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4 @settitle T-gnus 6.15 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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268 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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277 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
278 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
281 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
282 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
283 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
284 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
285 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
286 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
287 License'' in the Emacs manual.
289 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
290 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
291 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
293 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
294 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
295 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
296 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
304 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
306 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 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 the
311 Invariant Sections being none, 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.
329 @title T-gnus 6.15 Manual
331 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
334 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
335 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
337 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
338 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
339 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
340 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
341 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
342 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
343 License'' in the Emacs manual.
345 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
346 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
347 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
349 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
350 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
351 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
352 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
361 @top The gnus Newsreader
365 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
366 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
367 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
370 T-gnus provides MIME features based on SEMI API. So T-gnus supports
371 your right to read strange messages including big images or other
372 various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
373 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
374 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
375 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
377 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.15.
388 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
389 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
391 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
392 being accused of plagiarism:
394 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
395 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
396 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
397 can even read news with it!
399 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
400 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
401 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
402 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
403 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
409 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
410 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
411 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
412 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
413 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
414 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
415 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
416 * Various:: General purpose settings.
417 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
418 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
419 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
420 * Key Index:: Key Index.
423 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
427 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
428 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
429 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
430 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
431 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
432 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
433 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
434 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
435 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
436 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
437 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
441 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
442 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
443 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
447 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
448 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
449 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
450 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
451 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
452 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
453 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
454 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
455 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
456 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
457 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
458 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
459 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
460 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
461 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
462 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
463 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
467 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
468 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
469 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
473 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
474 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
475 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
476 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
477 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
481 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
482 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
483 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
484 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
488 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
489 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
490 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
491 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
492 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
494 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
495 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
496 * Threading:: How threads are made.
497 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
498 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
499 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
500 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
501 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
502 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
503 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
504 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
505 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
506 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
507 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
508 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
509 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
510 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
511 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
512 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
513 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
514 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
515 or reselecting the current group.
516 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
517 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
518 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
519 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
521 Summary Buffer Format
523 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
524 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
525 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
526 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
530 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
531 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
533 Reply, Followup and Post
535 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
536 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
537 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
538 * Canceling and Superseding::
542 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
543 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
544 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
546 * Generic Marking Commands::
547 * Setting Process Marks::
551 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
552 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
553 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
557 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
558 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
560 Customizing Threading
562 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
563 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
564 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
565 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
569 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
570 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
571 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
572 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
573 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
574 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
578 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
579 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
580 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
584 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
585 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
586 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
587 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
588 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
589 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
590 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
591 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
593 Alternative Approaches
595 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
596 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
598 Various Summary Stuff
600 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
601 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
602 * Summary Generation Commands::
603 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
607 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
608 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
609 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
610 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
611 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
615 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
616 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
617 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
618 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
619 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
620 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
621 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
622 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
626 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
627 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
628 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
629 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
630 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
631 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
632 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
636 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
637 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
638 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
639 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
640 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
641 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
642 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
646 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
647 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
651 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
652 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
653 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
657 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
658 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
659 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
660 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
661 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
662 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
663 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
664 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
665 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
666 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
667 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
668 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
669 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
673 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
674 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
675 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
677 Choosing a Mail Backend
679 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
680 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
681 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
682 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
683 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
684 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
688 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
689 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
690 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
691 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
692 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
693 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
697 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
698 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
699 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
700 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
701 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
702 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
706 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
710 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
711 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
712 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
716 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
717 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
718 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
722 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
723 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
727 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
728 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
729 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
730 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
731 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
732 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
733 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
734 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
735 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
736 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
740 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
741 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
742 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
746 * Group Agent Commands::
747 * Summary Agent Commands::
748 * Server Agent Commands::
752 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
753 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
754 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
755 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
756 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
757 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
758 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
759 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
760 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
761 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
762 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
763 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
764 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
765 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
766 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
767 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
768 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
772 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
773 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
774 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
775 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
779 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
780 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
781 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
785 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
786 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
787 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
788 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
789 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
790 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
791 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
792 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
793 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
794 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
795 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
796 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
797 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
798 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
799 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
800 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
801 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
802 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
806 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
807 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
808 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
809 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
810 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
811 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
812 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
813 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
817 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
818 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
819 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
820 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
824 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
825 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
826 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
827 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
828 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
832 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
833 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
834 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
835 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
836 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
837 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
838 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
842 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
843 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
844 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
845 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
846 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
847 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
848 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
849 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
850 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
854 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
855 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
856 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
857 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
858 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
862 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
863 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
864 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
865 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
869 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
870 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
871 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
872 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
873 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
874 * Group Info:: The group info format.
875 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
876 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
877 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
881 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
882 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
883 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
884 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
885 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
886 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
890 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
891 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
895 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
896 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
902 @chapter Starting gnus
907 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
908 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
911 @findex gnus-other-frame
912 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
913 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
914 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
916 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
917 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
918 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
920 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
921 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
924 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
925 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
926 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
927 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
928 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
929 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
930 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
931 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
932 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
933 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
934 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
938 @node Finding the News
939 @section Finding the News
942 @vindex gnus-select-method
944 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
945 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
946 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
947 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
950 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
951 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
954 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
957 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
960 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
963 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
964 certainly be much faster.
966 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
968 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
969 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
970 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
971 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
972 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
973 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
975 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
976 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
977 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
978 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
980 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
981 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
982 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
983 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
984 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
985 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
986 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
987 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
988 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
991 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
993 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
994 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
995 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
996 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
997 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
998 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1000 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1002 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1003 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1004 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1005 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1006 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1007 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1010 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
1011 would typically set this variable to
1014 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1018 @node The First Time
1019 @section The First Time
1020 @cindex first time usage
1022 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1023 be subscribed by default.
1025 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1026 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1027 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1028 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1031 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1032 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1033 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1035 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1036 help you with most common problems.
1038 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1039 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1043 @node The Server is Down
1044 @section The Server is Down
1045 @cindex server errors
1047 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1048 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1049 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1051 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1052 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1053 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1054 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1055 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1056 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1057 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1059 @findex gnus-no-server
1060 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1062 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1063 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1064 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1065 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1066 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1067 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1068 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1072 @section Slave Gnusae
1075 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1076 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1077 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1078 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1080 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1081 @code{.newsrc} file.
1083 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1084 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1085 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1086 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1087 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1088 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1089 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1091 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1092 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1093 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1094 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1095 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1096 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1097 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1098 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1100 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1101 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1104 @node Fetching a Group
1105 @section Fetching a Group
1106 @cindex fetching a group
1108 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1109 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1110 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1111 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1112 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1113 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1119 @cindex subscription
1121 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1122 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1123 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1124 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1125 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1126 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1127 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1128 @code{always}, then gnus will query the backends for new groups even
1129 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1132 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1133 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1134 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1138 @node Checking New Groups
1139 @subsection Checking New Groups
1141 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1142 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1143 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1144 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1145 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1146 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1147 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1148 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1149 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1150 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1152 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1153 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1154 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1155 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1156 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1157 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1158 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1159 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1160 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1161 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1162 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1164 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1165 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1166 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1167 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1168 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1169 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1172 @node Subscription Methods
1173 @subsection Subscription Methods
1175 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1176 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1177 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1179 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1180 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1182 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1186 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1187 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1188 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1189 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1190 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1192 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1193 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1194 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1195 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1197 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1198 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1199 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1201 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1202 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1203 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1204 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1205 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1206 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1207 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1208 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1209 up. Or something like that.
1211 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1212 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1213 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1214 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1215 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1217 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1218 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1219 Kill all new groups.
1221 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1222 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1223 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1224 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1225 topic parameter that looks like
1231 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1234 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1239 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1240 A closely related variable is
1241 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1242 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1243 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1244 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1247 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1248 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1249 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1250 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1253 @node Filtering New Groups
1254 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1256 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1257 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1258 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1261 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1264 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1265 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1266 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1267 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1268 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1269 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1270 subscribing these groups.
1271 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1272 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1274 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1275 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1276 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1277 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1278 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1279 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1280 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1281 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1283 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1284 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1285 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1286 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1287 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1288 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1289 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1290 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1291 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1292 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1294 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1295 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1298 @node Changing Servers
1299 @section Changing Servers
1300 @cindex changing servers
1302 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1303 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1304 very flaky and you want to use another.
1306 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1307 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1311 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1312 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1313 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1314 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1317 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1318 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1319 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1320 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1322 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1323 @findex gnus-change-server
1324 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1325 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1326 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1327 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1328 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1330 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1331 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1332 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1333 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1334 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1336 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1337 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1338 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1339 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1340 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1341 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1343 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1344 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1345 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1349 @section Startup Files
1350 @cindex startup files
1355 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1356 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1358 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1359 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1360 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1361 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1362 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1363 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1364 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1366 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1367 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1368 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1369 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1370 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1371 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1373 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1374 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1375 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1376 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1377 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1378 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1379 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1380 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1381 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1382 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1384 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1385 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1386 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1387 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1388 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1389 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1390 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1391 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1392 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1393 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1394 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1395 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1397 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1398 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1399 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1400 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1402 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1403 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1404 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1405 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1406 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1407 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1408 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1409 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1410 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1411 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1414 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1415 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1417 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1418 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1421 @vindex gnus-init-file
1422 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1423 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1424 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1425 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1426 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1427 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1428 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1429 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1430 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1436 @cindex dribble file
1439 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1440 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1441 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1442 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1443 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1446 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1447 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1450 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1451 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1452 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1454 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1455 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1456 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1457 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1458 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1459 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1461 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1462 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1463 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1466 @node The Active File
1467 @section The Active File
1469 @cindex ignored groups
1471 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1472 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1473 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1475 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1476 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1477 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1478 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1479 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1480 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1481 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1484 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1485 @c if you set it to anything else.
1487 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1489 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1490 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1491 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1493 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1494 you actually subscribe to.
1496 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1497 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1498 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1499 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1501 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1502 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1503 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1504 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1505 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1506 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1508 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1509 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1510 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1513 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1514 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1515 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1516 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1517 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1518 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1520 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1521 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1523 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1524 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1526 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1527 secondary select methods.
1530 @node Startup Variables
1531 @section Startup Variables
1535 @item gnus-load-hook
1536 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1537 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1538 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1539 times you start gnus.
1541 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1542 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1543 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1545 @item gnus-startup-hook
1546 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1547 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1549 @item gnus-started-hook
1550 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1551 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1554 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1555 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1556 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1557 generating the group buffer.
1559 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1560 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1561 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1562 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1563 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1564 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1565 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1566 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1568 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1569 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1570 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1571 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1572 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1573 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1575 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1576 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1577 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1579 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1580 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1581 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1583 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1584 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1585 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1586 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1592 @chapter Group Buffer
1593 @cindex group buffer
1595 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1596 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1597 long as gnus is active.
1601 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1602 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1603 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1604 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1605 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1606 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1607 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1608 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1614 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1615 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1616 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1617 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1618 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1619 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1620 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1621 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1622 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1623 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1624 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1625 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1626 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1627 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1628 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1629 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1630 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1634 @node Group Buffer Format
1635 @section Group Buffer Format
1638 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1639 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1640 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1644 @node Group Line Specification
1645 @subsection Group Line Specification
1646 @cindex group buffer format
1648 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1649 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1651 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1654 25: news.announce.newusers
1655 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1660 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1661 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1662 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1663 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1665 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1666 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1667 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1668 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1669 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1670 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1672 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1674 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1675 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1676 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1677 never examined by gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1680 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1681 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1682 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1684 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1689 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1692 Whether the group is subscribed.
1695 Level of subscribedness.
1698 Number of unread articles.
1701 Number of dormant articles.
1704 Number of ticked articles.
1707 Number of read articles.
1710 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1711 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1713 Gnus uses this estimation because the NNTP protocol provides efficient
1714 access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting the true
1715 unread message count is not possible efficiently. For hysterical
1716 raisins, even the mail backends, where the true number of unread
1717 messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1718 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the
1719 backend interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1720 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1723 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1726 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1735 Newsgroup description.
1738 @samp{m} if moderated.
1741 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1750 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1754 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1757 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1758 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1759 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1760 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1761 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1764 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1766 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1770 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1773 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1777 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1778 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1779 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1780 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1781 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1782 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1787 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1788 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1789 group, or a bogus native group.
1792 @node Group Modeline Specification
1793 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1794 @cindex group modeline
1796 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1797 The mode line can be changed by setting
1798 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1799 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1803 The native news server.
1805 The native select method.
1809 @node Group Highlighting
1810 @subsection Group Highlighting
1811 @cindex highlighting
1812 @cindex group highlighting
1814 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1815 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1816 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1817 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1818 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1820 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1824 (cond (window-system
1825 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1826 (defface my-group-face-1
1827 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1828 (defface my-group-face-2
1829 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1830 (defface my-group-face-3
1831 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1832 (defface my-group-face-4
1833 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1834 (defface my-group-face-5
1835 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1837 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1838 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1839 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1840 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1841 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1842 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1845 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1847 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1854 The number of unread articles in the group.
1858 Whether the group is a mail group.
1860 The level of the group.
1862 The score of the group.
1864 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1866 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1867 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1869 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1870 topic being inserted.
1873 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1874 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1875 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1877 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1878 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1879 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1880 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1881 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1884 @node Group Maneuvering
1885 @section Group Maneuvering
1886 @cindex group movement
1888 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1889 expected, hopefully.
1895 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1896 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1897 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1903 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1904 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1905 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1909 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1910 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1914 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1915 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1919 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1920 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1921 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1925 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1926 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1927 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1930 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1936 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1937 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1938 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1943 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1944 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1945 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1949 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1950 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1951 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1954 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1955 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1956 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1957 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1961 @node Selecting a Group
1962 @section Selecting a Group
1963 @cindex group selection
1968 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1969 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1970 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1971 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1972 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1973 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1974 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1975 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1976 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1977 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
1979 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
1980 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
1981 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
1983 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
1984 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
1989 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1990 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1991 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1992 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1993 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1997 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1998 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1999 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2000 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2001 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2002 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2003 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2004 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2005 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2006 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2009 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2010 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2011 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2012 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2013 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2016 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
2017 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2018 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2019 doing any processing of its contents
2020 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2021 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2022 manner will have no permanent effects.
2026 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2027 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
2028 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2029 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2030 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2031 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2032 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2033 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2036 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2037 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2038 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
2039 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2044 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
2045 full summary buffer.
2048 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
2051 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
2056 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2057 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
2058 Useful functions include:
2061 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2062 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2063 don't select the article.
2065 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2066 Select the first unread article.
2068 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2069 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2073 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2074 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2075 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2079 @node Subscription Commands
2080 @section Subscription Commands
2081 @cindex subscription
2089 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2090 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2091 Toggle subscription to the current group
2092 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2098 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2099 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2100 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2101 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2107 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2108 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2109 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2115 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2116 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2119 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2120 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2121 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2122 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2123 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2129 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2130 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2134 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2135 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2138 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2139 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2140 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2141 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2142 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2143 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2144 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2145 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2146 @file{.newsrc} file.
2150 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2160 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2161 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2162 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2163 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2164 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2165 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2170 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2171 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2172 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2176 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2177 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2178 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2180 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2181 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2182 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2183 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2184 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2185 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2192 @section Group Levels
2196 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2197 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2198 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2199 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2200 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2202 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2208 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2209 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2210 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2211 prompted for a level.
2214 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2215 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2216 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2217 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2218 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2219 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2220 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2221 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2222 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2223 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2224 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2225 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2226 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2227 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2228 reasons of efficiency.
2230 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2231 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2233 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2234 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2235 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2236 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2237 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2238 groups are hidden, in a way.
2240 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2241 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2242 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2243 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2244 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2245 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2247 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2248 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2249 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2250 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2251 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2252 list of killed groups.)
2254 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2255 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2256 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2258 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2259 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2260 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2261 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2262 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2263 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2264 relevant valid ranges.
2266 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2267 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2268 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2269 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2270 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2271 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2274 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2275 one with the best level.
2277 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2278 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2279 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2282 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2283 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2284 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2285 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2288 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2289 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2290 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2291 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2293 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2294 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2295 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2296 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2297 to 5. The default is 6.
2301 @section Group Score
2306 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2307 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2308 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2311 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2312 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2313 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2314 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2315 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2316 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2317 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2318 least significant part.))
2320 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2321 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2322 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2323 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2324 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2325 action after each summary exit, you can add
2326 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2327 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2328 slow things down somewhat.
2331 @node Marking Groups
2332 @section Marking Groups
2333 @cindex marking groups
2335 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2336 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2337 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2338 bidding on those groups.
2340 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2341 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2342 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2350 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2351 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2357 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2358 Remove the mark from the current group
2359 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2363 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2364 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2368 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2369 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2373 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2374 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2378 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2379 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2380 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2383 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2385 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2386 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2387 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2388 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2389 the command to be executed.
