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
22444 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
22445 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
22446 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
22447 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with
22448 @code{customize-variable gnus-ham-process-destinations}). The ultimate
22449 location is a group name. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
22450 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
22451 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
22452 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
22454 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
22455 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
22457 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
22458 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
22459 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
22460 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
22461 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
22463 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
22464 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
22465 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
22466 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
22467 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
22470 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
22471 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
22472 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
22473 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
22474 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
22475 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
22476 customize this variable with @code{customize-variable
22477 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). The ultimate location is a group
22478 name. If the @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set,
22479 the spam articles are only expired.
22481 To use the @file{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
22482 must add the following to your fancy split list
22483 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
22489 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
22490 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
22491 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
22493 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
22494 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
22495 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
22496 but you can customize @code{spam-split-group}.
22498 You can also give @code{spam-split} a parameter,
22499 e.g. @samp{'spam-use-regex-headers} or @samp{"maybe-spam"}. Why is
22502 Take these split rules (with @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and
22503 @code{spam-use-blackholes} set):
22506 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
22507 (any "ding" "ding")
22513 Now, the problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the
22514 ding folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam
22515 detected by SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through,
22516 when it's sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to
22517 the ding list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the
22518 invocation of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
22520 You can let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, but all other
22521 @code{spam-split} rules (including a second invocation of the
22522 regex-headers check) will be after the ding rule:
22525 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
22526 ;;; all spam detected by spam-use-regex-headers goes to "regex-spam"
22527 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
22528 (any "ding" "ding")
22529 ;;; all other spam detected by spam-split goes to spam-split-group
22535 Basically, this lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks
22536 depending on your particular needs, and to target the results of those
22537 checks to a particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail
22538 into all the spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that
22539 messages to mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have
22540 resource-intensive blackhole checks performed on them. You could also
22541 specify different spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap
22544 You still have to have specific checks such as
22545 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} set to @code{t}, even if you specifically
22546 invoke @code{spam-split} with the check. The reason is that when
22547 loading @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on
22548 what @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set.
22550 @emph{Note for IMAP users}
22552 The boolean variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} needs to be
22553 set, if you want to split based on the whole message instead of just
22554 the headers. By default, the nnimap back end will only retrieve the
22555 message headers. If you use @code{spam-check-bogofilter},
22556 @code{spam-check-ifile}, or @code{spam-check-stat} (the splitters that
22557 can benefit from the full message body), you should set this variable.
22558 It is not set by default because it will slow @acronym{IMAP} down, and
22559 that is not an appropriate decision to make on behalf of the user.
22561 @xref{Splitting in IMAP}.
22563 @emph{TODO: Currently, spam.el only supports insertion of articles
22564 into a back end. There is no way to tell spam.el that an article is no
22565 longer spam or ham.}
22567 @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
22568 statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
22571 The following are the methods you can use to control the behavior of
22572 @code{spam-split} and their corresponding spam and ham processors:
22575 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
22576 * BBDB Whitelists::
22577 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
22578 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
22580 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
22582 * ifile spam filtering::
22583 * spam-stat spam filtering::
22585 * Extending the spam elisp package::
22588 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
22589 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
22590 @cindex spam filtering
22591 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
22592 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
22595 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
22597 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
22598 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
22599 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
22600 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
22605 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
22607 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
22608 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
22609 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
22610 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
22611 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
22615 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
22617 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
22618 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
22619 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
22623 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
22625 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22626 customizing the group parameters or the
22627 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22628 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
22629 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
22633 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
22635 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22636 customizing the group parameters or the
22637 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22638 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
22639 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
22640 whitelist. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
22641 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22645 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
22646 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
22647 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
22648 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
22649 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
22651 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
22652 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
22653 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
22654 Emacs regular expression syntax.
22656 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
22657 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
22658 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
22659 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
22660 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
22661 @file{blacklist} respectively.
22663 @node BBDB Whitelists
22664 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
22665 @cindex spam filtering
22666 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
22667 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
22670 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
22672 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
22673 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
22674 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
22675 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
22676 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
22677 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
22678 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
22682 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
22684 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
22685 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
22686 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
22687 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
22688 classified as spammers.
22692 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
22694 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22695 customizing the group parameters or the
22696 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22697 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
22698 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
22699 BBDB. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
22700 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22704 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
22705 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
22706 @cindex spam reporting
22707 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
22708 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
22711 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
22713 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22714 customizing the group parameters or the
22715 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22716 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
22717 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
22720 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
22724 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
22726 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
22727 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
22728 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
22729 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
22730 @code{spam-report.el} will use the @code{X-Report-Spam} header that
22735 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
22736 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
22737 @cindex spam filtering
22738 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
22741 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
22743 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
22744 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
22745 instead of the sender address. You must have the @code{hashcash.el}
22746 package loaded for @code{spam-use-hashcash} to work properly.
22747 Messages without a hashcash payment token will be sent to the next
22748 spam-split rule. This is an explicit filter, meaning that unless a
22749 hashcash token is found, the messages are not assumed to be spam or
22755 @subsubsection Blackholes
22756 @cindex spam filtering
22757 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
22760 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
22762 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
22763 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
22764 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
22765 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
22766 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
22767 contains outdated servers.
22769 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
22770 @file{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
22771 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
22772 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
22773 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
22774 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
22778 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
22780 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
22784 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
22786 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
22787 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
22791 @defvar spam-use-dig
22793 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
22794 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
22798 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
22799 ham processor for blackholes.
22801 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
22802 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
22803 @cindex spam filtering
22804 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
22807 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
22809 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
22810 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
22811 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
22812 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
22813 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
22814 message is spam or ham, respectively.
22818 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
22820 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
22821 the message, positively identify it as spam.
22825 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
22827 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
22828 the message, positively identify it as ham.
22832 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
22833 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
22836 @subsubsection Bogofilter
22837 @cindex spam filtering
22838 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
22841 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
22843 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
22846 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
22847 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
22848 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
22849 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
22850 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
22851 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
22853 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
22854 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
22857 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
22858 processing will be turned off.
22860 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
22864 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
22866 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
22867 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
22868 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
22869 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
22870 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
22871 installation documents for details.
22873 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
22877 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
22878 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22879 customizing the group parameters or the
22880 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22881 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
22882 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
22885 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
22886 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22887 customizing the group parameters or the
22888 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22889 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
22890 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
22891 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
22892 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22895 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
22897 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
22898 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
22899 database directory.