2392 @node Foreign Groups
2393 @section Foreign Groups
2394 @cindex foreign groups
2396 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2397 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2398 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2399 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2406 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2407 @cindex making groups
2408 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2409 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2410 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2414 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2415 @cindex renaming groups
2416 Rename the current group to something else
2417 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2418 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2424 @findex gnus-group-customize
2425 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2429 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2430 @cindex renaming groups
2431 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2432 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2436 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2437 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2438 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2442 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2443 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2444 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2448 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2450 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2451 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2456 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2457 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2461 @cindex (ding) archive
2462 @cindex archive group
2463 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2464 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2465 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2466 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2467 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2468 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2469 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2473 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2475 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2476 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2477 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2478 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2482 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2484 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2485 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2486 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2490 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2491 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2493 Make a group based on some file or other
2494 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2495 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2496 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
2497 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
2498 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
2499 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2500 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2504 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2505 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2506 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2507 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2511 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2516 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2517 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2518 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2519 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2520 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2521 @xref{Web Searches}.
2523 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2524 to a particular group by using a match string like
2525 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2528 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2529 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2530 This function will delete the current group
2531 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2532 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2533 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2534 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2535 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2539 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2540 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2541 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2545 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2546 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2547 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2550 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2553 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2554 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2555 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2556 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2557 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2558 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2562 @node Group Parameters
2563 @section Group Parameters
2564 @cindex group parameters
2566 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2567 Here's an example group parameter list:
2570 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2574 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2575 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2576 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2577 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2579 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2580 is an alist of regexps and values.
2582 The following group parameters can be used:
2587 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2590 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2593 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2594 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2595 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2596 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2597 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2599 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2600 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2601 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2602 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2603 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2604 list address instead.
2606 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2610 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2613 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2616 It is totally ignored
2617 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2618 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2620 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2621 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2622 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2623 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2624 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2626 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2627 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2628 sending the message.
2630 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2631 @cindex Mail List Groups
2632 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2633 entering summary buffer.
2635 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2639 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2640 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2641 of whether it has any unread articles.
2643 @item broken-reply-to
2644 @cindex broken-reply-to
2645 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2646 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2647 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2648 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2649 broken behavior. So there!
2653 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2654 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2658 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2659 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2660 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2665 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2666 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2667 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2668 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2669 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2670 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2671 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2675 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2676 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2677 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2679 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2682 @cindex total-expire
2683 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2684 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2685 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2686 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2689 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2693 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2694 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2695 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2696 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2697 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2698 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2701 @cindex score file group parameter
2702 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2703 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2704 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2707 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2708 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2709 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2710 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2713 @cindex admin-address
2714 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2715 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2716 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2717 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2721 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2722 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2726 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2729 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2733 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2735 Here are some examples:
2739 Display only unread articles.
2742 Display everything except expirable articles.
2744 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2745 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2749 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2750 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2751 @code{read}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2752 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2753 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{seen} and @code{recent}.
2757 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2758 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2759 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2763 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2764 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2765 gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2770 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2771 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2772 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2774 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2776 @item ignored-charsets
2777 @item ignored-charset
2778 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-known iso-8859-1)}
2779 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2780 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2782 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2785 @cindex posting-style
2786 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2787 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2788 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2789 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2790 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2792 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2793 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2794 like this in the group parameters:
2799 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2804 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2805 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2809 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2810 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2811 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2812 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2813 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2815 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2816 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2817 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2818 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2819 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2820 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2821 @code{eval}ed there.
2823 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2824 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2825 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2826 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2827 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2831 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2832 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2833 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2834 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2835 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2837 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2838 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2842 (setq gnus-parameters
2844 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2845 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2846 (gnus-summary-line-format
2847 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2851 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2855 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2859 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2862 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2863 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2866 @node Listing Groups
2867 @section Listing Groups
2868 @cindex group listing
2870 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2878 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2879 List all groups that have unread articles
2880 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2881 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2882 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2883 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2890 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2891 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2892 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2893 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2894 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2895 unsubscribed groups).
2899 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2900 List all unread groups on a specific level
2901 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2902 with no unread articles.
2906 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2907 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2908 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2909 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2914 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2915 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2919 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2920 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2921 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2925 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2926 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2930 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2931 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2932 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2933 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2934 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2935 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2936 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2937 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2941 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2942 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2943 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2947 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2948 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2949 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2953 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
2954 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
2958 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
2959 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
2963 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
2964 List groups limited within the current selection
2965 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
2969 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
2970 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
2974 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
2975 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
2979 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2980 @cindex visible group parameter
2981 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2982 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2983 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2984 get the same effect.
2986 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2987 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2988 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2989 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2990 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2993 @node Sorting Groups
2994 @section Sorting Groups
2995 @cindex sorting groups
2997 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2998 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2999 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3000 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3001 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3002 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3007 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3008 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3009 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3011 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3012 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3013 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3015 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3016 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3017 Sort by group level.
3019 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3020 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3021 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3023 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3024 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3025 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3026 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3028 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3029 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3030 Sort by number of unread articles.
3032 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3033 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3034 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3036 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3037 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3038 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3043 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3044 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3048 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3049 some sorting criteria:
3053 @kindex G S a (Group)
3054 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3055 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3056 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3059 @kindex G S u (Group)
3060 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3061 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3062 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3065 @kindex G S l (Group)
3066 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3067 Sort the group buffer by group level
3068 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3071 @kindex G S v (Group)
3072 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3073 Sort the group buffer by group score
3074 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3077 @kindex G S r (Group)
3078 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3079 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3080 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3083 @kindex G S m (Group)
3084 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3085 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
3086 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3090 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3091 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3093 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3094 commands will sort in reverse order.
3096 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3100 @kindex G P a (Group)
3101 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3102 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3103 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3106 @kindex G P u (Group)
3107 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3108 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3109 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3112 @kindex G P l (Group)
3113 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3114 Sort the groups by group level
3115 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3118 @kindex G P v (Group)
3119 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3120 Sort the groups by group score
3121 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3124 @kindex G P r (Group)
3125 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3126 Sort the groups by group rank
3127 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3130 @kindex G P m (Group)
3131 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3132 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
3133 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3137 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3141 @node Group Maintenance
3142 @section Group Maintenance
3143 @cindex bogus groups
3148 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3149 Find bogus groups and delete them
3150 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3154 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3155 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3156 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3157 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3158 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3162 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3163 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3164 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3165 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3166 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3167 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3170 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
3171 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3172 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3173 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3178 @node Browse Foreign Server
3179 @section Browse Foreign Server
3180 @cindex foreign servers
3181 @cindex browsing servers
3186 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3187 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3188 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3189 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3192 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3193 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3194 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3195 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3197 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3202 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3203 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3207 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3208 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3211 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3212 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3213 Enter the current group and display the first article
3214 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3217 @kindex RET (Browse)
3218 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3219 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3223 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3224 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3225 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3231 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3232 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3236 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3237 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3238 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3243 @section Exiting gnus
3244 @cindex exiting gnus
3246 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3251 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3252 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3253 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3254 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3258 @findex gnus-group-exit
3259 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3260 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3264 @findex gnus-group-quit
3265 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3266 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3269 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3270 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3271 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3272 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3273 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3278 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3279 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3280 trying to customize meta-variables.
3285 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3286 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3287 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3293 @section Group Topics
3296 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3297 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3298 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3299 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3300 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3301 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3305 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3306 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
3317 2: alt.religion.emacs
3320 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3322 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3323 13: comp.sources.unix
3326 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3328 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3329 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3330 is a toggling command.)
3332 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3333 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
3334 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3335 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3338 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3339 the hook for the group mode:
3342 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3346 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3347 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3348 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3349 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3350 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3354 @node Topic Variables
3355 @subsection Topic Variables
3356 @cindex topic variables
3358 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
3359 really neat, I think.
3361 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3362 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3363 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3376 Number of groups in the topic.
3378 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3380 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3383 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3384 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3385 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3388 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3389 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3391 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3392 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3393 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3396 @node Topic Commands
3397 @subsection Topic Commands
3398 @cindex topic commands
3400 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3401 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3402 definitions slightly.
3408 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3409 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3410 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3414 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3415 Move the current group to some other topic
3416 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3417 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3421 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3422 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3426 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3427 Copy the current group to some other topic
3428 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3429 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3433 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3434 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3435 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3439 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3440 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3441 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3445 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3446 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3447 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3448 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3449 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3450 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3451 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3454 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3455 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3459 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3460 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3461 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3465 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3466 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3467 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3471 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3472 Toggle hiding empty topics
3473 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3477 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3478 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3479 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3482 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3483 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3484 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3485 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3489 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3491 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3492 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3493 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3494 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3497 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3498 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3499 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3500 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3504 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3506 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3507 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3508 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3509 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3510 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3511 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3514 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3515 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3516 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3517 expiry process (if any)
3518 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3522 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3523 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3524 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3528 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3529 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3530 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3535 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3536 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3539 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3540 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3541 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3545 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3546 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3547 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3551 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3552 @cindex group parameters
3553 @cindex topic parameters
3555 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3556 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3562 @subsection Topic Sorting
3563 @cindex topic sorting
3565 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3571 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3572 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3573 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3574 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3577 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3578 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3579 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3580 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3583 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3584 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3585 Sort the current topic by group level
3586 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3589 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3590 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3591 Sort the current topic by group score
3592 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3595 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3596 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3597 Sort the current topic by group rank
3598 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3601 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3602 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3603 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
3604 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3608 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3611 @node Topic Topology
3612 @subsection Topic Topology
3613 @cindex topic topology
3616 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3622 2: alt.religion.emacs
3625 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3627 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3628 13: comp.sources.unix
3631 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3632 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3633 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3638 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3639 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3643 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3644 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3645 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3646 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3647 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3648 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3650 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3651 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3652 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3655 @node Topic Parameters
3656 @subsection Topic Parameters
3657 @cindex topic parameters
3659 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3660 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3661 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3663 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3668 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3669 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3670 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3675 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3676 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3677 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3678 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3684 2: alt.religion.emacs
3688 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3690 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3691 13: comp.sources.unix
3695 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3696 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3697 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3698 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3699 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3700 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3702 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3703 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3704 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3705 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3706 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3708 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3709 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3710 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3711 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3712 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3713 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3714 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3715 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3718 @node Misc Group Stuff
3719 @section Misc Group Stuff
3722 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3723 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3724 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3725 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3732 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3733 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3734 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3738 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3739 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3740 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3744 @findex gnus-group-mail
3745 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3749 Variables for the group buffer:
3753 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3754 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3755 is called after the group buffer has been
3758 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3759 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3760 is called after the group buffer is
3761 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3764 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3765 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3766 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3767 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3769 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3770 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3771 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3772 whether they are empty or not.
3774 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3775 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3776 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3777 non-ASCII group names.
3781 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3782 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3785 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3786 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3787 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
3788 It is used to show non-ASCII group names.
3792 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3793 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3798 @node Scanning New Messages
3799 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3800 @cindex new messages
3801 @cindex scanning new news
3807 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3808 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3809 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3810 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3811 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3812 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3817 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3818 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3819 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3820 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3821 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3822 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3823 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3825 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3826 @cindex activating groups
3828 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3829 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3834 @findex gnus-group-restart
3835 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3836 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3837 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
3841 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3842 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3844 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3845 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3849 @node Group Information
3850 @subsection Group Information
3851 @cindex group information
3852 @cindex information on groups
3859 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3860 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3863 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3864 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3865 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3866 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3867 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3868 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3869 for fetching the file.
3871 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
3872 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3876 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3878 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3879 @cindex describing groups
3880 @cindex group description
3881 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3882 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3883 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3887 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3888 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3889 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3896 @findex gnus-version
3897 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3901 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3902 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3905 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3908 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3909 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3913 @node Group Timestamp
3914 @subsection Group Timestamp
3916 @cindex group timestamps
3918 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
3919 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3920 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3923 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3926 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3928 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3929 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3932 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3933 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3936 This will result in lines looking like:
3939 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3940 0: custom 19961002T012713
3943 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3944 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3948 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3949 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3954 @subsection File Commands
3955 @cindex file commands
3961 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3962 @vindex gnus-init-file
3963 @cindex reading init file
3964 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3965 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3969 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3970 @cindex saving .newsrc
3971 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3972 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3973 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3976 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3977 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3978 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3983 @node Summary Buffer
3984 @chapter Summary Buffer
3985 @cindex summary buffer
3987 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3988 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3990 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3991 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3993 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3996 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3997 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3998 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3999 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4000 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4001 * Delayed Articles::
4002 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4003 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4004 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4005 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4006 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4007 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4008 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4009 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4010 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4011 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4012 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4013 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4014 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4015 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4016 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4017 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4018 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4019 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4020 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4021 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4022 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4023 or reselecting the current group.
4024 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4025 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4026 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4027 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4031 @node Summary Buffer Format
4032 @section Summary Buffer Format
4033 @cindex summary buffer format
4037 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4038 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
4039 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4045 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4046 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4047 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4048 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4051 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4052 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4053 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4054 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4055 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4056 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4057 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4058 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4059 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4060 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4061 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4062 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4063 other function instead:
4066 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4067 'mail-extract-address-components)
4070 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4071 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4072 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4073 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4076 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4077 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4079 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4080 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4081 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4082 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4083 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4085 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4086 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4087 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4088 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4089 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4091 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%) %s\n}.
4093 The following format specification characters are understood:
4099 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4100 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4102 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4103 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4104 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4106 Full @code{From} header.
4108 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4110 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
4111 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
4113 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4114 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4115 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4116 may be more thorough.
4118 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4121 Number of lines in the article.
4123 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4124 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4126 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4128 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4131 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4132 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4134 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4135 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4137 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4138 for adopted articles.
4140 One space for each thread level.
4142 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4147 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4148 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4152 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4154 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4155 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4156 default level. If the difference between
4157 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4158 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4166 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4168 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4174 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4175 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4177 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4178 article has any children.
4184 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4185 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4186 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4187 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4188 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4189 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4192 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4193 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4194 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4195 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4196 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4197 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4199 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4200 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4202 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4205 @node To From Newsgroups
4206 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4210 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4211 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4212 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4213 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4214 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4218 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4219 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4220 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4224 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4225 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4228 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4229 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4232 @findex gnus-extra-header
4233 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4234 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4235 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4238 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4242 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4243 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4244 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4245 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4246 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4247 headers are used instead.
4251 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4252 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4253 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4254 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4257 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4258 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4259 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4260 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4262 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4266 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4268 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4269 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4270 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4271 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4275 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4276 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4283 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4284 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4287 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4288 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4290 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4291 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4292 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4293 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4295 Here are the elements you can play with:
4301 Unprefixed group name.
4303 Current article number.
4305 Current article score.
4309 Number of unread articles in this group.
4311 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4314 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4315 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4316 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4317 and no unselected ones.
4319 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4320 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4322 Subject of the current article.
4324 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4326 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4328 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4330 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4332 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4334 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4338 @node Summary Highlighting
4339 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4343 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4344 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4345 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4346 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4347 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4349 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4350 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4351 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4352 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4354 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4355 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4356 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4357 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4359 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4360 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4361 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4362 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4363 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4364 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4367 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4368 ((> score default) . bold))
4370 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4371 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4375 @node Summary Maneuvering
4376 @section Summary Maneuvering
4377 @cindex summary movement
4379 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4380 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4382 None of these commands select articles.
4387 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4388 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4389 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4390 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4391 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4395 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4396 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4397 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4398 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4399 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4402 @kindex G g (Summary)
4403 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4404 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4405 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4408 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4409 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4410 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4411 to the group buffer.
4413 Variables related to summary movement:
4417 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4418 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4419 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4420 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4421 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4422 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4423 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4424 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4425 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
4426 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4427 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4428 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4429 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4430 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4432 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4433 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4434 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4435 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4436 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4437 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4438 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4440 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4442 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4443 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4444 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4445 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4446 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4448 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4449 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4450 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4451 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4452 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4453 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4454 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4455 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4458 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4459 the given number of lines from the top.
4464 @node Choosing Articles
4465 @section Choosing Articles
4466 @cindex selecting articles
4469 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4470 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4474 @node Choosing Commands
4475 @subsection Choosing Commands
4477 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4478 and they all select and display an article.
4480 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4481 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4485 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4486 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4487 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4488 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4493 @kindex G n (Summary)
4494 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4495 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4496 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4501 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4502 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4503 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4508 @kindex G N (Summary)
4509 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4510 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4515 @kindex G P (Summary)
4516 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4517 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4520 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4521 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4522 Go to the next article with the same subject
4523 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4526 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4527 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4528 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4529 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4533 @kindex G f (Summary)
4535 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4536 Go to the first unread article
4537 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4541 @kindex G b (Summary)
4543 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4544 Go to the article with the highest score
4545 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4550 @kindex G l (Summary)
4551 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4552 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4555 @kindex G o (Summary)
4556 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4558 @cindex article history
4559 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4560 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4561 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4562 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4563 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4564 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4569 @kindex G j (Summary)
4570 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4571 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4572 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4577 @node Choosing Variables
4578 @subsection Choosing Variables
4580 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4583 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4584 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4585 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4586 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4587 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4588 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4590 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4591 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4592 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4593 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4595 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4596 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4597 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4598 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4599 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4600 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4601 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4602 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4603 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4604 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4605 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4606 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4607 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4608 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4613 @node Paging the Article
4614 @section Scrolling the Article
4615 @cindex article scrolling
4620 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4621 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4622 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4623 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4624 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4627 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4628 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4629 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4632 @kindex RET (Summary)
4633 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4634 Scroll the current article one line forward
4635 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4638 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4639 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4640 Scroll the current article one line backward
4641 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4645 @kindex A g (Summary)
4647 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4648 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4649 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4650 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4651 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4652 the way it came from the server.
4654 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4655 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4656 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4659 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4664 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4669 @kindex A < (Summary)
4670 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4671 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4672 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4677 @kindex A > (Summary)
4678 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4679 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4683 @kindex A s (Summary)
4685 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4686 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4687 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4691 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4692 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4697 @node Reply Followup and Post
4698 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4701 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4702 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4703 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4704 * Canceling and Superseding::
4708 @node Summary Mail Commands
4709 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4711 @cindex composing mail
4713 Commands for composing a mail message:
4719 @kindex S r (Summary)
4721 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4722 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4723 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4724 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4725 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4730 @kindex S R (Summary)
4731 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4732 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4733 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4734 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4735 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4738 @kindex S w (Summary)
4739 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4740 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4741 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4742 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4743 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4746 @kindex S W (Summary)
4747 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4748 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4749 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4750 the process/prefix convention.
4753 @kindex S v (Summary)
4754 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
4755 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
4756 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
4757 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4758 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
4759 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
4763 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4764 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4765 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4766 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4767 Forward the current article to some other person
4768 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4769 headers of the forwarded article.
4774 @kindex S m (Summary)
4775 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4776 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4777 Send a mail to some other person
4778 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4781 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4782 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4783 @cindex bouncing mail
4784 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4785 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4786 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4787 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4788 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4789 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
4790 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4791 very well fail, though.
4794 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4795 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4796 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4797 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4798 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4799 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4800 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4801 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4802 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4803 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4805 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4806 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4807 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4808 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4809 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4811 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4812 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4815 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4816 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
4817 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4818 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
4819 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4822 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4823 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4824 @cindex crossposting
4825 @cindex excessive crossposting
4826 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4827 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4829 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4830 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4831 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4832 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4833 command understands the process/prefix convention
4834 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4838 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4841 @node Summary Post Commands
4842 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4844 @cindex composing news
4846 Commands for posting a news article:
4852 @kindex S p (Summary)
4853 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4854 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4855 Post an article to the current group
4856 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4861 @kindex S f (Summary)
4862 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4863 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4864 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4868 @kindex S F (Summary)
4870 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4871 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4872 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4873 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4874 process/prefix convention.
4877 @kindex S n (Summary)
4878 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4879 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4880 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4883 @kindex S N (Summary)
4884 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4885 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4886 message through mail and include the original message
4887 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4888 the process/prefix convention.
4891 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4892 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4893 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4894 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4895 headers of the forwarded article.
4898 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4899 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
4901 @cindex making digests
4902 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4903 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
4904 process/prefix convention.
4907 @kindex S u (Summary)
4908 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4909 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4910 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4911 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4914 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4917 @node Summary Message Commands
4918 @subsection Summary Message Commands
4922 @kindex S y (Summary)
4923 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
4924 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
4925 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
4926 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
4927 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4932 @node Canceling and Superseding
4933 @subsection Canceling Articles
4934 @cindex canceling articles
4935 @cindex superseding articles
4937 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4938 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4940 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4942 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4944 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4945 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4946 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4947 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4948 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4949 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4951 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4952 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4955 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4956 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4957 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4959 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4960 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4961 your original article.
4963 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4965 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4966 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4967 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4970 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4971 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4972 have posted almost the same article twice.
4974 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4975 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4976 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4977 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4978 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4979 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4980 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4981 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4982 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4983 canceled/superseded.
4985 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4987 @node Delayed Articles
4988 @section Delayed Articles
4989 @cindex delayed sending
4990 @cindex send delayed
4992 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
4993 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
4994 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
4995 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
4998 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5001 @findex gnus-delay-article
5002 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5003 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5004 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5005 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5009 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5010 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5011 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5012 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5015 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5016 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5017 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5020 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5021 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5022 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5023 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5024 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5025 that means a time tomorrow.
5028 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5029 couple of variables:
5032 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5033 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5034 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5035 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5037 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5038 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5039 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5040 formats described above.
5042 @item gnus-delay-group
5043 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5044 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5045 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5046 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5048 @item gnus-delay-header
5049 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5050 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5051 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5052 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5055 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5056 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5057 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5058 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5059 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5061 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5062 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts}
5063 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5064 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5065 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5066 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts} function.
5069 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5070 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5071 By default, this function installs the @kbd{C-c C-j} key binding in
5072 Message mode and @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts} in
5073 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts two optional arguments,
5074 @code{no-keymap} and @code{no-check}. If @code{no-keymap} is non-nil,
5075 the @kbd{C-c C-j} binding is not intalled. If @code{no-check} is
5076 non-nil, @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed.
5078 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to change the
5079 keymap but not to change @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. Presumably, you
5080 want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles. Just don't
5081 forget to set that up :-)
5085 @node Marking Articles
5086 @section Marking Articles
5087 @cindex article marking
5088 @cindex article ticking
5091 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5093 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5094 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5095 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5097 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5100 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5101 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5102 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5106 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5110 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5111 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5112 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5116 @node Unread Articles
5117 @subsection Unread Articles
5119 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5124 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5125 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5127 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5128 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5129 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5130 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5131 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5132 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5133 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5136 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5137 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5139 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5140 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5141 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5142 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5146 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5147 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5149 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5154 @subsection Read Articles
5155 @cindex expirable mark
5157 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5162 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5163 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5164 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5167 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5168 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5171 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5172 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5173 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5176 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5177 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5180 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5181 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5184 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5185 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5188 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5189 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5192 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5193 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5196 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5197 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5200 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5201 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5205 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5206 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5207 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5211 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5212 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5214 One more special mark, though:
5218 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5219 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5221 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5222 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5223 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5224 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5230 @subsection Other Marks
5231 @cindex process mark
5234 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5240 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5241 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5242 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5243 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5244 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5247 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5248 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5249 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5250 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5252 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5253 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5254 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5256 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5257 Articles that are ``recently'' arrived in the group will be marked
5258 with an @samp{N} in the second column (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Most
5259 backend doesn't support the mark, in which case it's not shown.
5262 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5263 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5264 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5267 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5268 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5269 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5270 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5273 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5274 Articles that haven't been seen by the user before are marked with a
5275 @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5278 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5279 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5280 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5281 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5282 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5285 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5286 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5287 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5288 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5289 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5290 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5294 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5295 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5296 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5298 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5299 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5300 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5304 @subsection Setting Marks
5305 @cindex setting marks
5307 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5312 @kindex M c (Summary)
5313 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5314 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5315 @cindex mark as unread
5316 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5317 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5323 @kindex M t (Summary)
5324 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5325 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5326 @xref{Article Caching}.
5331 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5332 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5333 Mark the current article as dormant
5334 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5338 @kindex M d (Summary)
5340 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5341 Mark the current article as read
5342 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5346 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5347 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5348 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5353 @kindex M k (Summary)
5354 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5355 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5356 and then select the next unread article
5357 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5361 @kindex M K (Summary)
5362 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5363 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5364 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5365 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5368 @kindex M C (Summary)
5369 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5370 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5371 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5374 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5375 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5376 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5377 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5380 @kindex M H (Summary)
5381 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5382 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5383 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5386 @kindex M h (Summary)
5387 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5388 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5389 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5392 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5393 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5394 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5395 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5398 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5399 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5400 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5401 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5405 @kindex M e (Summary)
5407 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5408 Mark the current article as expirable
5409 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5412 @kindex M b (Summary)
5413 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5414 Set a bookmark in the current article
5415 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5418 @kindex M B (Summary)
5419 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5420 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5421 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5424 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5425 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5426 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5427 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5430 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5431 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5432 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5433 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5436 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5437 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5438 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5439 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5440 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5443 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5444 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5445 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5446 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5447 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5448 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5449 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5450 The default is @code{t}.
5453 @node Generic Marking Commands
5454 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5456 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5457 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5458 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5459 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5460 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5463 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5464 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5467 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5468 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5469 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5470 to list in this manual.
5472 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5473 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5474 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5475 article, you could say something like:
5478 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5479 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5480 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5486 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5487 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5491 @node Setting Process Marks
5492 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5493 @cindex setting process marks
5500 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5501 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5502 Mark the current article with the process mark
5503 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5504 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5508 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5509 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5510 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5511 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5514 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5515 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5516 Remove the process mark from all articles
5517 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5520 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5521 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5522 Invert the list of process marked articles
5523 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5526 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5527 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5528 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5529 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5532 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5533 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5534 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5535 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5538 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5539 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5540 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5543 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5544 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5545 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5546 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5549 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5550 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5551 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5552 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5555 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5556 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5557 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5558 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5561 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5562 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5563 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5566 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5567 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5568 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5569 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5572 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5573 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5574 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5577 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5578 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5579 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5580 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5583 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5584 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5585 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5586 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5589 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5590 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5591 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5592 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5595 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5596 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5597 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5598 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5602 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5603 set process marks based on article body contents.
5610 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5611 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5612 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5615 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5616 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5617 additional articles.
5623 @kindex / / (Summary)
5624 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5625 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5626 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5629 @kindex / a (Summary)
5630 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5631 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5632 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5635 @kindex / x (Summary)
5636 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5637 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5638 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5639 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}).
5643 @kindex / u (Summary)
5645 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5646 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5647 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5648 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5649 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5652 @kindex / m (Summary)
5653 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5654 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5655 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5658 @kindex / t (Summary)
5659 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5660 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5661 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5662 articles younger than that number of days.
5665 @kindex / n (Summary)
5666 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5667 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5668 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5669 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5672 @kindex / w (Summary)
5673 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5674 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5675 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5679 @kindex / v (Summary)
5680 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5681 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5682 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5685 @kindex / p (Summary)
5686 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter
5687 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
5688 group parameter predicate
5689 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter}). See @pxref{Group
5690 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
5694 @kindex M S (Summary)
5695 @kindex / E (Summary)
5696 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5697 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5698 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5701 @kindex / D (Summary)
5702 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5703 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5704 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5707 @kindex / * (Summary)
5708 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5709 Include all cached articles in the limit
5710 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5713 @kindex / d (Summary)
5714 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5715 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5716 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5719 @kindex / M (Summary)
5720 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5721 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5724 @kindex / T (Summary)
5725 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5726 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5729 @kindex / c (Summary)
5730 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5731 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5732 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5735 @kindex / C (Summary)
5736 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5737 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5738 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5739 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5747 @cindex article threading
5749 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5750 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5751 hierarchical fashion.
5753 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5754 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5755 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5756 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
5757 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5758 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5759 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5761 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5765 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5768 A tree-like article structure.
5771 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5774 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5775 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5776 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5777 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5778 called loose threads.
5780 @item thread gathering
5781 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5783 @item sparse threads
5784 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5785 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
5791 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
5792 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
5796 @node Customizing Threading
5797 @subsection Customizing Threading
5798 @cindex customizing threading
5801 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
5802 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
5803 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
5804 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
5809 @subsubsection Loose Threads
5812 @cindex loose threads
5815 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
5816 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
5817 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
5818 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
5819 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
5820 read or killed the root in a previous session.
5822 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
5823 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
5824 There are four possible values:
5828 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
5829 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
5830 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5831 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5832 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5837 @cindex adopting articles
5842 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
5843 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
5844 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
5845 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
5848 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
5849 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
5850 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
5851 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
5852 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
5853 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
5854 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5857 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
5858 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
5859 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
5863 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
5864 display them after one another.
5867 Don't gather loose threads.
5870 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5871 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5872 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
5873 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
5874 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5875 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5876 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
5877 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
5878 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
5879 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
5880 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
5882 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
5883 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
5884 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
5887 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5888 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5889 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
5890 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
5891 simplification is used.
5893 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5894 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5895 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
5896 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
5898 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
5900 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5906 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
5907 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
5908 "answer" "reference" "announce"
5909 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
5914 (mapconcat 'identity
5915 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
5917 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
5920 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
5923 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5924 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5925 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
5926 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
5927 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
5928 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
5930 Useful functions to put in this list include:
5933 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
5934 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
5935 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
5937 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5938 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5941 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
5942 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
5943 Remove excessive whitespace.
5946 You may also write your own functions, of course.
5949 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5950 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5951 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
5952 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
5953 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
5954 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
5955 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
5956 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
5958 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5959 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5960 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
5961 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
5962 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
5963 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
5964 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
5965 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
5966 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
5970 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5971 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5972 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
5973 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
5975 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5976 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5977 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
5980 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
5984 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5985 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
5991 @node Filling In Threads
5992 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
5995 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
5996 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
5997 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
5998 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
5999 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6000 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6001 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6002 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6003 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
6004 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
6005 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
6006 expired by the server, there's not much gnus can do about that.
6008 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6009 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6010 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6012 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6013 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6014 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6015 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6016 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6017 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6018 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6019 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6020 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6021 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6022 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6023 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6024 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6025 @code{nil} by default.
6027 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6028 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6029 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6030 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the backend has to fetch
6031 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6032 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6033 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6035 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6036 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6037 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6042 @node More Threading
6043 @subsubsection More Threading
6046 @item gnus-show-threads
6047 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6048 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6049 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6050 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6051 slower and more awkward.
6053 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6054 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6055 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6058 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6059 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6060 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6061 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6062 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6063 threads are expunged.
6065 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6066 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6067 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6070 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6071 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6072 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6073 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6074 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6075 result in a new thread.
6077 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6078 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6079 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6082 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6083 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6084 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6085 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6086 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6087 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6088 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6089 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6090 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6091 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6092 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6097 @node Low-Level Threading
6098 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6102 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6103 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6104 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6105 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6106 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6107 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6109 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6110 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6111 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6112 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6113 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6114 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6115 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6116 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6117 meaningful. Here's one example:
6120 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6122 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6123 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6125 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6127 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6134 @node Thread Commands
6135 @subsection Thread Commands
6136 @cindex thread commands
6142 @kindex T k (Summary)
6143 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
6144 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6145 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6146 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6147 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6152 @kindex T l (Summary)
6153 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
6154 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6155 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6156 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6159 @kindex T i (Summary)
6160 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6161 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6162 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6165 @kindex T # (Summary)
6166 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6167 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6168 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6171 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6172 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6173 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6174 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6177 @kindex T T (Summary)
6178 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6179 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6182 @kindex T s (Summary)
6183 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6184 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6185 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6188 @kindex T h (Summary)
6189 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6190 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6193 @kindex T S (Summary)
6194 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6195 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6198 @kindex T H (Summary)
6199 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6200 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6203 @kindex T t (Summary)
6204 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6205 Re-thread the current article's thread
6206 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6207 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6210 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6211 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6212 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6213 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6217 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6218 understand the numeric prefix.
6223 @kindex T n (Summary)
6225 @kindex M-C-n (Summary)
6227 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6228 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6229 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6232 @kindex T p (Summary)
6234 @kindex M-C-p (Summary)
6236 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6237 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6238 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6241 @kindex T d (Summary)
6242 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6243 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6246 @kindex T u (Summary)
6247 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6248 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6251 @kindex T o (Summary)
6252 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6253 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6256 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6257 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6258 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6259 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6260 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6261 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6262 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6263 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6264 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6265 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6266 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6267 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6271 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6272 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6274 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6275 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6276 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6277 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6278 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6279 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6280 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6281 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6282 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6283 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6284 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6286 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6287 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6288 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6289 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
6290 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6292 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6293 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6294 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6296 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6297 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6298 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6299 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6300 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6301 ascending article order.
6303 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6304 by number, you could do something like:
6307 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6308 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6309 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6310 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6313 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6314 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6315 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6316 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6317 which the articles arrived.
6319 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6323 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6325 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6326 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6329 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6330 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6331 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6332 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6335 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6336 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6337 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6338 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6339 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6340 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6341 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6342 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6343 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6344 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6345 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6346 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6347 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6349 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6353 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6354 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6355 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6360 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6361 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6362 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6363 @cindex article pre-fetch
6366 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6367 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6368 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6369 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6370 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6372 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6373 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
6375 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6376 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6377 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6378 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6379 connection is blocked.
6381 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6382 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6383 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6384 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
6386 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6387 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6388 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6389 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6392 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6395 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6396 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6397 happen automatically.
6399 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6400 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6401 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6402 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
6403 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
6404 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6405 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6407 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6408 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6409 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6410 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6411 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6412 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6413 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6414 data structure as the only parameter.
6416 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6419 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6420 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6421 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6422 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6425 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6428 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6429 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
6430 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6432 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6433 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6434 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6435 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6439 Remove articles when they are read.