22903 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
22904 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
22905 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
22906 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
22907 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
22908 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
22910 @node ifile spam filtering
22911 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
22912 @cindex spam filtering
22913 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
22916 @defvar spam-use-ifile
22918 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
22919 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
22923 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
22925 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
22926 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
22927 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
22931 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
22933 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
22934 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
22935 the default value of @samp{spam}.
22938 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
22940 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
22941 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
22945 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
22946 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
22947 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
22948 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
22951 @node spam-stat spam filtering
22952 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
22953 @cindex spam filtering
22954 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
22958 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat}.
22960 @defvar spam-use-stat
22962 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
22963 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
22967 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
22968 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22969 customizing the group parameters or the
22970 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22971 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
22972 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
22975 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
22976 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22977 customizing the group parameters or the
22978 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22979 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
22980 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
22981 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
22982 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22985 This enables @file{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
22986 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
22987 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
22988 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
22989 @code{spam-split} are provided.
22992 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
22993 @cindex spam filtering
22997 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
22998 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
22999 installed separately.
23001 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
23002 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
23003 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
23004 mail as a spam mail or not.
23006 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
23007 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
23008 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
23010 The easiest method is to make @file{spam.el} (@pxref{Filtering Spam
23011 Using The Spam ELisp Package}) call SpamOracle.
23013 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
23014 To enable SpamOracle usage by @file{spam.el}, set the variable
23015 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
23016 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy} as described in
23017 the section @xref{Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package}. In
23018 this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is filtered using
23019 SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be moved to
23020 @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham messages stay
23024 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
23025 spam-split-group "Junk"
23026 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
23027 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
23028 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
23031 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
23032 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
23036 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
23037 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
23038 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
23042 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
23043 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
23044 store its analyses. This is controlled by the variable
23045 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
23046 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
23047 database to live somewhere special, set
23048 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
23051 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
23052 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
23053 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns the
23054 characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
23055 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
23056 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary buffer
23057 and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using @file{spam.el}'s
23058 spam- and ham-processors, which is much more convenient. For a
23059 detailed description of spam- and ham-processors, @xref{Filtering Spam
23060 Using The Spam ELisp Package}.
23062 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
23063 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23064 customizing the group parameter or the
23065 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
23066 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
23067 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
23070 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
23071 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23072 customizing the group parameter or the
23073 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
23074 to a grup's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
23075 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
23076 messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam} or
23077 @emph{unclassified} groups.
23080 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of an group that has been
23081 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
23084 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
23086 (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle)))
23088 For this group the @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle} is
23089 installed. If the group contains spam message (e.g. because SpamOracle
23090 has not had enough sample messages yet) and the user marks some
23091 messages as spam messages, these messages will be processed by
23092 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}. This processor sends
23093 the messages to SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
23095 @node Extending the spam elisp package
23096 @subsubsection Extending the spam elisp package
23097 @cindex spam filtering
23098 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
23099 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
23101 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
23102 incoming mail, provide the following:
23110 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
23111 "True if blackbox should be used.")
23116 (spam-use-blackbox . spam-check-blackbox)
23118 to @code{spam-list-of-checks}.
23123 Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
23124 @samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}. See the existing
23125 @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can do.
23127 Make sure to add @code{spam-use-blackbox} to
23128 @code{spam-list-of-statistical-checks} if Blackbox is a statistical
23129 mail analyzer that needs the full message body to operate.
23133 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
23140 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
23141 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
23144 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
23145 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
23146 Only applicable to spam groups.")
23148 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
23149 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
23150 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
23158 (defun spam-blackbox-register-spam-routine ()
23159 (spam-generic-register-routine
23160 ;; @r{the spam function}
23162 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
23163 (when (stringp from)
23164 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer from))))
23165 ;; @r{the ham function}
23168 (defun spam-blackbox-register-ham-routine ()
23169 (spam-generic-register-routine
23170 ;; @r{the spam function}
23172 ;; @r{the ham function}
23174 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
23175 (when (stringp from)
23176 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender from))))))
23179 Write the @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender} and
23180 @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer} functions. You can add
23181 more complex code than fetching the message sender, but keep in mind
23182 that retrieving the whole message takes significantly longer than the
23183 sender through @code{spam-fetch-field-from-fast}, because the message
23184 senders are kept in memory by Gnus.
23189 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
23190 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
23191 @cindex Paul Graham
23192 @cindex Graham, Paul
23193 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
23194 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
23195 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
23197 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
23198 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
23199 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
23200 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
23201 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
23202 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
23203 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
23204 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
23205 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
23208 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
23209 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
23210 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
23211 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
23212 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
23213 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
23214 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
23215 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
23217 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
23218 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
23219 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
23220 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
23221 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
23224 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
23225 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
23226 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
23229 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
23230 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
23232 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
23233 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
23234 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
23235 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
23236 need several hundred emails in both collections.
23238 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
23239 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
23240 per mail. Use the following:
23242 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
23243 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
23244 is treated as one spam mail.
23247 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
23248 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
23249 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
23252 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
23253 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
23254 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
23255 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
23256 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
23257 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
23259 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
23260 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
23261 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
23262 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
23263 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
23266 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
23267 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
23268 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
23269 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
23272 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
23273 reset the dictionary.
23275 @defun spam-stat-reset
23276 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
23279 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
23280 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
23281 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
23282 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
23283 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
23284 only non-spam mails.
23286 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
23287 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
23288 to update the dictionary incrementally.
23291 @defun spam-stat-save
23292 Save the dictionary.
23295 @defvar spam-stat-file
23296 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
23297 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
23300 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
23301 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
23303 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
23304 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23307 (require 'spam-stat)
23311 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
23314 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
23315 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
23316 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
23317 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
23319 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
23320 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
23321 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
23322 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
23325 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
23326 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
23330 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
23331 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
23334 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
23335 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
23336 expression are considered potential spam.
23339 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
23340 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
23341 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
23345 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
23346 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
23347 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
23348 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
23349 mails, when creating the dictionary!
23352 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
23353 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
23354 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
23358 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
23359 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
23360 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
23361 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
23362 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
23366 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
23367 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
23368 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
23369 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
23374 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
23375 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
23377 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
23379 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
23380 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
23381 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
23384 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
23385 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
23386 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
23389 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
23390 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
23391 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
23392 already been processed as non-spam.
23395 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
23396 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
23397 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
23398 been processed as spam.