6442 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6445 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6447 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6448 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6449 @c from the next group.
6452 @node Article Caching
6453 @section Article Caching
6454 @cindex article caching
6457 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6458 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6459 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6460 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6461 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6463 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6465 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6466 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6467 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6468 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6469 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6470 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6471 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6472 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6474 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6475 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6476 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6477 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6478 as dormant, and don't worry.
6480 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6482 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6483 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6484 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6485 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6486 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6487 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6488 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6489 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6490 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6491 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6493 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6494 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6495 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6496 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6497 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6498 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6499 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6500 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6501 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6502 not then be downloaded by this command.
6504 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6505 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6506 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6507 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6508 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6509 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6511 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6512 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6513 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6514 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6515 variables, the group is not cached.
6517 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6518 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6519 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6520 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6521 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6522 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
6523 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6524 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6525 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6529 @node Persistent Articles
6530 @section Persistent Articles
6531 @cindex persistent articles
6533 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6534 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6535 useful in my opinion.
6537 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6538 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6539 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6540 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6541 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6542 the expiry going on at the news server.
6544 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6545 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6546 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6552 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6553 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6556 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6557 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6558 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6559 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6563 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6565 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6566 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6567 interested in persistent articles:
6570 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6574 @node Article Backlog
6575 @section Article Backlog
6577 @cindex article backlog
6579 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6580 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6581 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
6582 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6583 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6584 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6585 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
6586 increase memory usage some.
6588 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6589 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
6590 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6591 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
6592 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6593 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6594 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6596 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6599 @node Saving Articles
6600 @section Saving Articles
6601 @cindex saving articles
6603 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6604 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6605 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6606 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6607 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6609 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6610 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
6611 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6613 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6614 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6615 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6616 deleted before saving.
6622 @kindex O o (Summary)
6624 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6625 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6626 Save the current article using the default article saver
6627 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6630 @kindex O m (Summary)
6631 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6632 Save the current article in mail format
6633 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6636 @kindex O r (Summary)
6637 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6638 Save the current article in rmail format
6639 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6642 @kindex O f (Summary)
6643 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6644 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6645 Save the current article in plain file format
6646 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6649 @kindex O F (Summary)
6650 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6651 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6652 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6655 @kindex O b (Summary)
6656 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6657 Save the current article body in plain file format
6658 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6661 @kindex O h (Summary)
6662 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6663 Save the current article in mh folder format
6664 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6667 @kindex O v (Summary)
6668 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6669 Save the current article in a VM folder
6670 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6674 @kindex O p (Summary)
6676 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6677 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6678 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6681 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6682 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6683 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6684 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6685 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6686 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6687 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6688 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6689 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6690 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6691 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6692 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6696 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6697 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6698 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6699 functions below, or you can create your own.
6703 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6704 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6705 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6706 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6707 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6708 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6709 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6711 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6712 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6713 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6714 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6715 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6716 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6718 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6719 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6720 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6721 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6722 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6723 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6724 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6726 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6727 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6728 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6729 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6730 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6732 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6733 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6734 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6735 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6736 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6739 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6740 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6741 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6742 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6743 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6745 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6746 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6747 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6748 reader to use this setting.
6751 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6752 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6753 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6754 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6757 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6758 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6759 available functions that generate names:
6763 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6764 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6765 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6767 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6768 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6769 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6771 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6772 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6773 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6775 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6776 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6777 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6779 @item gnus-sender-save-name
6780 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
6781 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
6784 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6785 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6786 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6787 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6788 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
6792 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
6793 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
6794 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
6795 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
6798 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
6799 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
6800 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
6801 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
6802 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
6803 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
6804 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
6805 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
6806 called returns a string or a list of strings.
6808 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
6809 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
6810 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
6811 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
6813 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
6814 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
6815 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
6818 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
6819 lots of mail groups called things like
6820 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
6821 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
6822 following will do just that:
6825 (defun my-save-name (group)
6826 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
6827 (substring group (match-end 0))))
6829 (setq gnus-split-methods
6830 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
6835 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6836 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
6837 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
6838 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
6839 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
6840 all the files in the top level directory
6841 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
6842 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
6843 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
6844 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
6846 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
6847 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
6848 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
6849 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
6850 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
6853 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
6857 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
6858 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
6859 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
6862 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
6863 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
6864 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
6865 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
6868 @node Decoding Articles
6869 @section Decoding Articles
6870 @cindex decoding articles
6872 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
6873 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
6876 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
6877 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
6878 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
6879 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
6880 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
6881 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
6885 @cindex article series
6886 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
6887 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
6888 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
6889 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
6890 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
6892 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
6893 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
6894 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
6896 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
6897 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
6898 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
6900 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
6901 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
6902 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
6905 @node Uuencoded Articles
6906 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
6908 @cindex uuencoded articles
6913 @kindex X u (Summary)
6914 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
6915 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
6916 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
6919 @kindex X U (Summary)
6920 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
6921 Uudecodes and saves the current series
6922 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6925 @kindex X v u (Summary)
6926 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
6927 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
6930 @kindex X v U (Summary)
6931 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
6932 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
6933 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
6937 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
6938 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
6939 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
6940 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
6941 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6943 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
6944 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
6945 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
6946 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
6949 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
6950 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
6951 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
6952 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
6953 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
6954 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
6958 @node Shell Archives
6959 @subsection Shell Archives
6961 @cindex shell archives
6962 @cindex shared articles
6964 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
6965 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
6966 some commands to deal with these:
6971 @kindex X s (Summary)
6972 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
6973 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
6976 @kindex X S (Summary)
6977 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
6978 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
6981 @kindex X v s (Summary)
6982 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
6983 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
6986 @kindex X v S (Summary)
6987 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
6988 Unshars, views and saves the current series
6989 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
6993 @node PostScript Files
6994 @subsection PostScript Files
7000 @kindex X p (Summary)
7001 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7002 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7005 @kindex X P (Summary)
7006 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7007 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7008 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7011 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7012 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7013 View the current PostScript series
7014 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7017 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7018 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7019 View and save the current PostScript series
7020 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7025 @subsection Other Files
7029 @kindex X o (Summary)
7030 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7031 Save the current series
7032 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7035 @kindex X b (Summary)
7036 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7037 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7038 doesn't really work yet.
7042 @node Decoding Variables
7043 @subsection Decoding Variables
7045 Adjective, not verb.
7048 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7049 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7050 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7054 @node Rule Variables
7055 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7056 @cindex rule variables
7058 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7059 variables are of the form
7062 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7069 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7070 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7072 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7073 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7076 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7077 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7080 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7081 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7082 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7083 user and default view rules.
7085 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7086 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7087 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7092 @node Other Decode Variables
7093 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7096 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7098 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7099 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7100 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7101 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7102 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7106 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7107 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7110 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7111 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7112 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7115 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7116 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7117 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7118 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7119 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7122 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7123 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7124 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7126 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7127 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7128 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7129 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7130 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7133 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7134 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7135 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7137 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7138 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7139 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7140 looking for files to display.
7142 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7143 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7144 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7147 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7148 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7149 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7152 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7153 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7154 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7157 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7158 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7159 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7162 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7163 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7164 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7165 decoded articles as unread.
7167 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7168 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7169 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7170 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7172 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7173 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7174 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7176 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7177 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7179 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7180 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7181 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7182 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7184 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7185 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7186 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7187 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7188 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7189 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7190 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7191 simply dropped them.
7196 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7197 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7201 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7202 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7203 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7204 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7205 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7206 for you when you post the article.
7208 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7209 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7210 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7211 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7213 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7214 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7215 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7216 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7217 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7218 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7219 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7221 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7222 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7223 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7224 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7225 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7226 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7227 Default is @code{t}.
7233 @subsection Viewing Files
7234 @cindex viewing files
7235 @cindex pseudo-articles
7237 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7238 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7239 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7240 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7241 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7242 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7243 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7245 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7246 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7247 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7248 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7250 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7251 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7252 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7254 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7255 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7256 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7257 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7258 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7260 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7261 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7262 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7263 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7264 a list of parameters to that command.
7266 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7267 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7268 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7270 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7271 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7272 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7275 @node Article Treatment
7276 @section Article Treatment
7278 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7279 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7280 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7281 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7282 these articles easier.
7285 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7286 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7287 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7288 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7289 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7290 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7291 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7292 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7296 @node Article Highlighting
7297 @subsection Article Highlighting
7298 @cindex highlighting
7300 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7301 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7306 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7307 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7308 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7309 Do much highlighting of the current article
7310 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7311 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7314 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7315 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7316 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7317 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7318 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7319 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7320 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7321 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7322 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7323 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7324 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7325 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7328 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7329 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7330 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7332 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7335 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7337 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7338 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7339 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7341 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7342 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7343 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7345 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7346 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7347 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7348 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7349 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7350 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7352 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7353 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7354 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7356 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7357 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7358 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7360 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7361 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7362 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7363 that it's a citation.
7365 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7366 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7367 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7369 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7370 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7371 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7373 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7374 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7375 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7376 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7382 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7383 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7384 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7385 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7386 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7387 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7388 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7389 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7394 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7397 @node Article Fontisizing
7398 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7400 @cindex article emphasis
7402 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7403 @kindex W e (Summary)
7404 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7405 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7406 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7407 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7409 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7410 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7411 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7412 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7413 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7414 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7415 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7416 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7420 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7421 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7422 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7431 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7432 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7433 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7434 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7435 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7436 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7437 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7438 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7439 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7440 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7441 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7442 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7443 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7445 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7446 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7447 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7451 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7454 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7456 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7457 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7458 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7459 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7461 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7464 @node Article Hiding
7465 @subsection Article Hiding
7466 @cindex article hiding
7468 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7469 too much cruft in most articles.
7474 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7475 @findex gnus-article-hide
7476 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7477 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7478 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7481 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7482 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7483 Toggle hiding of headers (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7487 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7488 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7489 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7490 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7493 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7494 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7495 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7499 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7500 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7501 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7502 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7503 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7504 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7505 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7506 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7510 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7511 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7512 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7513 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7518 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7519 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7520 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7521 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7522 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7523 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7524 articles that have signatures in them do:
7526 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7528 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7530 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7531 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7533 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7536 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7541 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7542 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7543 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7544 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7547 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7548 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7551 @cindex stripping advertisements
7552 @cindex advertisements
7553 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7554 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7555 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7556 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7557 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7558 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7559 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7560 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7561 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7562 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7566 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7567 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7568 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7569 customizing the hiding:
7573 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7574 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7575 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7576 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7577 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7578 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7579 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7584 Starting point of the hidden text.
7586 Ending point of the hidden text.
7588 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7590 Number of lines of hidden text.
7593 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7594 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7595 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7596 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7597 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7602 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7603 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7605 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7606 following two variables:
7609 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7610 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7611 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7612 50), hide the cited text.
7614 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7615 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7616 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7621 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7622 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7623 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7624 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7625 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7626 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7630 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7631 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7632 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7634 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7635 citation customization.
7637 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7641 @node Article Washing
7642 @subsection Article Washing
7644 @cindex article washing
7646 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7647 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7649 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7650 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7653 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
7654 articles by default.
7659 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
7660 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
7664 @kindex W l (Summary)
7665 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7666 Remove page breaks from the current article
7667 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7671 @kindex W r (Summary)
7672 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7673 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7674 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7675 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7676 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7677 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7679 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7680 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7681 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7682 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7686 @kindex W t (Summary)
7688 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7689 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7690 (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}).
7693 @kindex W v (Summary)
7694 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7695 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7696 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7699 @kindex W m (Summary)
7700 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
7701 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
7702 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
7705 @kindex W o (Summary)
7706 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7707 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7710 @kindex W d (Summary)
7711 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7712 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7714 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
7716 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7717 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7718 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7719 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7722 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
7723 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
7724 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
7725 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
7728 @kindex W w (Summary)
7729 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7730 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7732 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7736 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7737 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7738 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7741 @kindex W C (Summary)
7742 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7743 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7744 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7747 @kindex W c (Summary)
7748 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7749 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7750 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7751 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7752 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7755 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
7756 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
7757 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
7758 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
7759 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
7760 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
7761 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
7763 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7766 @kindex W Z (Summary)
7767 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
7768 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
7769 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
7770 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
7773 @kindex W h (Summary)
7774 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
7775 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
7776 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
7777 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
7779 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7782 @kindex W f (Summary)
7784 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
7785 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
7786 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
7787 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
7794 Look for and display any X-Face headers
7795 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
7796 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
7797 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
7798 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
7799 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
7800 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
7801 The default action under Emacs is to fork off the @code{display}
7802 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For the
7803 @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
7804 like `compface' or `faces-xface' on a GNU/Linux system.}
7805 to view the face. Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image
7806 support, the default action is to display the face before the
7807 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
7808 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
7809 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
7810 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
7811 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
7812 like @code{netpbm} or @code{libgr-progs}.}) If you
7813 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
7817 @kindex W b (Summary)
7818 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
7819 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
7820 @xref{Article Buttons}.
7823 @kindex W B (Summary)
7824 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
7825 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
7826 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
7829 @kindex W p (Summary)
7830 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
7831 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
7832 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
7833 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
7834 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
7835 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
7836 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
7839 @kindex W W H (Summary)
7840 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
7841 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
7842 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
7845 @kindex W E l (Summary)
7846 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
7847 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
7848 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
7851 @kindex W E m (Summary)
7852 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
7853 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
7854 lines with a single empty line.
7855 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
7858 @kindex W E t (Summary)
7859 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
7860 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
7861 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
7864 @kindex W E a (Summary)
7865 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
7866 Do all the three commands above
7867 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
7870 @kindex W E A (Summary)
7871 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
7872 Remove all blank lines
7873 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
7876 @kindex W E s (Summary)
7877 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
7878 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
7879 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
7882 @kindex W E e (Summary)
7883 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
7884 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
7885 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
7889 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
7892 @node Article Buttons
7893 @subsection Article Buttons
7896 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
7897 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
7898 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
7899 button on these references.
7901 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
7902 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
7903 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
7908 @item gnus-button-alist
7909 @vindex gnus-button-alist
7910 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
7913 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7919 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
7920 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
7921 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
7924 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
7925 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
7926 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
7929 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
7930 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
7931 avoid false matches.
7934 This function will be called when you click on this button.
7937 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
7938 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
7942 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
7945 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
7948 @item gnus-header-button-alist
7949 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
7950 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
7951 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
7952 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
7955 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7958 @var{header} is a regular expression.
7960 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
7961 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
7962 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
7963 default values of the variables above.
7965 @item gnus-article-button-face
7966 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
7967 Face used on buttons.
7969 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
7970 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
7971 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
7975 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
7979 @subsection Article Date
7981 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
7982 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
7983 when the article was sent.
7988 @kindex W T u (Summary)
7989 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
7990 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
7991 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
7994 @kindex W T i (Summary)
7995 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
7997 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
7998 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8001 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8002 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8003 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8006 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8007 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8008 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8009 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8012 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8013 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8014 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8015 @findex format-time-string
8016 Display the date using a user-defined format
8017 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8018 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8019 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8020 for a list of possible format specs.
8023 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8024 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8025 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8026 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8027 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8028 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8031 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8034 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8035 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8038 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8039 into wonderful absurdities.
8041 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8044 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8047 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8048 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8052 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8053 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8054 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8055 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8056 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8057 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8058 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8062 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8063 preferred format automatically.
8066 @node Article Signature
8067 @subsection Article Signature
8069 @cindex article signature
8071 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8072 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8073 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8074 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8075 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8076 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8077 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8078 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8079 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8082 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8083 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8084 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8085 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8086 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8087 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8088 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8089 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8092 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8095 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8096 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8097 signature when displaying articles.
8101 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8104 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8107 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8108 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8110 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8111 in question is not a signature.
8114 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8115 listed above. Here's an example:
8118 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8119 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8122 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8123 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8124 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8125 signature after all.
8128 @node Article Miscellania
8129 @subsection Article Miscellania
8133 @kindex A t (Summary)
8134 @findex gnus-article-babel
8135 Translate the article from one language to another
8136 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8142 @section @sc{mime} Commands
8143 @cindex MIME decoding
8145 @cindex viewing attachments
8147 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8148 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8154 @kindex K v (Summary)
8155 View the @sc{mime} part.
8158 @kindex K o (Summary)
8159 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8162 @kindex K c (Summary)
8163 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8166 @kindex K e (Summary)
8167 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8170 @kindex K i (Summary)
8171 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8174 @kindex K | (Summary)
8175 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8178 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8183 @kindex K b (Summary)
8184 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8185 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8189 @kindex K m (Summary)
8190 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8191 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8192 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8193 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8194 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8197 @kindex X m (Summary)
8198 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8199 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8200 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8201 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8204 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8205 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
8206 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8207 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8210 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8211 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8212 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8215 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8216 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8217 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8219 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8220 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8221 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8222 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
8223 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
8224 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8227 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8228 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8229 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8236 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8237 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8238 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8239 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8242 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8245 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8249 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8250 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8251 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8252 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8253 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
8255 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8256 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8257 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8258 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8259 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8260 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8261 save all jpegs into some directory).