23401 @defun spam-stat-save
23402 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
23403 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
23406 @defun spam-stat-load
23407 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
23408 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
23411 @defun spam-stat-score-word
23412 Return the spam score for a word.
23415 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
23416 Return the spam score for a buffer.
23419 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
23420 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
23421 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
23424 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
23425 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23428 (require 'spam-stat)
23432 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
23435 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
23436 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
23437 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
23438 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
23439 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
23440 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
23441 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
23442 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
23443 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
23444 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
23445 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
23446 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
23447 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
23448 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
23451 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
23454 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
23455 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
23456 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
23457 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
23458 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
23459 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
23462 @node Various Various
23463 @section Various Various
23469 @item gnus-home-directory
23470 @vindex gnus-home-directory
23471 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
23472 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
23474 @item gnus-directory
23475 @vindex gnus-directory
23476 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
23477 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
23478 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
23480 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
23481 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
23482 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
23483 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
23485 @item gnus-default-directory
23486 @vindex gnus-default-directory
23487 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
23488 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
23489 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
23490 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
23491 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
23492 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
23495 @vindex gnus-verbose
23496 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
23497 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
23498 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
23499 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
23500 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
23502 @item gnus-verbose-backends
23503 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
23504 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
23505 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
23507 @item nnheader-max-head-length
23508 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
23509 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
23510 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
23511 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
23512 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
23513 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
23514 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
23515 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
23516 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
23518 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
23519 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
23520 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
23521 read when doing the operation described above.
23523 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
23524 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
23526 @cindex invalid characters in file names
23527 @cindex characters in file names
23528 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
23529 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
23530 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
23534 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
23539 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
23540 Windows (phooey) systems.
23542 @item gnus-hidden-properties
23543 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
23544 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
23545 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
23546 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
23548 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
23549 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
23550 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
23551 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
23552 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
23554 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
23555 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
23556 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
23558 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
23559 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
23561 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
23562 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
23563 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
23564 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
23567 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
23575 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
23576 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
23578 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
23580 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
23586 Not because of victories @*
23589 but for the common sunshine,@*
23591 the largess of the spring.
23595 but for the day's work done@*
23596 as well as I was able;@*
23597 not for a seat upon the dais@*
23598 but at the common table.@*
23603 @chapter Appendices
23606 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
23607 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
23608 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
23609 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
23610 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
23611 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
23612 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
23613 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
23614 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
23621 @cindex installing under XEmacs
23623 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
23624 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
23625 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
23626 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
23627 @samp{xemacs-base}, @samp{sh-script} and @samp{fsf-compat}. The
23628 @samp{misc-games} package is required for Morse decoding.
23635 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
23636 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
23638 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
23639 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
23640 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
23641 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
23642 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
23644 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
23645 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
23646 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
23647 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
23648 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
23649 appropriate name, don't you think?)
23651 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
23652 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
23653 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
23654 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
23657 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
23658 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
23659 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
23660 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
23661 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
23662 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
23663 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
23664 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
23665 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
23669 @node Gnus Versions
23670 @subsection Gnus Versions
23672 @cindex September Gnus
23674 @cindex Quassia Gnus
23675 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
23678 @cindex Gnus versions
23680 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
23681 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
23682 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
23684 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
23685 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
23687 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
23688 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
23690 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
23691 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
23693 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
23694 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
23697 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
23699 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
23700 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
23701 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
23702 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
23703 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
23704 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
23707 @node Other Gnus Versions
23708 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
23711 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
23712 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
23713 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
23714 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
23716 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
23717 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
23718 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
23719 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
23726 What's the point of Gnus?
23728 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
23729 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
23730 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
23731 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
23732 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
23733 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
23734 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
23735 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
23736 keep track of millions of people who post?
23738 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
23739 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
23740 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
23741 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
23742 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
23743 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
23744 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
23745 every one of you to explore and invent.
23747 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
23748 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
23751 @node Compatibility
23752 @subsection Compatibility
23754 @cindex compatibility
23755 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
23756 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
23757 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
23762 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
23766 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
23769 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
23772 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
23773 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
23774 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
23775 important variables have their values copied into their global
23776 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
23777 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
23779 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
23780 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
23781 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
23782 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
23783 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
23787 @cindex highlighting
23788 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
23789 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
23790 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
23791 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
23792 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
23793 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
23796 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
23797 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
23798 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
23799 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
23801 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
23802 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
23803 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
23804 to stop doing it the old way.
23806 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
23808 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
23810 @cindex reporting bugs
23812 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
23813 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
23814 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
23816 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
23817 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
23818 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
23819 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
23824 @subsection Conformity
23826 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
23827 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
23835 There are no known breaches of this standard.
23839 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
23841 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
23842 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
23843 We do have some breaches to this one.
23849 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
23850 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
23851 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
23852 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
23853 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
23858 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
23859 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
23860 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
23861 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
23863 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
23864 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
23865 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
23867 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
23868 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
23870 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
23873 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
23874 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
23875 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
23876 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
23877 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
23880 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
23881 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
23882 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
23883 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
23885 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
23886 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
23888 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
23889 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
23890 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
23891 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
23892 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
23893 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
23894 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
23895 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
23899 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
23900 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
23905 @subsection Emacsen
23911 Gnus should work on:
23919 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
23923 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
23924 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
23925 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
23926 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
23927 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
23929 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
23930 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
23931 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
23935 @node Gnus Development
23936 @subsection Gnus Development
23938 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
23939 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
23940 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
23941 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
23942 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
23943 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
23944 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
23945 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
23947 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
23948 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
23949 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
23950 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
23951 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
23954 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
23955 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
23956 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
23957 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
23958 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
23960 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
23961 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
23962 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
23963 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
23964 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
23965 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
23966 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
23967 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
23968 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
23969 can't be assumed to do so.
23974 @subsection Contributors
23975 @cindex contributors
23977 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
23978 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
23979 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
23980 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
23981 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
23982 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
23983 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
23984 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
23985 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
23986 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
23988 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
23994 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
23997 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
23998 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
23999 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
24000 functionality and stuff.
24003 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
24004 well as numerous other things).
24007 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
24010 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
24013 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
24016 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
24019 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
24020 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
24023 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
24026 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
24027 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
24030 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
24033 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
24036 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
24039 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
24042 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
24043 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
24046 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
24049 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
24052 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
24055 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
24059 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
24062 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
24065 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
24068 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
24069 well as autoconf support.
24073 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
24074 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
24076 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
24091 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
24093 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
24097 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
24107 Alexei V. Barantsev,
24122 Massimo Campostrini,
24127 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
24128 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
24132 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
24135 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
24141 Michael Welsh Duggan,
24146 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
24150 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
24158 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
24160 Michelangelo Grigni,
24164 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
24166 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
24168 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
24175 François Felix Ingrand,
24176 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
24177 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
24179 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
24189 Peter Skov Knudsen,
24190 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
24192 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
24193 Thor Kristoffersen,
24196 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
24214 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
24215 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
24222 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
24227 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
24231 John McClary Prevost,
24237 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
24242 Christian von Roques,
24245 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
24252 Philippe Schnoebelen,
24254 Randal L. Schwartz,
24268 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
24273 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
24293 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
24294 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
24295 (550kB and counting).
24297 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
24300 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
24301 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
24305 @subsection New Features
24306 @cindex new features
24309 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
24310 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
24311 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
24312 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
24313 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
24314 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10.
24317 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
24318 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
24319 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
24322 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
24324 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
24329 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
24330 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
24333 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
24334 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
24337 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
24340 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
24341 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
24342 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
24345 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
24346 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
24347 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
24348 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
24351 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
24352 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
24355 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
24356 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
24357 (@pxref{The Active File}).
24360 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
24361 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
24364 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
24365 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
24366 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
24369 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
24370 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
24371 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
24374 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
24375 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
24378 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
24379 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
24382 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
24383 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
24386 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
24387 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
24390 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
24391 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
24394 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
24395 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
24398 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
24401 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
24402 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
24405 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
24406 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
24409 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
24410 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
24413 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
24416 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
24417 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
24420 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
24424 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
24428 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
24429 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
24432 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
24438 @node September Gnus
24439 @subsubsection September Gnus
24443 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
24447 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
24452 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
24453 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
24457 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
24458 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
24462 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
24466 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
24467 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
24470 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
24474 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
24477 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
24480 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
24483 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
24487 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
24488 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
24491 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
24495 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
24499 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
24503 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
24507 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
24510 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
24511 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
24514 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
24518 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
24519 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
24522 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
24525 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
24526 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
24527 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
24530 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
24534 The Gnus cache is much faster.
24537 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
24541 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
24542 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
24545 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
24546 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
24549 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
24550 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
24553 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
24554 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
24555 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
24558 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
24559 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
24562 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
24565 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
24568 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
24571 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
24574 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
24575 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
24578 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
24582 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
24585 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
24590 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
24593 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
24597 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
24600 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
24604 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
24607 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
24610 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
24611 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
24614 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
24615 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
24619 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
24620 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
24623 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
24627 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
24628 buffer to allow easier treatment.
24631 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
24634 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
24638 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
24642 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
24643 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
24646 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
24650 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
24651 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
24654 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
24655 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
24658 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
24662 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
24665 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
24668 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
24674 @subsubsection Red Gnus
24676 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
24680 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
24687 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
24690 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
24691 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
24694 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
24695 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
24699 Article washing status can be displayed in the
24700 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
24703 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
24706 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
24707 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
24710 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
24714 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
24715 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
24719 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
24720 Server Internals}).
24723 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
24727 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
24730 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
24731 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
24734 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
24735 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
24736 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
24739 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
24740 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
24743 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
24744 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
24747 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
24751 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
24752 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
24755 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
24756 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
24759 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
24763 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
24766 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
24770 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
24771 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
24774 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
24775 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
24778 A new command for reading collections of documents
24779 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
24780 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
24783 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
24787 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
24788 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
24791 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
24792 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
24793 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
24796 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
24797 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
24801 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
24805 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
24809 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
24814 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
24818 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
24822 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
24823 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
24826 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
24832 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
24834 New features in Gnus 5.6:
24839 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
24840 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
24841 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
24844 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
24845 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
24846 group, which is created automatically.
24849 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
24853 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
24856 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
24857 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
24860 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
24864 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
24867 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
24868 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
24871 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
24874 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
24878 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
24879 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
24882 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
24883 control over simplification.
24886 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
24889 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
24893 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
24896 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
24899 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
24900 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
24901 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
24904 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
24905 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
24908 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
24912 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
24913 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
24916 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
24917 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
24920 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
24924 A history of where mails have been split is available.
24927 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
24930 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
24931 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
24934 A new function for citing in Message has been
24935 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
24938 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
24941 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
24945 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
24946 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
24949 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
24950 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
24953 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
24956 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
24960 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
24961 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
24963 New features in Gnus 5.8:
24968 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
24969 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
24971 If you used procmail like in
24974 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
24975 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
24976 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
24977 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
24980 this now has changed to
24984 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
24988 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
24991 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
24992 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
24995 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
24996 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
24999 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
25000 called to position point.
25003 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
25004 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
25007 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
25008 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
25011 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
25012 subtly different manner.
25015 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
25016 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
25017 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
25020 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
25025 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
25028 New features in Gnus 5.10:
25033 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
25034 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
25037 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
25039 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
25040 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
25041 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
25042 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
25043 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
25044 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
25045 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
25046 isn't save in general.
25051 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
25052 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
25053 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
25054 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
25059 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} installs key bindings in dired buffers to send
25060 a file as an attachment (@kbd{C-c C-a}), open a file using the appropriate
25061 mailcap entry (@kbd{C-c C-l}), and print a file using the mailcap entry
25062 (@kbd{C-c P}). It is enabled with
25064 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
25068 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
25071 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
25076 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
25077 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
25079 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
25080 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
25084 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
25085 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
25088 Retrieval of charters and control messages
25090 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
25091 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
25096 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
25097 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
25098 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
25101 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
25102 decompressed when activated.
25105 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
25106 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
25109 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
25112 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
25113 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
25116 Warn about email replies to news
25118 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
25119 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
25123 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
25124 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
25128 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
25129 opposed to old but unread messages).
25132 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
25133 Gcc articles as read.
25136 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
25139 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
25140 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
25143 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
25144 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
25147 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
25148 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
25151 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
25152 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
25155 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
25157 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
25158 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
25159 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
25160 @file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
25163 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
25165 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
25166 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
25167 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, iff you want
25168 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
25169 the second parameter.
25171 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
25172 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
25173 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
25174 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
25175 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
25176 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
25177 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
25178 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
25179 cycle used under Unix systems.
25181 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} superfluous, so it has
25185 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
25187 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
25188 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
25189 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
25190 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
25191 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
25195 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
25197 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
25198 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
25199 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
25200 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
25204 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
25206 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
25207 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
25208 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
25209 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
25211 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
25212 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
25213 message cited below.