8263 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8266 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8267 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8269 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8270 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8271 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8272 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8273 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8276 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8277 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8278 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8280 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8281 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8282 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8283 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8285 Ready-made functions include@*
8286 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8287 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8288 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8289 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8290 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8291 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8292 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8293 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8294 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8295 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8296 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8297 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8299 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8300 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8302 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8303 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8304 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8307 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8308 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8309 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8310 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8314 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8323 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8324 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8325 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8326 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8327 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8328 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8329 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8331 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8332 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8333 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8334 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8336 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8337 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
8338 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8339 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8340 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
8341 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8342 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
8343 something some agents insist on having in there.
8345 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8346 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8347 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8348 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8349 quoted-printable header encoding.
8351 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8352 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8353 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8357 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8360 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8361 means encode all charsets),
8363 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8364 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8365 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8372 @cindex coding system aliases
8373 @cindex preferred charset
8375 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8377 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8378 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8381 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8382 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8385 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8386 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8388 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8391 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8394 This will almost do the right thing.
8396 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8400 (codepage-setup 1251)
8401 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8405 @node Article Commands
8406 @section Article Commands
8413 @kindex A P (Summary)
8414 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8415 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8416 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8417 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
8418 run just before printing the buffer.
8423 @node Summary Sorting
8424 @section Summary Sorting
8425 @cindex summary sorting
8427 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8428 can't really see why you'd want that.
8433 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8434 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8435 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8438 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8439 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8440 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8443 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8444 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8445 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8448 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8449 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8450 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8453 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8454 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8455 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8458 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8459 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8460 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8463 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8464 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8465 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8468 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
8469 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
8470 Sort using the default sorting method
8471 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
8474 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8475 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8476 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8477 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8478 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8482 @node Finding the Parent
8483 @section Finding the Parent
8484 @cindex parent articles
8485 @cindex referring articles
8490 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8491 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8492 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8493 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8494 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8495 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8496 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8497 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8498 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8500 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8501 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8502 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
8503 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8504 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8508 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8509 @kindex A R (Summary)
8510 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8511 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8514 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8515 @kindex A T (Summary)
8516 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8517 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8518 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8519 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8520 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8521 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8522 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8524 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8525 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8526 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8527 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8528 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8529 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8532 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8533 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8535 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8536 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8537 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8538 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8539 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8540 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8541 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8544 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8545 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8546 by giving this command a prefix.
8548 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8549 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
8550 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8551 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8552 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8553 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8556 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8557 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8558 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8561 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8562 then ask Deja if that fails:
8565 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8567 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8570 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
8571 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
8572 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8573 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
8574 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
8575 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
8578 @node Alternative Approaches
8579 @section Alternative Approaches
8581 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8582 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8585 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8586 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8591 @subsection Pick and Read
8592 @cindex pick and read
8594 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8595 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8596 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8597 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8599 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8600 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8601 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8602 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8603 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8604 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8606 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8611 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8612 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8613 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8614 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8615 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8616 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8617 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8618 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8621 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8622 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8623 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8624 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8628 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8629 Unpick the thread or article
8630 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8631 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8632 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8633 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8634 the thread or article at that line.
8638 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8639 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8640 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8641 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8642 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8643 will still be visible when you are reading.
8647 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8648 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8649 which is mapped to the same function
8650 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8652 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8655 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8658 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8659 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8661 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8662 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8663 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8665 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8666 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8667 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8668 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8669 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8670 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8671 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8675 @subsection Binary Groups
8676 @cindex binary groups
8678 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8679 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8680 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8681 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8682 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8683 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8684 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8687 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8688 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8689 command, when you have turned on this mode
8690 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8692 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8693 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8697 @section Tree Display
8700 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8701 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
8702 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8703 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8706 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8709 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8710 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8711 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8713 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8714 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8715 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8716 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8717 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8719 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8720 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8721 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8722 default is @code{modeline}.
8724 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8725 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8726 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8727 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8728 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8729 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8730 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8736 The name of the poster.
8738 The @code{From} header.
8740 The number of the article.
8742 The opening bracket.
8744 The closing bracket.
8749 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8751 Variables related to the display are:
8754 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8755 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8756 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8757 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8758 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8759 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8761 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8762 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8763 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8764 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8768 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8769 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
8770 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
8771 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
8772 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
8773 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
8774 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
8775 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
8776 other windows displayed next to it.
8778 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
8779 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
8780 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8781 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
8782 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
8783 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
8784 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
8788 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
8791 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
8801 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
8805 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
8806 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
8808 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
8810 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
8815 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
8816 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
8817 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
8820 (setq gnus-use-trees t
8821 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8822 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
8823 (gnus-add-configuration
8827 (summary 0.75 point)
8832 @xref{Window Layout}.
8835 @node Mail Group Commands
8836 @section Mail Group Commands
8837 @cindex mail group commands
8839 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
8840 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
8842 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
8843 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8848 @kindex B e (Summary)
8849 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
8850 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
8851 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
8852 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
8853 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
8856 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
8857 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
8858 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
8859 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
8860 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
8861 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
8864 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
8865 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
8866 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
8867 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
8868 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
8869 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
8872 @kindex B m (Summary)
8874 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
8875 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
8876 Move the article from one mail group to another
8877 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8878 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8881 @kindex B c (Summary)
8883 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
8884 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
8885 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
8886 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8887 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8890 @kindex B B (Summary)
8891 @cindex crosspost mail
8892 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
8893 Crosspost the current article to some other group
8894 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
8895 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
8896 be properly updated.
8899 @kindex B i (Summary)
8900 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
8901 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
8902 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
8903 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
8906 @kindex B r (Summary)
8907 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
8908 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
8909 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
8910 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
8911 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
8912 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
8913 (which is the default).
8917 @kindex B w (Summary)
8919 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
8920 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
8921 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
8922 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
8923 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
8924 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
8927 @kindex B q (Summary)
8928 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
8929 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
8930 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
8931 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
8934 @kindex B t (Summary)
8935 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
8936 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
8937 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
8940 @kindex B p (Summary)
8941 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
8942 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
8943 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
8944 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
8945 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
8946 article from your news server (or rather, from
8947 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
8948 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
8949 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
8950 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
8951 just not have arrived yet.
8955 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
8956 @cindex moving articles
8957 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
8958 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
8959 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
8960 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
8961 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
8962 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
8963 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
8966 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
8967 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
8968 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
8969 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
8973 @node Various Summary Stuff
8974 @section Various Summary Stuff
8977 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
8978 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
8979 * Summary Generation Commands::
8980 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
8984 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
8985 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
8986 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
8988 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
8989 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
8990 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
8991 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
8992 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
8993 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
8996 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8997 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8998 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
8999 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9000 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9002 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9003 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9004 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9007 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9008 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9009 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9010 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9011 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9012 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9013 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
9014 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9015 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9016 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9018 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9019 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9020 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9021 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9022 list of articles to be selected.
9024 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9025 the list in one particular group:
9028 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9029 (if (string= group "some.group")
9030 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9037 @node Summary Group Information
9038 @subsection Summary Group Information
9043 @kindex H f (Summary)
9044 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9045 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9046 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9047 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9048 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9049 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9050 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9051 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9052 be used for fetching the file.
9055 @kindex H d (Summary)
9056 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9057 Give a brief description of the current group
9058 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9059 rereading the description from the server.
9062 @kindex H h (Summary)
9063 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9064 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9065 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9068 @kindex H i (Summary)
9069 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9070 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9074 @node Searching for Articles
9075 @subsection Searching for Articles
9080 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9081 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9082 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9083 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9086 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9087 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9088 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9089 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9093 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9094 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9095 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9096 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9097 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9098 search backward instead.
9100 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9101 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9104 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9105 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9106 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9107 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9110 @node Summary Generation Commands
9111 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9116 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9117 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9118 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9121 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9122 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9123 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9124 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9129 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9130 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9136 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9137 @kindex A D (Summary)
9138 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9139 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9140 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9141 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9142 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9143 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9144 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9145 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9149 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
9150 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9151 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9152 several documents into one biiig group
9153 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9154 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9155 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9156 command understands the process/prefix convention
9157 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9160 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9161 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9162 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9163 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9164 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9165 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9169 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9170 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9171 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9174 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
9175 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9176 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9177 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9180 @kindex M-C-a (Summary)
9181 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9182 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9183 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9188 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9189 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9190 @cindex summary exit
9191 @cindex exiting groups
9193 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9194 group and return you to the group buffer.
9200 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9202 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9203 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9204 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9205 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9206 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9207 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9208 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9209 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9210 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9211 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9212 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9216 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9218 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9219 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9220 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9224 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9226 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9227 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9228 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9229 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9232 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9233 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9234 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9235 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9238 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9239 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9240 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9241 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9244 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9245 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9246 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9247 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9248 all articles, both read and unread.
9252 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9253 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9254 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9255 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9256 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9257 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9258 articles, both read and unread.
9261 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9262 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9263 Exit the group and go to the next group
9264 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9267 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9268 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9269 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9270 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9273 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9274 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9275 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9276 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9277 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9278 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9281 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9282 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9283 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9284 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9286 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9287 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9288 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9289 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9290 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9291 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9292 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9293 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9294 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9295 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9296 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9297 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9299 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9301 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9302 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9303 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9304 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9305 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9306 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9307 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9308 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9309 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9312 @node Crosspost Handling
9313 @section Crosspost Handling
9317 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9318 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9319 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9320 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9321 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9322 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9325 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9326 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9327 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9328 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9329 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9331 @cindex cross-posting
9334 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9335 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9336 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9337 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9338 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9339 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9340 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9341 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9342 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9343 the cross reference mechanism.
9345 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9346 @cindex overview.fmt
9347 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9348 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9349 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9350 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9351 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9352 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9355 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9356 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9357 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9362 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9365 @node Duplicate Suppression
9366 @section Duplicate Suppression
9368 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9369 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9370 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9371 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9376 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9377 is evil and not very common.
9380 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9381 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9384 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9385 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9388 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9391 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9392 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9394 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9395 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9396 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9397 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9398 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9399 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9400 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9403 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9404 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9405 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9406 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9407 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9411 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9412 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9413 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9415 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9416 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9417 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9418 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9419 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
9420 session are suppressed.
9422 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9423 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9424 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9425 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9427 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9428 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9429 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9430 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9433 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
9434 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9435 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9436 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9437 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
9438 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9439 to you to figure out, I think.
9444 Gnus is able to verify PGP or S/MIME signed messages or decrypt PGP
9449 To verify or decrypt PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or
9455 @item mm-verify-option
9456 @vindex mm-verify-option
9457 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9458 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9459 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9461 @item mm-decrypt-option
9462 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9463 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9464 @code{always}, always decrypt @code{known}, only decrypt known
9465 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9470 @section Mailing List
9472 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369.
9477 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
9478 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
9479 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
9482 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
9483 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
9484 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
9487 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
9488 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
9489 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
9493 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
9494 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
9495 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
9498 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
9499 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9500 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
9503 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
9504 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9505 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
9509 @node Article Buffer
9510 @chapter Article Buffer
9511 @cindex article buffer
9513 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9514 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9515 tell gnus otherwise.
9518 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9519 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9520 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9521 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9522 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9526 @node Hiding Headers
9527 @section Hiding Headers
9528 @cindex hiding headers
9529 @cindex deleting headers
9531 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9532 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9534 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9535 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9536 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9537 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9538 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9539 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9540 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9541 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9542 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9544 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9548 @item gnus-visible-headers
9549 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9550 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9551 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9552 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9554 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9555 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9558 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9561 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9564 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9565 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9566 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9567 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9568 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9569 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9571 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
9572 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
9575 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9578 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9581 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9582 variable will have no effect.
9586 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9587 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9588 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9589 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9590 the headers are to be displayed.
9592 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
9593 and then the subject, you might say something like:
9596 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
9599 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
9600 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
9602 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9603 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
9604 You can hide further boring headers by setting
9605 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
9606 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
9607 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
9608 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
9611 These conditions are:
9614 Remove all empty headers.
9616 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
9617 @code{Newsgroups} header.
9619 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
9622 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9625 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
9626 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
9628 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9631 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9633 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9636 To include these three elements, you could say something like;
9639 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9640 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9643 This is also the default value for this variable.
9647 @section Using @sc{mime}
9650 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9651 while people stand around yawning.
9653 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9654 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9656 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9657 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9658 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9660 @vindex gnus-show-mime
9661 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
9662 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
9663 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
9664 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
9665 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
9666 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
9667 calls the SEMI MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
9668 information on SEMI MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is not
9669 existed yet, sorry).
9671 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
9672 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
9673 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
9674 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
9675 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
9676 buffer. These can't be avoided.
9678 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
9679 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
9680 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
9681 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
9682 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
9683 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
9684 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
9685 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
9686 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
9689 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
9691 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
9692 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
9693 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
9694 buffer when there are nobody else.
9696 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
9699 @node Customizing Articles
9700 @section Customizing Articles
9701 @cindex article customization
9703 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
9704 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
9705 called automatically when you select the articles.
9707 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
9708 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
9709 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
9710 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
9712 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
9713 for sensible values.
9717 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
9720 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
9723 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
9726 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
9729 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
9733 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
9734 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
9735 regexps in the list.
9738 A list where the first element is not a string:
9740 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
9741 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
9742 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
9746 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
9750 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
9755 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
9756 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
9757 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
9758 considered to contain just a single part.
9760 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
9761 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
9762 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
9763 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
9764 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
9765 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
9766 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
9768 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
9769 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
9770 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
9771 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
9774 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
9775 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
9776 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
9777 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
9778 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
9779 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
9780 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
9781 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
9782 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
9783 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
9784 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
9785 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
9786 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
9787 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
9788 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
9789 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
9790 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
9791 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
9792 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
9793 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
9794 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
9795 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
9796 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
9797 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
9798 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
9799 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
9800 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
9801 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
9802 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
9803 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
9804 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
9805 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
9806 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
9807 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
9808 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
9809 @item gnus-treat-translate
9810 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset
9813 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
9814 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
9815 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
9816 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
9817 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
9821 @node Article Keymap
9822 @section Article Keymap
9824 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
9825 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
9826 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
9827 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
9830 A few additional keystrokes are available:
9835 @kindex SPACE (Article)
9836 @findex gnus-article-next-page
9837 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
9840 @kindex DEL (Article)
9841 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
9842 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
9845 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
9846 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
9847 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
9848 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
9849 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
9852 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
9853 @findex gnus-article-mail
9854 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
9855 given a prefix, include the mail.
9859 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
9860 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
9861 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
9865 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
9866 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
9867 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
9870 @kindex TAB (Article)
9871 @findex gnus-article-next-button
9872 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
9873 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
9876 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
9877 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
9878 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
9884 @section Misc Article
9888 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
9889 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
9890 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
9891 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
9894 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
9895 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
9897 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
9898 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
9900 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
9901 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
9902 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
9903 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
9904 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
9905 the contents of the article buffer.
9907 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
9908 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
9909 Hook called in article mode buffers.
9911 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9912 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9913 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
9914 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
9916 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
9917 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
9918 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
9919 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
9920 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
9925 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
9926 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
9929 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
9932 @vindex gnus-break-pages
9934 @item gnus-break-pages
9935 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
9936 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
9937 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
9938 paging will not be done.
9940 @item gnus-page-delimiter
9941 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
9942 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
9947 @node Composing Messages
9948 @chapter Composing Messages
9949 @cindex composing messages
9952 @cindex sending mail
9958 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
9959 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
9960 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
9961 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
9962 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
9963 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
9966 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
9967 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
9968 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
9969 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
9970 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
9971 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
9972 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
9973 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
9976 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
9977 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
9983 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
9986 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
9987 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
9988 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
9989 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
9991 @item gnus-add-to-list
9992 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
9993 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
9994 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
9999 @node Posting Server
10000 @section Posting Server
10002 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10003 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10005 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10007 @vindex gnus-post-method
10009 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will post using the same
10010 select method as you're reading from (which might be convenient if
10011 you're reading lots of groups from different private servers).
10012 However. If the server you're reading from doesn't allow posting,
10013 just reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
10014 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
10015 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10018 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10021 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10022 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10023 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10024 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10026 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10027 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10029 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10030 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10033 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10034 you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
10037 @node Mail and Post
10038 @section Mail and Post
10040 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10044 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10045 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10046 @cindex mailing lists
10048 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10049 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10050 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10051 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10052 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10053 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10054 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10055 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10056 still a pain, though.
10060 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10061 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10062 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10065 @findex ispell-message
10067 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10070 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10071 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10074 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10078 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10079 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10081 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10084 Modify to suit your needs.