25216 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
25219 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
25221 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
25222 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
25223 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
25224 variable in @file{~/.emacs} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
25225 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
25228 (setq gnus-parameters
25230 (gnus-show-threads nil)
25231 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
25232 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
25233 (to-group . "\\1"))))
25237 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now iconized for Emacs too.
25239 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.emacs} to
25243 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
25245 Earlier it was generated iff the user configurable email address was
25246 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
25247 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
25248 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
25249 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
25250 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
25251 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
25252 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
25253 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
25256 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
25258 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
25259 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
25260 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
25261 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
25262 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
25263 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
25266 References and X-Draft-Headers are no longer generated when you start
25267 composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
25271 Improved anti-spam features.
25273 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
25274 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
25275 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
25276 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
25277 are also new. @xref{Thwarting Email Spam}.
25280 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers.
25283 Face headers handling.
25286 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
25287 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
25290 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
25293 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
25295 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
25296 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
25297 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
25298 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
25299 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
25300 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
25301 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
25302 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
25303 when getting new mail, remove the function.
25306 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
25308 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
25309 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
25310 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
25311 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
25312 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
25313 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
25314 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
25315 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
25316 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
25317 was inserted directly.
25320 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
25322 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
25323 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
25329 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
25330 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
25331 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
25332 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
25333 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
25334 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
25335 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
25336 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
25337 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
25338 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
25339 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
25340 behaviour of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
25341 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
25342 is not needed any more.
25345 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
25347 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
25348 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
25349 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
25350 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
25351 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
25355 @file{deuglify.el} (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article})
25357 A new file from Raymond Scholz @email{rscholz@@zonix.de} for deuglifying
25358 broken Outlook (Express) articles.
25361 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
25363 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
25364 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
25365 lisp directory into load-path.
25367 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
25368 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
25371 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
25373 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
25376 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
25378 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
25379 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
25380 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
25381 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
25384 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
25386 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
25388 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
25389 'bbdb-complete-name)
25393 Externalizing and deleting of attachments.
25395 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
25396 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
25397 local files as external parts.
25399 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
25400 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
25401 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
25402 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
25403 that support editing.
25406 @code{gnus-default-charset}
25408 The default value is determined from the
25409 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
25410 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
25411 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
25414 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
25416 Add a new format of match like
25418 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
25419 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
25421 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
25423 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
25424 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
25428 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
25430 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
25431 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
25432 need add those two headers too.
25435 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
25437 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
25438 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
25439 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
25442 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
25443 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
25444 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
25448 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
25450 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
25453 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
25455 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
25458 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
25460 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
25461 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
25462 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
25465 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
25467 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
25471 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
25473 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
25474 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
25475 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
25476 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
25477 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
25478 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
25479 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
25480 The behaviour can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
25483 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
25485 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
25486 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
25487 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
25488 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
25489 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
25492 Extended format specs.
25494 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
25495 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
25496 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
25497 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
25498 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
25499 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
25502 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
25504 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
25505 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
25506 out other articles.
25508 @item Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
25510 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
25511 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
25512 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
25513 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
25516 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
25518 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
25519 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
25520 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
25523 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
25525 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
25526 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
25527 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
25528 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
25529 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
25530 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
25531 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
25532 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
25533 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
25534 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
25535 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
25538 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
25539 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
25542 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
25543 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
25544 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
25545 message, Message Manual}).
25548 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
25549 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
25551 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
25552 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
25553 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
25555 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
25559 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
25560 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
25562 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
25563 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
25564 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
25565 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
25568 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
25571 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
25574 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
25575 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
25578 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to symbol @code{best}.
25580 The behaviour for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
25581 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
25582 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
25583 invalidate the digital signature.
25590 @section The Manual
25594 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
25595 either @code{texi2dvi}
25597 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
25598 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
25600 to get what you hold in your hands now.
25602 The following conventions have been used:
25607 This is a @samp{string}
25610 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
25613 This is a @file{file}
25616 This is a @code{symbol}
25620 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
25624 (setq flargnoze "yes")
25627 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
25630 (setq flumphel 'yes)
25633 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
25634 ever get them confused.
25638 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
25639 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
25640 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
25641 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
25642 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
25643 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
25644 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
25650 @node On Writing Manuals
25651 @section On Writing Manuals
25653 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
25654 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
25655 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
25656 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
25657 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
25658 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
25661 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
25662 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
25663 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
25666 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
25667 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
25672 @section Terminology
25674 @cindex terminology
25679 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
25680 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
25681 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
25682 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
25683 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
25687 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
25688 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
25689 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
25690 not posting, and replying is not following up.
25694 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
25698 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
25703 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
25704 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
25705 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
25706 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
25707 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
25708 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
25709 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
25710 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
25711 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
25714 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
25715 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
25716 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
25717 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
25718 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
25719 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
25721 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
25722 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
25723 access the articles.
25725 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
25726 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
25727 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
25732 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
25733 default, way of getting news.
25737 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
25738 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
25743 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
25744 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
25748 A message that has been posted as news.
25751 @cindex mail message
25752 A message that has been mailed.
25756 A mail message or news article
25760 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
25765 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
25770 A line from the head of an article.
25774 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
25775 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
25777 @item @acronym{NOV}
25778 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
25779 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
25780 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
25781 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
25782 normal @sc{head} format.
25786 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
25787 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
25788 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
25789 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
25790 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
25791 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
25793 @item killed groups
25794 @cindex killed groups
25795 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
25796 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
25798 @item zombie groups
25799 @cindex zombie groups
25800 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
25803 @cindex active file
25804 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
25805 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
25806 is rather large, as you might surmise.
25809 @cindex bogus groups
25810 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
25811 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
25812 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
25815 @cindex activating groups
25816 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
25817 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
25818 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
25822 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
25824 @item select method
25825 @cindex select method
25826 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
25829 @item virtual server
25830 @cindex virtual server
25831 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
25832 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
25833 whole is a virtual server.
25837 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
25838 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
25841 @item ephemeral groups
25842 @cindex ephemeral groups
25843 @cindex temporary groups
25844 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
25845 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
25846 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
25849 @cindex solid groups
25850 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
25851 group buffer are solid groups.
25853 @item sparse articles
25854 @cindex sparse articles
25855 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
25856 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
25860 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
25861 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
25865 @cindex thread root
25866 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
25867 articles in the thread.
25871 An article that has responses.
25875 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
25879 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
25880 specified by RFC 1153.
25883 @cindex splitting, terminolgy
25884 @cindex mail sorting
25885 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
25886 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
25887 incorrectly called mail filtering.
25893 @node Customization
25894 @section Customization
25895 @cindex general customization
25897 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
25898 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
25899 for some quite common situations.
25902 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
25903 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
25904 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
25905 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
25909 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
25910 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
25912 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
25913 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
25914 Gnus has to get from the @acronym{NNTP} server.
25918 @item gnus-read-active-file
25919 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
25920 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
25921 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
25922 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
25923 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
25925 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
25926 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
25927 the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast. Not all @acronym{NNTP} servers
25928 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
25932 @node Slow Terminal Connection
25933 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
25935 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
25936 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
25937 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
25941 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
25942 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
25943 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
25944 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
25945 horizontal and vertical recentering.
25947 @item gnus-visible-headers
25948 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
25949 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
25950 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
25951 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
25953 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
25955 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
25956 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
25957 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
25960 @item gnus-use-full-window
25961 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
25962 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
25963 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
25964 want to read them anyway.
25966 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
25967 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
25971 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
25972 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
25973 lines, which might save some time.
25977 @node Little Disk Space
25978 @subsection Little Disk Space
25981 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
25982 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
25986 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
25987 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
25988 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
25989 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
25992 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
25993 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
25994 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
25995 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
25998 @item gnus-save-killed-list
25999 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
26000 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
26001 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
26002 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
26008 @subsection Slow Machine
26009 @cindex slow machine
26011 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
26012 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
26014 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
26015 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
26017 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
26018 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
26019 summary buffer faster.
26023 @node Troubleshooting
26024 @section Troubleshooting
26025 @cindex troubleshooting
26027 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
26035 Make sure your computer is switched on.
26038 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
26039 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
26043 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
26044 like @samp{T-gnus 6.16.* (based on Gnus v5.10.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
26045 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you get
26046 something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some old
26047 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
26050 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
26051 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
26054 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
26055 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
26056 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
26057 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
26058 something like that.
26061 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
26064 @cindex reporting bugs
26066 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
26068 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
26069 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
26070 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
26071 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
26073 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
26074 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
26075 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
26076 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
26079 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
26080 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
26081 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
26082 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
26083 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
26084 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
26086 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
26087 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
26088 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
26092 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
26093 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
26096 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
26097 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
26098 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
26099 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
26100 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
26101 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
26102 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
26103 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
26104 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
26105 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
26106 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
26107 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
26108 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
26109 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
26114 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
26115 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
26116 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
26117 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
26118 helps isolating the real problem areas).
26120 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
26121 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
26122 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
26123 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
26124 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
26125 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
26126 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
26127 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
26128 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
26129 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
26130 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
26131 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
26132 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
26135 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
26136 @cindex ding mailing list
26137 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
26138 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
26139 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
26140 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
26144 @node Gnus Reference Guide
26145 @section Gnus Reference Guide
26147 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
26148 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
26149 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
26150 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
26153 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
26154 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
26155 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
26156 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
26157 and general methods of operation.
26160 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
26161 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
26162 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
26163 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
26164 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
26165 * Group Info:: The group info format.
26166 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
26167 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
26168 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
26172 @node Gnus Utility Functions
26173 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
26174 @cindex Gnus utility functions
26175 @cindex utility functions
26177 @cindex internal variables
26179 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
26180 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
26181 Below is a list of the most common ones.
26185 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
26186 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
26187 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
26189 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
26190 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
26191 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
26193 @item gnus-group-real-name
26194 @findex gnus-group-real-name
26195 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
26198 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
26199 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
26200 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
26201 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
26203 @item gnus-get-info
26204 @findex gnus-get-info
26205 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
26207 @item gnus-group-unread
26208 @findex gnus-group-unread
26209 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
26213 @findex gnus-active
26214 The active entry for @var{group}.
26216 @item gnus-set-active
26217 @findex gnus-set-active
26218 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
26220 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
26221 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
26222 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
26225 @item gnus-continuum-version
26226 @findex gnus-continuum-version
26227 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
26228 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
26231 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
26232 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
26233 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
26235 @item gnus-news-group-p
26236 @findex gnus-news-group-p
26237 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
26239 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
26240 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
26241 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
26243 @item gnus-server-to-method
26244 @findex gnus-server-to-method
26245 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
26247 @item gnus-server-equal
26248 @findex gnus-server-equal
26249 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
26251 @item gnus-group-native-p
26252 @findex gnus-group-native-p
26253 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
26255 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
26256 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
26257 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
26259 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
26260 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
26261 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
26263 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
26264 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
26265 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
26266 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
26268 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
26269 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
26270 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
26272 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
26273 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
26274 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
26276 @item gnus-check-backend-function
26277 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
26278 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
26279 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
26282 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
26286 @item gnus-read-method
26287 @findex gnus-read-method
26288 Prompts the user for a select method.
26293 @node Back End Interface
26294 @subsection Back End Interface
26296 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
26297 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
26298 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
26299 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
26300 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
26301 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
26303 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
26304 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
26305 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
26306 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
26307 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
26308 been opened, the function should fail.
26310 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
26311 name. Take this example:
26315 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
26316 (nntp-port-number 4324))
26319 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
26320 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
26322 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
26323 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
26324 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
26326 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
26327 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
26328 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
26330 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
26331 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
26332 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
26333 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
26334 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
26335 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
26338 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
26339 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
26340 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
26341 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
26344 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
26345 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
26346 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
26347 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
26348 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
26349 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
26350 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
26351 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
26352 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
26353 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
26355 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
26356 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
26357 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
26358 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
26359 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
26360 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
26361 of numbers as long as possible.
26363 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
26364 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
26365 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
26367 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
26370 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
26373 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
26374 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
26375 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
26376 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
26377 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
26378 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
26382 @node Required Back End Functions
26383 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
26387 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
26389 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
26390 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
26391 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
26392 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
26394 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
26395 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
26396 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
26397 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
26399 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
26400 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
26401 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
26402 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
26403 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
26404 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
26405 number, do maximum fetches.
26407 Here's an example HEAD:
26410 221 1056 Article retrieved.
26411 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
26412 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
26413 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
26414 Subject: Re: Something very droll
26415 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
26416 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
26418 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
26419 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
26420 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
26424 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
26425 these in the data buffer.