10087 @node Archived Messages
10088 @section Archived Messages
10089 @cindex archived messages
10090 @cindex sent messages
10092 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10093 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10094 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10095 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10098 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10099 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
10100 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10103 (nnfolder "archive"
10104 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
10105 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
10106 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
10107 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
10110 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
10111 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
10112 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
10113 directory chosen, you could say something like:
10116 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
10117 '(nnfolder "archive"
10118 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
10119 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
10120 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
10123 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
10125 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
10126 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
10127 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
10129 This variable can be used to do the following:
10133 Messages will be saved in that group.
10135 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
10136 message will not be stored in the select method given by
10137 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
10138 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
10139 has the default value shown above. Then setting
10140 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
10141 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
10142 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
10144 @item a list of strings
10145 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
10146 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
10147 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
10149 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
10154 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
10156 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
10159 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
10161 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
10164 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
10166 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10167 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
10168 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
10169 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
10172 More complex stuff:
10174 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10175 '((if (message-news-p)
10180 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
10181 messages in one file per month:
10184 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10185 '((if (message-news-p)
10187 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
10190 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
10191 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
10193 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
10194 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
10195 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
10196 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
10197 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
10198 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
10199 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
10200 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
10201 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
10202 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
10204 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
10205 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
10206 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
10207 this will disable archiving.
10210 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
10211 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
10212 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
10213 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
10214 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
10217 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
10218 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
10219 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
10222 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
10223 but the latter is the preferred method.
10225 @item gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10226 @vindex gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10227 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
10232 @node Posting Styles
10233 @section Posting Styles
10234 @cindex posting styles
10237 All them variables, they make my head swim.
10239 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
10240 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
10241 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
10244 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
10245 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
10246 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
10247 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
10248 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
10253 (signature "Peace and happiness")
10254 (organization "What me?"))
10256 (signature "Death to everybody"))
10257 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
10258 (organization "Emacs is it")))
10261 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
10262 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
10263 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
10264 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
10265 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
10266 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
10267 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
10268 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
10270 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
10271 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
10272 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header (the
10273 next element in the match) in the original article , and compare that to
10274 the last regexp in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function
10275 will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the
10276 variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be
10277 @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value,
10278 then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
10280 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
10281 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
10282 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
10283 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
10284 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
10285 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
10286 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
10287 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
10288 result is thrown away.
10290 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
10291 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
10292 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
10293 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
10294 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
10295 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
10297 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
10298 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
10299 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
10301 @findex message-mail-p
10302 @findex message-news-p
10304 So here's a new example:
10307 (setq gnus-posting-styles
10309 (signature-file "~/.signature")
10311 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
10312 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
10314 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
10315 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
10316 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
10318 (signature my-news-signature))
10319 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
10320 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
10321 ((posting-from-work-p)
10322 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
10323 (address "user@@bar.foo")
10324 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
10325 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
10327 (From (save-excursion
10328 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
10329 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
10331 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
10334 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
10335 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
10336 if you fill many roles.
10343 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
10344 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
10345 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
10346 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
10347 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
10349 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
10350 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
10351 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
10352 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
10353 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
10357 @vindex nndraft-directory
10358 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
10359 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
10360 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
10361 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
10362 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
10363 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
10365 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
10366 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
10369 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
10370 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
10371 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
10372 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
10373 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
10374 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
10375 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
10376 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
10377 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
10378 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
10379 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
10380 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
10381 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
10382 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
10384 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
10385 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
10386 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
10388 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
10389 @kindex D e (Draft)
10390 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
10391 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
10392 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
10394 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
10397 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
10398 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
10399 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
10400 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
10401 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
10402 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
10403 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
10406 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
10407 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
10408 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
10411 @node Rejected Articles
10412 @section Rejected Articles
10413 @cindex rejected articles
10415 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
10416 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
10417 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
10418 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
10420 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
10421 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
10422 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
10423 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
10424 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
10426 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
10427 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
10428 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
10434 Gnus has an ALPHA support to GPG that's provided by @file{gpg.el}. See
10435 @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} to enable Gnus to
10436 verify or decrypt messages accordingly.
10438 To use this correctly with GPG, you'll need the following lisp code in your
10439 @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10443 (setq mml2015-use 'gpg)
10444 (setq gpg-temp-directory (expand-file-name "~/.gnupg/tmp"))
10447 The @code{gpg-temp-directory} need to point to a directory with permissions set
10448 to 700, for your own safety.
10450 If you want to benefit of PGP2.6 compatibility, you might create a script named
10451 @file{gpg-2comp} with these instructions:
10455 exec gpg --rfc1991 "$@@"
10458 If you don't want to use such compatibility, you can add the following line to
10459 your @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10462 (setq gpg-command-default-alist (quote ((gpg . "gpg") (gpg-2comp . "gpg"))))
10465 To sign or encrypt your message you may choose to use the MML Security
10466 menu or @kbd{C-c C-m s p} to sign your message using PGP/MIME, @kbd{C-c
10467 C-m s s} to sign your message using S/MIME. There's also @kbd{C-c C-m c
10468 p} to encrypt your message with PGP/MIME and @kbd{C-c C-m c s} to
10469 encrypt using S/MIME.
10471 Gnus will ask for your passphrase and then it will send your message, if
10472 you've typed it correctly.
10474 @node Select Methods
10475 @chapter Select Methods
10476 @cindex foreign groups
10477 @cindex select methods
10479 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
10480 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
10481 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
10482 personal mail group.
10484 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
10485 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
10486 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
10487 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
10488 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
10489 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
10491 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
10492 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
10494 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
10497 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
10498 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
10499 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
10500 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
10501 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
10503 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
10506 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
10507 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
10508 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
10509 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
10510 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
10511 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
10512 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
10516 @node Server Buffer
10517 @section Server Buffer
10519 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
10520 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
10521 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
10522 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
10523 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
10524 backend represents a virtual server.
10526 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
10527 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
10528 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
10529 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
10531 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
10532 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
10533 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
10534 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
10535 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
10536 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
10537 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
10539 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
10540 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
10543 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
10544 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
10545 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
10546 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
10547 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
10548 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
10549 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
10552 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
10553 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
10556 @node Server Buffer Format
10557 @subsection Server Buffer Format
10558 @cindex server buffer format
10560 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
10561 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
10562 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
10563 variable, with some simple extensions:
10568 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
10571 The name of this server.
10574 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
10577 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
10580 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
10581 The mode line can also be customized by using the
10582 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
10583 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
10593 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
10596 @node Server Commands
10597 @subsection Server Commands
10598 @cindex server commands
10604 @findex gnus-server-add-server
10605 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
10609 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
10610 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
10613 @kindex SPACE (Server)
10614 @findex gnus-server-read-server
10615 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
10619 @findex gnus-server-exit
10620 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
10624 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
10625 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
10629 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
10630 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
10634 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
10635 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
10639 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
10640 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
10644 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
10645 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
10646 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
10651 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
10652 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
10653 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
10654 a mail backend that has gotten out of sync.
10659 @node Example Methods
10660 @subsection Example Methods
10662 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
10665 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
10668 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
10674 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
10675 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
10678 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
10679 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
10681 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
10682 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
10686 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
10689 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
10690 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
10692 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
10693 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
10694 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
10698 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
10701 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
10704 Here's the method for a public spool:
10708 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
10709 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
10715 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
10716 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
10717 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
10718 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
10719 should probably look something like this:
10723 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
10724 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
10725 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
10726 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
10729 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
10730 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
10731 configuration to the example above:
10734 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
10737 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
10738 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
10739 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
10743 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
10744 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
10745 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
10746 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
10749 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
10750 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
10751 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
10752 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
10755 @node Creating a Virtual Server
10756 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
10758 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
10759 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
10761 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
10762 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
10763 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
10765 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
10767 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
10768 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
10769 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
10770 will contain the following:
10780 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
10781 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
10782 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
10785 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
10786 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
10787 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
10790 @node Server Variables
10791 @subsection Server Variables
10793 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
10794 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
10795 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
10796 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
10797 won't change the "derived" variables.
10799 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
10800 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
10801 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
10802 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
10803 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
10804 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
10805 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
10806 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
10807 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
10811 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
10812 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
10813 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
10817 @node Servers and Methods
10818 @subsection Servers and Methods
10820 Wherever you would normally use a select method
10821 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
10822 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
10823 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
10827 @node Unavailable Servers
10828 @subsection Unavailable Servers
10830 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
10831 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
10832 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
10833 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
10834 actually the case or not.
10836 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
10837 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
10838 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
10839 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
10840 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
10841 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
10842 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
10843 it will regard that server as ``down''.
10845 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
10846 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
10848 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
10849 with the following commands:
10855 @findex gnus-server-open-server
10856 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
10857 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
10861 @findex gnus-server-close-server
10862 Close the connection (if any) to the server
10863 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
10867 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
10868 Mark the current server as unreachable
10869 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
10872 @kindex M-o (Server)
10873 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
10874 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
10875 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
10878 @kindex M-c (Server)
10879 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
10880 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
10881 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
10885 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
10886 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
10887 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
10893 @section Getting News
10894 @cindex reading news
10895 @cindex news backends
10897 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
10898 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
10899 or it can read from a local spool.
10902 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
10903 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
10908 @subsection @sc{nntp}
10911 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
10912 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
10913 server as the, uhm, address.
10915 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
10916 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
10917 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
10918 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10920 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
10921 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
10922 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
10924 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
10929 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
10930 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
10931 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
10933 @cindex authentification
10934 @cindex nntp authentification
10935 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10936 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
10937 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
10938 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
10939 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
10940 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
10941 present in this hook.
10943 @item nntp-authinfo-function
10944 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
10945 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10946 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
10947 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
10948 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
10949 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
10950 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
10951 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
10952 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
10953 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
10954 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
10958 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
10961 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
10963 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
10964 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
10965 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
10966 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
10967 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
10968 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
10969 @samp{force} is explained below.
10973 Here's an example file:
10976 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
10977 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
10980 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
10981 have to be first, for instance.
10983 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
10984 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
10985 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
10986 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
10987 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
10988 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
10989 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
10991 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
10992 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
10998 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
10999 previously mentioned.
11001 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11003 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11004 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11005 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11006 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11007 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
11010 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
11011 '(("innd" (ding))))
11014 You probably don't want to do that, though.
11016 The default value is
11019 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
11020 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
11021 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
11024 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
11025 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
11027 @item nntp-maximum-request
11028 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
11029 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
11030 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
11031 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
11032 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
11033 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
11034 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
11036 @item nntp-connection-timeout
11037 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
11038 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
11039 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
11040 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
11041 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
11042 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
11043 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
11044 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
11045 no timeouts are done.
11047 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
11048 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
11049 @c @cindex PPP connections
11050 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
11051 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
11052 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
11053 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
11054 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
11055 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
11056 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
11057 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
11058 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
11059 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
11061 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
11062 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
11063 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
11064 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
11065 @c described above.
11067 @item nntp-server-hook
11068 @vindex nntp-server-hook
11069 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
11072 @item nntp-buggy-select
11073 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
11074 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
11076 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
11077 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
11078 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
11079 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
11082 @item nntp-xover-commands
11083 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
11086 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
11087 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
11091 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
11092 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
11093 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
11094 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
11095 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
11096 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
11097 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
11098 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
11099 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
11100 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
11101 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
11103 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
11104 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
11105 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
11107 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11108 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11109 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
11110 server closes connection.
11112 @item nntp-record-commands
11113 @vindex nntp-record-commands
11114 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
11115 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
11116 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
11117 that doesn't seem to work.
11119 @item nntp-open-connection-function
11120 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
11121 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
11122 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
11123 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
11124 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
11125 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
11126 indirect ones (two pre-made).
11128 @item nntp-list-options
11129 @vindex nntp-list-options
11130 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
11131 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
11132 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
11133 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
11134 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
11138 (setq gnus-select-method
11139 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11140 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
11143 @item nntp-options-subscribe
11144 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
11145 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
11146 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
11147 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
11148 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
11149 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
11152 (setq gnus-select-method
11153 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11154 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
11157 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
11158 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
11159 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
11160 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
11161 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
11162 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
11163 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
11166 (setq gnus-select-method
11167 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11168 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
11173 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
11174 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
11175 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
11179 @node Direct Functions
11180 @subsubsection Direct Functions
11181 @cindex direct connection functions
11183 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
11184 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
11185 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
11186 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11189 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
11190 @item nntp-open-network-stream
11191 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
11194 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
11195 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
11196 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
11197 you must have SSLay installed
11198 (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
11199 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
11200 define a server as follows:
11203 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
11205 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
11207 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
11208 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
11209 (nntp-port-number "snews")
11210 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
11213 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
11214 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
11215 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
11216 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
11217 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
11218 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
11219 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
11220 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
11224 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11225 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
11226 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
11229 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
11230 session, which is not a good idea.
11234 @node Indirect Functions
11235 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
11236 @cindex indirect connection functions
11238 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
11239 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
11240 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
11241 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
11242 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
11243 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11246 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11247 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11248 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
11249 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
11250 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
11252 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11255 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
11256 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
11257 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
11258 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
11261 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11262 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11263 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
11264 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
11266 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11269 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
11270 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
11271 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
11274 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
11275 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
11276 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
11277 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
11279 @item nntp-via-user-password
11280 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
11281 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
11283 @item nntp-via-envuser
11284 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
11285 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
11286 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
11287 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
11289 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
11290 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
11291 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
11292 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
11299 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
11304 @item nntp-via-user-name
11305 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
11306 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
11308 @item nntp-via-address
11309 @vindex nntp-via-address
11310 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
11315 @node Common Variables
11316 @subsubsection Common Variables
11318 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
11319 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
11324 @item nntp-pre-command
11325 @vindex nntp-pre-command
11326 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
11327 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
11328 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
11329 wrapper for instance.
11332 @vindex nntp-address
11333 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
11335 @item nntp-port-number
11336 @vindex nntp-port-number
11337 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
11339 @item nntp-end-of-line
11340 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
11341 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
11342 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
11343 using a non native connection function.
11345 @item nntp-telnet-command
11346 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
11347 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
11348 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
11349 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
11351 @item nntp-telnet-switches
11352 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
11353 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
11360 @subsection News Spool
11364 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
11365 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
11366 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
11369 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
11370 anything else) as the address.
11372 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
11373 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
11374 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
11375 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
11379 @item nnspool-inews-program
11380 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
11381 Program used to post an article.
11383 @item nnspool-inews-switches
11384 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
11385 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
11387 @item nnspool-spool-directory
11388 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
11389 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
11390 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
11392 @item nnspool-nov-directory
11393 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
11394 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
11395 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
11397 @item nnspool-lib-dir
11398 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
11399 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
11401 @item nnspool-active-file
11402 @vindex nnspool-active-file
11403 The path to the active file.
11405 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
11406 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
11407 The path to the group descriptions file.
11409 @item nnspool-history-file
11410 @vindex nnspool-history-file
11411 The path to the news history file.
11413 @item nnspool-active-times-file
11414 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
11415 The path to the active date file.
11417 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
11418 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
11419 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
11422 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11423 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11425 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
11426 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
11427 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
11433 @section Getting Mail
11434 @cindex reading mail
11437 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
11441 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
11442 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
11443 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
11444 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
11445 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
11446 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
11447 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
11448 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
11449 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
11450 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
11451 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
11452 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
11453 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
11457 @node Mail in a Newsreader
11458 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
11460 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
11461 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
11462 of a culture shock.
11464 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
11465 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
11467 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
11468 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
11469 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
11470 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
11472 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
11474 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
11475 deleted? How awful!
11477 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
11478 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
11479 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
11480 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
11483 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
11484 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
11485 they want to treat a message.
11487 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
11488 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
11489 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
11490 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
11491 archived somewhere else.
11493 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
11494 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
11495 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
11496 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
11497 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
11499 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
11500 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
11501 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
11503 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
11504 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
11507 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
11508 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
11509 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
11510 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
11511 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
11513 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
11514 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
11515 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
11516 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
11517 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
11518 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
11522 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
11523 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
11525 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
11526 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
11527 and things will happen automatically.
11529 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
11530 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
11533 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
11536 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
11537 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
11538 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
11539 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
11540 like any other group.
11542 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
11545 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11546 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11547 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11551 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
11552 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
11553 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
11556 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
11557 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
11558 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
11561 @node Splitting Mail
11562 @subsection Splitting Mail
11563 @cindex splitting mail
11564 @cindex mail splitting
11566 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
11567 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
11568 to be split into groups.
11571 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11572 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11573 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11574 ("mail.other" "")))
11577 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
11578 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
11579 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
11580 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
11581 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
11582 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
11583 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
11586 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
11589 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
11590 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
11591 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
11592 mail belongs in that group.
11594 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
11595 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
11596 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
11597 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
11598 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
11599 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
11601 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
11602 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
11603 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
11604 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
11605 thinks should carry this mail message.
11607 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
11608 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
11609 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
11610 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
11612 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
11613 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
11614 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
11615 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
11616 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
11618 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
11621 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
11622 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
11623 links. If that's the case for you, set
11624 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
11625 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
11627 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
11628 @kindex nnmail-split-history
11629 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
11630 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
11631 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
11632 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
11635 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
11636 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
11637 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
11638 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
11639 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
11640 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
11641 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
11642 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
11643 month's rent money.