26427 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
26431 head = error / valid-head
26432 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
26433 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
26434 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
26435 header = <text> eol
26439 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
26441 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
26442 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
26446 nov-buffer = *nov-line
26447 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
26448 field = <text except TAB>
26451 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
26455 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
26457 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
26458 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
26460 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
26461 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
26462 server. In fact, it should do so.
26464 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
26465 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
26468 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
26470 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
26471 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
26474 There should be no data returned.
26477 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
26479 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
26480 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
26481 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
26482 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
26484 There should be no data returned.
26487 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
26489 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
26490 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
26491 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
26492 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
26494 There should be no data returned.
26497 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
26499 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
26501 There should be no data returned.
26504 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
26506 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
26507 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
26508 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
26509 it would be nice if that were possible.
26511 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
26512 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
26513 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
26514 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
26515 into its article buffer.
26517 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
26518 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
26519 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
26520 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
26521 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
26522 on successful article retrieval.
26525 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
26527 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
26528 making @var{group} the current group.
26530 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
26533 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
26536 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
26539 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
26540 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
26541 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
26542 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
26543 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
26544 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
26545 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
26546 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
26547 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
26551 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
26552 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
26553 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
26557 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
26559 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
26560 a no-op on most back ends.
26562 There should be no data returned.
26565 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
26567 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
26570 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
26573 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
26574 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
26577 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
26578 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
26579 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
26580 and the highest as 0.
26583 active-file = *active-line
26584 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
26586 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
26589 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
26590 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
26591 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
26594 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
26596 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
26597 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
26598 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
26599 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
26600 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
26601 clear if the posting could not be completed.
26603 There should be no result data from this function.
26608 @node Optional Back End Functions
26609 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
26613 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
26615 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
26616 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
26617 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
26619 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
26620 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
26621 former is in the same format as the data from
26622 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
26623 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
26626 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
26630 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
26632 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
26633 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
26634 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
26635 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
26636 should return a non-@code{nil} value.
26638 There should be no result data from this function.
26641 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
26643 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
26644 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
26645 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
26646 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
26647 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
26648 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
26649 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
26650 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
26652 There should be no result data from this function.
26655 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
26657 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
26658 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
26659 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
26660 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
26661 propagate the mark information to the server.
26663 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
26666 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
26669 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
26670 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
26671 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
26672 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
26673 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
26674 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
26675 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
26676 possible, not limit itself to these.
26678 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
26679 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
26680 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
26681 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
26683 An example action list:
26686 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
26687 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
26688 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
26691 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
26692 mark on (currently not used for anything).
26694 There should be no result data from this function.
26696 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
26698 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
26699 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
26700 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
26701 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
26702 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
26704 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
26705 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
26706 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
26709 There should be no result data from this function.
26712 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
26714 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
26715 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
26716 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
26717 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
26718 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
26719 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
26720 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
26721 local if that's practical.
26723 There should be no result data from this function.
26726 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
26728 The result data from this function should be a description of
26732 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
26734 description = <text>
26737 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
26739 The result data from this function should be the description of all
26740 groups available on the server.
26743 description-buffer = *description-line
26747 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
26749 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
26750 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
26751 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
26752 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
26753 in the active buffer format.
26755 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
26756 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
26757 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
26758 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
26759 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
26760 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
26761 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
26764 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
26766 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
26768 There should be no return data.
26771 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
26773 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
26774 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
26775 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
26776 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
26777 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
26780 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
26783 There should be no result data returned.
26786 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
26788 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
26789 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
26791 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
26792 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
26793 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
26794 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
26795 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
26796 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
26798 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
26799 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
26802 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
26803 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
26805 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
26806 article for that group.
26808 There should be no data returned.
26811 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
26813 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
26814 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
26815 this function in short order.
26817 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
26818 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
26820 There should be no data returned.
26823 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
26825 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
26826 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
26828 There should be no data returned.
26831 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
26833 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
26834 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
26835 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
26837 There should be no data returned.
26840 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
26842 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
26843 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
26845 There should be no data returned.
26850 @node Error Messaging
26851 @subsubsection Error Messaging
26853 @findex nnheader-report
26854 @findex nnheader-get-report
26855 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
26856 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
26857 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
26858 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
26859 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
26860 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
26863 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
26865 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
26868 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
26869 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
26870 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
26871 takes one argument---the server symbol.
26873 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
26874 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
26875 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
26878 @node Writing New Back Ends
26879 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
26881 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
26882 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
26883 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
26884 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
26885 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
26888 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
26889 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
26890 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
26892 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
26893 package called @code{nnoo}.
26895 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
26896 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
26902 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
26903 parameters. For instance:
26906 (nnoo-declare nndir
26910 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
26911 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
26914 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
26915 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
26916 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
26918 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
26919 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
26920 a function in those back ends.
26923 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
26924 "Where nndir will look for groups."
26925 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
26928 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
26929 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
26930 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
26932 @item nnoo-define-basics
26933 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
26937 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
26941 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
26942 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
26943 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
26945 @item nnoo-map-functions
26946 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
26947 functions from the parent back ends.
26950 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
26951 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
26952 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
26955 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
26956 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
26957 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
26958 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
26961 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
26962 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
26963 haven't already been defined.
26969 nnmh-request-newgroups)
26973 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
26974 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
26975 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
26980 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
26983 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
26984 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
26988 (require 'nnheader)
26992 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
26994 (nnoo-declare nndir
26997 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
26998 "Where nndir will look for groups."
26999 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
27001 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
27002 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
27005 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
27007 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
27008 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
27009 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
27011 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
27012 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
27014 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
27016 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
27018 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
27019 (setq nndir-directory
27020 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
27022 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
27023 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
27024 (push `(nndir-current-group
27025 ,(file-name-nondirectory
27026 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
27028 (push `(nndir-top-directory
27029 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
27031 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
27033 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
27034 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27035 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27036 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
27037 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
27041 nnmh-status-message
27043 nnmh-request-newgroups))
27049 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
27050 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
27052 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
27053 @findex gnus-declare-backend
27054 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
27055 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
27056 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
27058 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
27059 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
27064 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
27067 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
27069 The abilities can be:
27073 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
27075 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
27077 This back end supports both mail and news.
27079 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
27082 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
27083 articles and groups.
27085 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
27086 true for almost all back ends.
27087 @item prompt-address
27088 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
27089 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
27090 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
27094 @node Mail-like Back Ends
27095 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
27097 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
27098 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
27099 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
27100 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
27103 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
27104 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
27105 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
27108 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
27109 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
27112 This function takes four parameters.
27116 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
27119 @item exit-function
27120 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
27122 @item temp-directory
27123 Where the temporary files should be stored.
27126 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
27127 performed for one group only.