11647 @subsection Mail Sources
11649 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
11650 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
11654 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
11655 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
11656 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
11660 @node Mail Source Specifiers
11661 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
11663 @cindex mail server
11666 @cindex mail source
11668 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
11669 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
11674 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
11677 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
11678 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
11679 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
11682 The following mail source types are available:
11686 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
11692 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
11693 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
11696 An example file mail source:
11699 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
11702 Or using the default path:
11708 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
11709 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
11710 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
11713 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
11717 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
11720 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
11724 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
11727 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
11729 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
11732 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
11736 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
11737 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. Setting
11738 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus to
11739 scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you want
11740 to scan mail groups at a specified level.
11746 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
11750 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
11754 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
11755 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
11756 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
11757 predicate are considered.
11761 Script run before/after fetching mail.
11765 An example directory mail source:
11768 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
11773 Get mail from a POP server.
11779 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
11780 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11783 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
11784 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
11785 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
11786 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
11787 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
11790 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
11794 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
11798 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
11799 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
11802 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
11805 The valid format specifier characters are:
11809 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
11810 included in this string.
11813 The name of the server.
11816 The port number of the server.
11819 The user name to use.
11822 The password to use.
11825 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11826 corresponding keywords.
11829 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11830 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11833 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11834 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11837 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
11838 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
11841 @item :authentication
11842 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
11843 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
11848 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
11849 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
11851 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
11852 default user name, and default fetcher:
11858 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
11861 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
11862 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11865 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
11868 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
11872 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
11873 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
11874 contains exactly one mail.
11880 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
11881 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
11884 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
11885 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
11887 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
11888 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
11889 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
11892 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
11893 from locking problems).
11897 Two example maildir mail sources:
11900 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
11901 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
11905 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
11910 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
11911 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
11912 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
11913 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
11920 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
11921 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11924 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
11925 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
11928 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
11932 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
11936 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
11937 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
11938 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{ssl} or the default @samp{network}.
11940 @item :authentication
11941 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is one
11942 of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now, this
11943 means @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default
11947 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
11948 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
11949 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
11955 The valid format specifier characters are:
11959 The name of the server.
11962 User name from `imap-default-user'.
11965 The port number of the server.
11968 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11969 corresponding keywords.
11972 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
11973 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
11976 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
11977 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
11978 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
11979 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
11980 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
11981 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
11984 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
11985 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
11986 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
11987 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
11990 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
11991 after finishing the fetch.
11995 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
11998 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
12000 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
12004 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
12005 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
12007 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
12010 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
12011 required for url "4.0pre.46".
12013 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
12019 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
12020 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
12023 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
12027 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
12031 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
12032 folder after finishing the fetch.
12036 An example webmail source:
12039 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
12041 :password "secret")
12046 @item Common Keywords
12047 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
12053 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
12054 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
12058 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
12063 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
12064 useful when you use local mail and news.
12069 @subsubsection Function Interface
12071 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
12072 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
12073 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
12074 consider the following mail-source setting:
12077 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
12078 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
12081 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
12082 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
12083 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
12084 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
12085 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
12087 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
12090 @node Mail Source Customization
12091 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
12093 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
12094 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
12098 @item mail-source-crash-box
12099 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
12100 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
12101 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
12103 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
12104 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
12105 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
12107 @item mail-source-directory
12108 @vindex mail-source-directory
12109 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
12110 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
12111 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
12114 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12115 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12116 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
12117 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
12118 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
12119 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
12121 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
12122 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
12123 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
12128 @node Fetching Mail
12129 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
12131 @vindex mail-sources
12132 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
12133 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
12134 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
12135 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
12137 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
12138 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
12141 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
12142 mail server, you'd say something like:
12147 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12148 :password "secret")))
12151 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
12155 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
12156 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12159 :password "secret")))
12163 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
12164 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
12165 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
12166 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
12167 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
12168 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
12172 @node Mail Backend Variables
12173 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
12175 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
12179 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12180 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12181 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
12182 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
12184 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
12185 @item nnmail-split-hook
12186 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
12187 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
12188 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
12189 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
12190 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
12191 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
12192 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
12193 in the buffer will show up in any files.
12194 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
12197 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12198 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12199 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12200 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12201 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
12202 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
12203 starting to handle the new mail) and
12204 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
12205 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
12206 default file modes the new mail files get:
12209 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12210 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
12212 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12213 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
12216 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
12217 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
12218 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
12219 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
12220 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
12221 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
12222 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
12224 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
12225 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
12226 @findex delete-file
12227 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
12229 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12230 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12231 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
12232 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
12233 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
12238 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
12239 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
12240 @cindex mail splitting
12241 @cindex fancy mail splitting
12243 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
12244 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
12245 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
12246 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
12247 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
12248 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
12250 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
12253 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
12254 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
12255 ;; from real errors.
12256 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
12258 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
12259 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
12260 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
12261 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
12262 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
12263 ;; Other mailing lists...
12264 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
12265 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
12266 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
12267 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
12268 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
12269 ;; message was really cross-posted.
12270 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
12271 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
12273 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
12274 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
12278 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
12279 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
12280 the five possible split syntaxes:
12285 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
12286 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
12290 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
12291 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
12292 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
12293 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
12294 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
12295 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
12296 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
12297 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
12300 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12301 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
12302 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
12303 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
12306 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12307 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
12310 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
12311 this message. Use with extreme caution.
12314 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
12315 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
12316 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
12317 function should return a @var{split}.
12320 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
12321 body of the messages:
12324 (defun split-on-body ()
12326 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
12327 (goto-char (point-min))
12328 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
12332 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
12333 when the @code{:} function is run.
12336 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12337 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
12338 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
12342 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
12346 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
12347 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
12348 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
12349 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
12350 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
12352 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
12353 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
12354 are expanded as specified by the variable
12355 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
12356 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
12359 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
12360 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
12361 when all this splitting is performed.
12363 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
12364 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
12365 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
12368 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
12371 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
12372 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
12374 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
12375 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
12376 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
12377 groupings 1 through 9.
12379 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
12380 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
12381 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
12382 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
12383 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
12384 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
12385 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
12386 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
12387 it once per thread.
12389 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
12390 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
12391 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
12394 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12395 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
12396 ;; other splits go here
12400 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
12401 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
12402 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
12403 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
12404 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
12405 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
12406 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
12407 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
12408 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
12409 unless the group name matches the regexp
12410 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
12411 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
12412 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
12413 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
12414 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12415 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
12416 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
12417 messages goes into the new group.
12420 @node Group Mail Splitting
12421 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
12422 @cindex mail splitting
12423 @cindex group mail splitting
12425 @findex gnus-group-split
12426 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
12427 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
12428 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
12429 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
12430 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
12431 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
12432 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
12433 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
12435 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
12436 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
12437 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
12438 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
12440 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
12441 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
12442 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
12443 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
12444 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
12445 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
12446 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
12448 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
12449 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
12450 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
12451 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
12452 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
12453 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
12454 @code{gnus-group-split}.
12456 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
12457 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
12458 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
12459 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
12460 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
12461 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
12462 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
12463 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
12464 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
12465 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
12466 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
12467 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
12468 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
12470 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
12475 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
12476 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
12478 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
12479 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
12480 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
12481 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
12483 ((split-spec . catch-all))
12486 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
12487 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
12488 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
12491 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
12492 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
12493 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
12497 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
12498 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
12499 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
12503 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
12506 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
12507 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
12508 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
12509 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
12510 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
12511 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
12512 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
12513 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
12514 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
12516 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
12517 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
12518 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
12519 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
12520 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
12521 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
12522 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
12523 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
12524 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
12526 @findex gnus-group-split-update
12527 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
12528 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
12529 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
12530 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
12531 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
12534 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
12537 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
12538 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
12539 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
12540 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
12541 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
12544 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
12545 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
12546 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
12547 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
12549 @node Incorporating Old Mail
12550 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
12551 @cindex incorporating old mail
12552 @cindex import old mail
12554 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
12555 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
12556 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
12559 Doing so can be quite easy.
12561 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
12562 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
12563 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
12564 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
12565 your @code{nnml} groups.
12571 Go to the group buffer.
12574 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
12575 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12578 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
12581 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
12582 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
12585 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
12586 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
12589 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
12590 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
12591 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
12592 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
12593 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
12595 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
12596 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
12597 using the new mail backend.
12600 @node Expiring Mail
12601 @subsection Expiring Mail
12602 @cindex article expiry
12604 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
12605 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
12606 different approach to mail reading.
12608 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
12609 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
12610 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
12611 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
12612 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
12613 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
12616 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
12617 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
12618 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
12619 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
12620 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
12621 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
12622 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
12623 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
12625 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12626 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
12627 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
12628 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
12629 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
12630 column in the summary buffer.
12632 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
12633 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
12634 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
12635 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
12638 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
12640 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
12641 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
12642 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
12645 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
12646 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
12647 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
12648 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
12649 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
12651 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
12652 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
12655 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12656 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
12659 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
12660 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
12662 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
12663 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
12664 don't really mix very well.
12666 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
12667 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
12668 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
12669 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
12672 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
12673 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
12674 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
12675 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
12678 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12680 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12682 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
12684 ((string= group "mail.junk")
12686 ((string= group "important")
12692 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
12693 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
12695 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
12696 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
12697 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
12700 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
12701 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
12703 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
12704 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
12705 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
12706 other groups instead of deleting them. The variable @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
12707 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
12708 variable supplies a default value for all groups, which can be
12709 overridden for specific groups by the group parameter.
12710 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
12711 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
12712 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
12713 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
12714 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
12717 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
12719 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
12723 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
12724 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
12725 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
12726 easier for procmail users.
12728 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
12729 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
12730 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
12731 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
12732 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
12733 caution. Even more dangerous is the
12734 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
12735 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
12736 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
12737 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
12738 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
12739 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
12740 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
12743 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
12745 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
12746 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
12747 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
12748 auto-expire turned on.
12752 @subsection Washing Mail
12753 @cindex mail washing
12754 @cindex list server brain damage
12755 @cindex incoming mail treatment
12757 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
12758 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
12759 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
12760 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
12761 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
12762 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
12764 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
12765 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
12766 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
12769 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
12770 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
12771 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
12772 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
12775 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12776 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12777 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
12778 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
12779 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
12782 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12783 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12784 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
12785 Emacs running on MS machines.
12789 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12790 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12791 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
12792 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
12795 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12796 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12797 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
12798 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
12800 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12801 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12802 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
12803 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
12804 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
12805 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
12806 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
12809 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
12810 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
12813 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
12814 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
12817 This can also be done non-destructively with
12818 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
12820 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
12821 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
12822 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
12824 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12825 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12827 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
12828 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
12829 @code{References} headers.
12833 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12834 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12835 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
12839 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
12840 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
12841 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
12848 @subsection Duplicates
12850 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
12851 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
12852 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
12853 @cindex duplicate mails
12854 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
12855 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
12856 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
12857 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
12858 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
12859 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
12860 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
12861 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
12862 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
12863 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
12864 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
12865 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
12866 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
12868 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
12869 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
12870 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
12871 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
12873 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
12876 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
12877 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
12881 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12882 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
12883 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
12884 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
12885 (any mail "mail.misc")
12892 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12893 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
12898 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
12899 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
12900 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
12901 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
12902 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
12905 @node Not Reading Mail
12906 @subsection Not Reading Mail
12908 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
12909 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
12910 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
12912 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
12913 @code{nil}, none of the backends will ever attempt to read incoming
12914 mail, which should help.
12916 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12917 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12918 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12919 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12920 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12921 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
12922 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
12923 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
12924 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
12925 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
12926 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
12928 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
12929 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
12933 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
12934 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
12936 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
12937 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
12938 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
12940 There are five different mail backends in the standard Gnus, and more
12941 backends are available separately. The mail backend most people use
12942 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
12943 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
12946 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
12947 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
12948 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
12949 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
12950 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
12951 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
12955 @node Unix Mail Box
12956 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
12958 @cindex unix mail box
12960 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12961 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12962 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
12963 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
12964 which group it belongs in.
12966 Virtual server settings:
12969 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
12970 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12971 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
12974 @item nnmbox-active-file
12975 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12976 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
12977 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
12979 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
12980 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12981 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
12982 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
12987 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
12991 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12992 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12993 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
12994 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
12995 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
12997 Virtual server settings:
13000 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
13001 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13002 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
13004 @item nnbabyl-active-file
13005 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13006 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
13007 @file{~/.rmail-active}
13009 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13010 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13011 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
13017 @subsubsection Mail Spool
13019 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
13021 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
13022 format. It should be used with some caution.
13024 @vindex nnml-directory
13025 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
13026 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
13027 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
13028 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
13030 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
13033 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
13034 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
13035 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
13036 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
13037 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
13038 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
13039 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
13040 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
13042 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
13043 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
13044 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
13045 backend when it comes to reading mail.
13047 Virtual server settings:
13050 @item nnml-directory
13051 @vindex nnml-directory
13052 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
13053 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
13056 @item nnml-active-file
13057 @vindex nnml-active-file
13058 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
13059 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
13061 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
13062 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
13063 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13064 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
13066 @item nnml-get-new-mail
13067 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13068 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
13071 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
13072 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
13073 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13074 default is @code{nil}
13076 @item nnml-nov-file-name
13077 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
13078 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
13080 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13081 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13082 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
13086 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
13087 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
13088 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
13089 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
13090 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
13091 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
13092 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
13097 @subsubsection MH Spool
13099 @cindex mh-e mail spool
13101 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
13102 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
13103 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
13104 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
13106 Virtual server settings:
13109 @item nnmh-directory
13110 @vindex nnmh-directory
13111 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
13112 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13115 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
13116 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13117 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
13121 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
13122 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
13123 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
13124 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
13125 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
13126 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
13127 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
13132 @subsubsection Mail Folders
13134 @cindex mbox folders
13135 @cindex mail folders
13137 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
13138 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
13139 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
13142 Virtual server settings:
13145 @item nnfolder-directory
13146 @vindex nnfolder-directory
13147 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
13148 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13151 @item nnfolder-active-file
13152 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
13153 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
13155 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13156 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13157 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13158 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
13160 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
13161 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13162 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
13165 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13166 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13167 @cindex backup files
13168 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
13169 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
13170 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
13171 your @file{.emacs} file:
13174 (defun turn-off-backup ()
13175 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
13177 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
13180 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13181 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13182 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
13183 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
13184 extract some information from it before removing it.
13186 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13187 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13188 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13189 default is @code{nil}.
13194 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
13195 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
13196 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
13197 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
13198 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
13199 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
13202 @node Comparing Mail Backends
13203 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Backends
13205 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{backend} is the common word for a
13206 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
13207 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
13208 and so selection of a suitable backend is required in order to get that
13209 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
13211 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
13212 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
13213 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
13214 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
13215 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
13216 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
13217 @code{nnspool} backends, to select between these methods, if one happens
13218 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
13221 The goal in selecting a mail backend is to pick one which
13222 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
13223 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
13224 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
13229 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
13230 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
13231 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
13232 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
13233 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
13234 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
13235 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
13236 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
13237 this backend, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
13238 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
13239 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
13240 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
13241 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
13246 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
13247 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
13248 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
13249 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
13250 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
13251 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
13252 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
13253 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
13254 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
13255 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
13256 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
13257 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
13258 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
13259 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
13261 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
13262 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
13267 @code{nnml} is the backend which smells the most as though you were
13268 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
13269 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
13270 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
13271 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
13272 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
13273 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
13274 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
13275 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
13276 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
13277 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
13278 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
13279 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
13280 provided by the active file and overviews.
13282 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
13283 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
13284 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
13285 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
13286 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
13289 It is also problematic using this backend if you are living in a
13290 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
13295 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
13296 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
13297 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
13298 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
13299 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
13300 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
13301 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
13305 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
13306 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
13307 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
13308 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
13309 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
13310 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
13311 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
13312 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
13313 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
13315 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
13316 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
13317 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
13318 friendly mail backend all over.
13323 @node Browsing the Web
13324 @section Browsing the Web
13326 @cindex browsing the web
13330 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
13331 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
13332 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
13333 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
13334 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
13335 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
13336 even know what a news group is.
13338 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
13339 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
13340 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
13341 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
13342 you mad in the end.
13344 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
13347 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of backends for providing
13348 interfaces to these sources.
13351 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
13352 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
13353 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
13354 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
13355 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
13356 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
13359 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
13361 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
13362 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
13363 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus backend
13364 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these backends,
13365 though, you should be ok.
13367 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
13368 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
13369 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
13370 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
13371 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
13375 @subsection Web Searches
13379 @cindex InReference
13380 @cindex Usenet searches
13381 @cindex searching the Usenet
13383 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
13384 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
13385 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
13386 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
13387 searches without having to use a browser.
13389 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
13390 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
13391 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
13392 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
13393 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
13395 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
13396 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
13397 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
13398 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
13399 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
13400 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
13401 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
13402 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
13403 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
13404 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
13407 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
13408 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
13409 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
13410 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
13411 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
13412 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
13414 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
13415 to use @code{nnweb}.