27130 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
27131 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
27132 find the article number assigned to this article.
27134 The function also uses the following variables:
27135 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
27136 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
27137 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
27138 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
27142 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
27143 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
27147 @node Score File Syntax
27148 @subsection Score File Syntax
27150 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
27151 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
27152 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
27154 Here's a typical score file:
27158 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
27165 BNF definition of a score file:
27168 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
27169 element = rule / atom
27170 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
27171 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
27172 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
27173 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
27175 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
27176 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
27177 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
27178 date-header = "date"
27179 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
27180 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
27181 score = "nil" / <integer>
27182 date = "nil" / <natural number>
27183 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
27184 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
27185 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
27186 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
27187 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
27188 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
27189 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
27190 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
27191 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
27192 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
27193 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
27194 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
27195 exclude-files / read-only / touched
27196 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
27197 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
27198 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
27199 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
27200 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
27201 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
27202 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
27203 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
27204 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
27205 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
27206 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
27207 eval = "eval" space <form>
27208 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
27211 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
27214 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
27215 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
27216 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
27217 one looong line, then that's ok.
27219 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
27220 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
27224 @subsection Headers
27226 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
27227 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
27228 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
27229 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
27231 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
27232 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
27233 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
27234 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
27235 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
27236 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
27237 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
27239 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
27240 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
27241 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
27242 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
27243 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
27245 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
27246 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
27252 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
27253 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
27255 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
27256 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
27257 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
27258 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
27260 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
27264 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
27267 is transformed into
27270 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
27273 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
27274 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
27277 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
27280 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
27281 is slightly tricky:
27284 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
27290 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
27293 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
27299 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
27306 and is equal to the previous range.
27308 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
27309 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
27310 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
27314 range = simple-range / normal-range
27315 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
27316 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
27317 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
27318 number *[ " " contents ]
27321 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
27322 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
27323 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
27324 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
27325 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
27330 @subsection Group Info
27332 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
27333 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
27334 describes the group.
27336 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
27337 second is a more complex one:
27340 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
27342 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
27343 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
27345 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
27348 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
27349 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
27350 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
27351 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
27352 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
27353 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
27354 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
27355 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
27356 this section is about.
27358 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
27359 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
27360 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
27362 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
27365 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
27366 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
27367 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
27368 group = quote <string> quote
27369 ralevel = rank / level
27370 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
27371 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
27372 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
27374 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
27375 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
27376 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
27377 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
27380 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
27381 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
27384 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
27385 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
27388 @item gnus-info-group
27389 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
27390 @findex gnus-info-group
27391 @findex gnus-info-set-group
27392 Get/set the group name.
27394 @item gnus-info-rank
27395 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
27396 @findex gnus-info-rank
27397 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
27398 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
27400 @item gnus-info-level
27401 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
27402 @findex gnus-info-level
27403 @findex gnus-info-set-level
27404 Get/set the group level.
27406 @item gnus-info-score
27407 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
27408 @findex gnus-info-score
27409 @findex gnus-info-set-score
27410 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
27412 @item gnus-info-read
27413 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
27414 @findex gnus-info-read
27415 @findex gnus-info-set-read
27416 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
27418 @item gnus-info-marks
27419 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
27420 @findex gnus-info-marks
27421 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
27422 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
27424 @item gnus-info-method
27425 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
27426 @findex gnus-info-method
27427 @findex gnus-info-set-method
27428 Get/set the group select method.
27430 @item gnus-info-params
27431 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
27432 @findex gnus-info-params
27433 @findex gnus-info-set-params
27434 Get/set the group parameters.
27437 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
27438 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
27440 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
27441 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
27442 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
27443 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
27446 @node Extended Interactive
27447 @subsection Extended Interactive
27448 @cindex interactive
27449 @findex gnus-interactive
27451 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
27452 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
27453 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
27456 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
27457 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
27462 The best thing to do would have been to implement
27463 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
27464 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
27465 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
27466 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
27467 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
27468 @code{interactive}.
27470 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
27475 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
27476 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
27480 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
27481 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
27482 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
27485 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
27489 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
27493 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
27499 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
27500 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
27504 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
27505 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
27506 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
27508 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
27509 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
27510 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
27511 Gnus, that's very useful.
27513 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
27514 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
27515 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
27516 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
27517 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
27518 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
27519 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
27520 following function:
27523 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
27527 (,function ,@@args))
27531 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
27532 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
27533 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
27536 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
27537 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
27538 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
27540 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
27541 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
27542 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
27545 @node Various File Formats
27546 @subsection Various File Formats
27549 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
27550 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
27554 @node Active File Format
27555 @subsubsection Active File Format
27557 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
27558 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
27561 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
27564 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
27565 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
27566 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
27567 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
27568 no.general 1000 900 y
27571 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
27574 active = *group-line
27575 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
27576 group = <non-white-space string>
27578 high-number = <non-negative integer>
27579 low-number = <positive integer>
27580 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
27583 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
27584 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
27587 @node Newsgroups File Format
27588 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
27590 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
27591 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
27592 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
27595 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
27596 Here's the definition:
27600 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
27601 group = <non-white-space string>
27603 description = <string>
27608 @node Emacs for Heathens
27609 @section Emacs for Heathens
27611 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
27612 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
27613 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
27614 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
27615 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
27616 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
27617 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
27621 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
27622 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
27627 @subsection Keystrokes
27631 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
27634 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
27637 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
27638 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
27639 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
27640 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
27641 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
27642 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
27644 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
27645 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
27646 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
27647 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
27648 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
27649 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
27650 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
27652 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
27653 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
27654 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
27655 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
27656 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
27657 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
27658 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
27660 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
27661 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
27662 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
27663 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
27664 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
27670 @subsection Emacs Lisp
27672 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
27673 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
27674 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
27675 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
27677 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
27678 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
27679 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
27680 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
27681 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
27682 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
27683 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
27686 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
27687 write the following:
27690 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
27693 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
27694 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
27695 you can go and fill your @file{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
27698 If you have put that thing in your @file{.emacs} file, it will be read
27699 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
27700 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
27701 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
27702 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
27704 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
27705 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
27706 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
27710 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
27714 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
27717 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
27718 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
27721 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
27724 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
27725 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
27728 @include gnus-faq.texi
27748 @c Local Variables:
27750 @c coding: iso-8859-1