13417 Virtual server variables:
13422 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
13423 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
13427 @vindex nnweb-search
13428 The search string to feed to the search engine.
13430 @item nnweb-max-hits
13431 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
13432 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
13435 @item nnweb-type-definition
13436 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
13437 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
13438 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
13443 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
13447 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
13450 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
13453 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
13457 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
13464 @subsection Slashdot
13468 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
13469 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
13470 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
13472 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
13473 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
13476 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
13477 '((nnslashdot "")))
13480 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} backend for new comments
13481 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
13482 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
13483 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
13484 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
13487 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
13488 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13490 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
13491 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
13492 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
13493 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
13494 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
13495 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
13498 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
13501 @item nnslashdot-threaded
13502 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
13503 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
13504 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
13505 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
13506 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
13507 but much, much slower than untreaded.
13509 @item nnslashdot-login-name
13510 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
13511 The login name to use when posting.
13513 @item nnslashdot-password
13514 @vindex nnslashdot-password
13515 The password to use when posting.
13517 @item nnslashdot-directory
13518 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
13519 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
13520 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
13522 @item nnslashdot-active-url
13523 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
13524 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
13525 news articles and comments. The default is
13526 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
13528 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
13529 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
13530 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
13532 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
13534 @item nnslashdot-article-url
13535 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
13536 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
13538 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
13540 @item nnslashdot-threshold
13541 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
13542 The score threshold. The default is -1.
13544 @item nnslashdot-group-number
13545 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
13546 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
13547 updated. The default is 0.
13554 @subsection Ultimate
13556 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
13558 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
13559 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
13560 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
13561 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
13563 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
13564 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
13565 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
13566 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
13567 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
13568 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
13569 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
13571 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
13574 @item nnultimate-directory
13575 @vindex nnultimate-directory
13576 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
13577 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
13582 @subsection Web Archive
13584 @cindex Web Archive
13586 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
13587 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
13588 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
13589 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13592 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
13593 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
13594 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
13595 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
13596 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
13597 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
13598 backend by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
13600 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
13603 @item nnwarchive-directory
13604 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
13605 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
13606 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
13608 @item nnwarchive-login
13609 @vindex nnwarchive-login
13610 The account name on the web server.
13612 @item nnwarchive-passwd
13613 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
13614 The password for your account on the web server.
13622 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
13623 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
13624 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13627 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
13628 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
13631 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
13634 @item nnrss-directory
13635 @vindex nnrss-directory
13636 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
13637 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
13641 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
13642 the summary buffer.
13645 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
13646 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
13648 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
13650 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
13651 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
13654 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
13657 (require 'browse-url)
13659 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
13661 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
13664 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
13665 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
13667 (browse-url (cdr url))
13668 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
13670 (eval-after-load "gnus"
13671 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
13672 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
13673 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
13676 @node Customizing w3
13677 @subsection Customizing w3
13683 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
13684 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
13685 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
13687 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
13688 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
13689 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
13692 (eval-after-load "w3"
13694 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
13695 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
13696 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
13697 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
13699 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
13702 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
13703 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
13707 @node Other Sources
13708 @section Other Sources
13710 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
13711 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
13715 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
13716 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
13717 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
13718 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
13719 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
13720 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
13724 @node Directory Groups
13725 @subsection Directory Groups
13727 @cindex directory groups
13729 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
13730 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
13733 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
13734 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
13735 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
13736 backend to read directories. Big deal.
13738 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
13739 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
13740 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
13741 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
13742 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
13744 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
13746 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
13747 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
13748 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
13749 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
13752 @node Anything Groups
13753 @subsection Anything Groups
13756 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
13757 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
13758 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
13761 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
13762 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
13763 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
13764 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
13765 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
13766 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
13767 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
13768 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
13769 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
13770 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
13773 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
13774 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
13775 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
13776 in the article buffer, just as usual.
13778 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
13779 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
13780 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
13781 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
13783 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
13784 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
13785 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
13786 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
13787 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
13788 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
13789 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
13790 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
13795 @item nneething-map-file-directory
13796 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
13797 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
13798 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
13800 @item nneething-exclude-files
13801 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
13802 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
13803 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
13805 @item nneething-include-files
13806 @vindex nneething-include-files
13807 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
13808 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
13810 @item nneething-map-file
13811 @vindex nneething-map-file
13812 Name of the map files.
13816 @node Document Groups
13817 @subsection Document Groups
13819 @cindex documentation group
13822 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
13823 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
13830 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
13835 The standard Unix mbox file.
13837 @cindex MMDF mail box
13839 The MMDF mail box format.
13842 Several news articles appended into a file.
13845 @cindex rnews batch files
13846 The rnews batch transport format.
13847 @cindex forwarded messages
13850 Forwarded articles.
13853 Netscape mail boxes.
13856 MIME multipart messages.
13858 @item standard-digest
13859 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
13862 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
13865 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
13866 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
13867 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
13870 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
13871 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
13872 group. And that's it.
13874 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
13875 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
13876 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
13877 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
13878 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
13879 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
13880 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
13881 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
13882 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
13883 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
13885 Virtual server variables:
13888 @item nndoc-article-type
13889 @vindex nndoc-article-type
13890 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
13891 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
13892 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
13893 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
13895 @item nndoc-post-type
13896 @vindex nndoc-post-type
13897 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
13898 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
13903 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
13907 @node Document Server Internals
13908 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
13910 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
13911 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
13912 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
13913 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
13915 First, here's an example document type definition:
13919 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
13920 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
13923 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
13924 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
13925 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
13926 types can be defined with very few settings:
13929 @item first-article
13930 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
13931 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
13934 @item article-begin
13935 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
13936 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
13938 @item head-begin-function
13939 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
13942 @item nndoc-head-begin
13943 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
13946 @item nndoc-head-end
13947 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
13948 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
13950 @item body-begin-function
13951 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
13955 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
13958 @item body-end-function
13959 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
13963 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
13966 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
13967 regexp will be totally ignored.
13971 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
13972 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
13973 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
13974 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
13975 something that's palatable for Gnus:
13978 @item prepare-body-function
13979 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
13980 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
13981 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
13983 @item article-transform-function
13984 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
13985 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
13986 body of the article.
13988 @item generate-head-function
13989 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
13990 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
13991 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
13992 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
13996 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
14001 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
14002 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
14003 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
14004 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
14005 (head-end . "^ ?$")
14006 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
14007 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
14008 (subtype digest guess))
14011 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
14012 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
14013 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
14014 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
14015 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
14017 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
14018 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
14019 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
14020 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
14021 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
14022 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
14023 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
14024 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
14025 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
14026 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
14034 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
14035 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
14036 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
14038 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
14039 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
14040 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
14043 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
14044 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
14045 that interested in doing things properly.
14047 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
14048 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
14051 First some terminology:
14056 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
14057 get news and/or mail from.
14060 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
14061 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
14064 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
14068 @item message packets
14069 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
14070 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
14071 default, where @var{x} is a number.
14073 @item response packets
14074 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
14075 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
14076 default, where @var{x} is a number.
14086 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
14087 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
14088 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
14089 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
14092 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
14095 You put the packet in your home directory.
14098 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
14099 the native or secondary server.
14102 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
14103 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
14106 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
14110 You transfer this packet to the server.
14113 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
14116 You then repeat until you die.
14120 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
14121 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
14124 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
14125 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
14126 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
14130 @node SOUP Commands
14131 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
14133 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
14137 @kindex G s b (Group)
14138 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
14139 Pack all unread articles in the current group
14140 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
14141 process/prefix convention.
14144 @kindex G s w (Group)
14145 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
14146 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
14149 @kindex G s s (Group)
14150 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
14151 Send all replies from the replies packet
14152 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
14155 @kindex G s p (Group)
14156 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
14157 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
14160 @kindex G s r (Group)
14161 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
14162 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
14165 @kindex O s (Summary)
14166 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
14167 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
14168 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
14169 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14174 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
14179 @item gnus-soup-directory
14180 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
14181 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
14182 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
14184 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
14185 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
14186 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
14187 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
14189 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
14190 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
14191 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
14192 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
14194 @item gnus-soup-packer
14195 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
14196 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
14197 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
14199 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
14200 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
14201 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
14202 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
14204 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
14205 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
14206 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
14208 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
14209 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
14210 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
14211 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
14217 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
14220 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
14221 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
14222 you can read them at leisure.
14224 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
14228 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
14229 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
14230 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
14231 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
14233 @item nnsoup-directory
14234 @vindex nnsoup-directory
14235 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
14236 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
14238 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
14239 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
14240 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
14241 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
14243 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
14244 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
14245 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
14246 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
14247 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
14249 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
14250 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
14251 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
14252 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
14254 @item nnsoup-active-file
14255 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
14256 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
14257 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
14258 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
14259 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
14261 @item nnsoup-packer
14262 @vindex nnsoup-packer
14263 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
14264 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
14266 @item nnsoup-unpacker
14267 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
14268 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
14269 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
14271 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
14272 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
14273 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
14276 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
14277 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
14278 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
14281 @item nnsoup-always-save
14282 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
14283 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
14289 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
14291 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
14292 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
14293 more for that to happen.
14295 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
14296 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
14297 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
14300 In specific, this is what it does:
14303 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
14304 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
14307 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
14308 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
14309 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
14312 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
14313 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
14314 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
14317 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
14318 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
14319 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
14321 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
14327 @item nngateway-address
14328 @vindex nngateway-address
14329 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
14331 @item nngateway-header-transformation
14332 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
14333 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
14334 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
14335 transformation should be called, and defaults to
14336 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
14337 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
14340 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
14341 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
14342 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
14345 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
14348 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
14351 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
14354 The following pre-defined functions exist:
14356 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
14359 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
14360 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
14361 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
14363 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
14365 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
14366 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
14367 @code{nngateway-address}.
14372 (setq gnus-post-method
14374 "mail2news@@replay.com"
14375 (nngateway-header-transformation
14376 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
14384 So, to use this, simply say something like:
14387 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
14393 @subsection @sc{imap}
14397 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14398 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14399 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14400 specify the network address of the server.
14402 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14403 POP can, it can hence be viewed as POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14404 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14405 protocol. (@sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp} because news
14406 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.)
14408 If you want to use @sc{imap} as POP++, use an imap entry in
14409 mail-sources. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the @sc{imap}
14410 server and store them on the local disk. This is not the usage
14411 described in this section. @xref{Mail Sources}.
14413 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14414 entry in gnus-secondary-select-methods. With this, Gnus will
14415 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14416 usage explained in this section.
14418 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14419 might look something like this:
14422 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14423 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14424 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14426 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14427 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14428 ; a UW server running on localhost
14430 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14431 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14432 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14433 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14434 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14435 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14436 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
14437 (nnimap-stream network))
14438 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
14440 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
14441 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
14442 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
14445 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
14450 @item nnimap-address
14451 @vindex nnimap-address
14453 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
14454 server name if not specified.
14456 @item nnimap-server-port
14457 @vindex nnimap-server-port
14458 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
14460 Note that this should be a integer, example server specification:
14463 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14464 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
14467 @item nnimap-list-pattern
14468 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
14469 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
14470 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
14471 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
14472 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
14473 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
14475 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
14476 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
14477 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14480 Example server specification:
14483 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14484 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14485 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14488 @item nnimap-stream
14489 @vindex nnimap-stream
14490 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14491 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14492 of SSL. (SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can be automatically
14493 detected, but it's not widely deployed yet).
14495 Example server specification:
14498 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14499 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14502 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14506 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Requires the
14507 @samp{imtest} program.
14509 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
14511 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14512 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14515 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the
14516 program @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
14518 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14520 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14523 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14524 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
14525 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
14526 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
14527 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
14528 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
14529 restrictions on IMAP commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
14530 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
14531 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14534 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14535 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14536 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14537 and nnimap support it too - although the most recent versions of
14538 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14539 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14540 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14543 @vindex imap-shell-program
14544 @vindex imap-shell-host
14545 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14546 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14548 @item nnimap-authenticator
14549 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14551 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14552 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14554 Example server specification:
14557 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14558 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14561 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14565 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
14566 external program @code{imtest}.
14568 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
14571 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
14572 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14574 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14576 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14578 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14581 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14583 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14584 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14585 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14586 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14587 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14588 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14591 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14592 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14593 running in circles yet?
14595 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14596 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14599 The possible options are:
14604 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14607 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14608 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14609 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14610 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14612 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14617 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
14618 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
14620 If non-nil, marks dormant articles as ticked (as well), for other IMAP
14621 clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will naturally still (only) be
14622 marked as ticked. This is to make dormant articles stand out, just
14623 like ticked articles, in other IMAP clients. (In other words, Gnus has
14624 two ``Tick'' marks and IMAP has only one.)
14626 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
14627 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
14630 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
14631 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14632 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
14633 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14636 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
14637 as ticked for other users.
14639 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
14641 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
14643 This variable contain the IMAP search command sent to server when
14644 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
14645 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
14646 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
14648 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
14649 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
14650 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
14651 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
14653 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14654 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14656 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14657 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14658 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14664 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14665 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14666 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14671 @node Splitting in IMAP
14672 @subsubsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
14673 @cindex splitting imap mail
14675 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14676 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14677 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14678 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14679 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14683 Here are the variables of interest:
14687 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14688 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14690 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14692 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14693 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14695 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14697 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14698 @cindex splitting, inbox
14700 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14702 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14703 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14707 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14708 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14711 No nnmail equivalent.
14713 @item nnimap-split-rule
14714 @cindex Splitting, rules
14715 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14717 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14720 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14721 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14722 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14723 Neither did I, we need examples.
14726 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14728 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14729 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14730 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14733 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14734 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14735 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
14737 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14738 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14742 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14745 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14746 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14747 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14748 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14750 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14751 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14752 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14753 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
14754 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14755 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14757 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14758 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14759 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14761 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14762 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14763 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14765 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
14767 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14768 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14769 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14772 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14773 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14774 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14775 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14776 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14777 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14780 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14781 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14782 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14783 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14784 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14785 group/function elements.
14787 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14789 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14791 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14793 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14794 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14796 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14797 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14798 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14801 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14802 @cindex splitting, fancy
14803 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14804 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14806 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14807 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14808 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14810 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14811 nnimap backends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14812 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14813 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14818 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14819 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14822 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14826 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14827 @subsubsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14828 @cindex editing imap acls
14829 @cindex Access Control Lists
14830 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14832 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14834 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14835 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14836 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14839 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14840 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14841 editing window with detailed instructions.
14843 Some possible uses:
14847 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
14848 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
14849 follow the list without subscribing to it.
14851 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
14852 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
14853 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
14857 @node Expunging mailboxes
14858 @subsubsection Expunging mailboxes
14862 @cindex Manual expunging
14864 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
14866 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
14867 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
14868 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
14870 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
14875 @node Combined Groups
14876 @section Combined Groups
14878 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
14882 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
14883 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
14887 @node Virtual Groups
14888 @subsection Virtual Groups
14890 @cindex virtual groups
14891 @cindex merging groups
14893 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
14896 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
14897 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
14898 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
14900 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
14901 regexp to match component groups.
14903 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
14904 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
14905 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
14906 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
14907 the virtual group.)
14909 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
14910 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
14913 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
14916 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
14917 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
14919 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
14920 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
14921 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
14922 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
14925 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
14928 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
14929 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
14930 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
14932 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
14933 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
14934 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
14935 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
14936 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
14938 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
14939 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
14940 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
14942 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
14943 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
14944 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
14945 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
14946 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
14947 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
14948 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
14949 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
14950 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
14951 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
14952 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
14954 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
14955 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
14956 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
14957 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
14958 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
14959 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
14960 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
14962 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
14963 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
14967 @node Kibozed Groups
14968 @subsection Kibozed Groups
14972 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
14973 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
14974 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
14975 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
14977 @kindex G k (Group)
14978 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
14981 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
14982 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
14983 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
14984 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
14986 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
14987 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
14988 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
14990 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
14991 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
14992 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
14993 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
14994 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
14995 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
14996 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
14997 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
14999 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
15000 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
15001 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
15002 Stranger things have happened.
15004 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
15005 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
15007 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
15008 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
15009 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
15010 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
15011 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
15012 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
15014 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
15015 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
15018 @node Gnus Unplugged
15019 @section Gnus Unplugged
15024 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
15026 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
15027 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
15028 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
15029 read news. Believe it or not.
15031 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
15032 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
15033 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
15034 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
15035 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
15037 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
15038 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
15039 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
15040 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
15041 reading news on a machine.
15043 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
15047 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
15048 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
15052 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
15053 @file{.gnus.el} file:
15060 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
15062 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
15065 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
15066 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
15067 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
15068 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
15069 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
15070 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
15071 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
15072 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
15073 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
15074 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
15079 @subsection Agent Basics
15081 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
15083 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
15084 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
15085 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
15086 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
15088 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
15089 connected to the net continuously.
15091 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
15092 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
15094 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
15099 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
15100 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
15101 already fetched while in this mode.
15104 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
15105 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
15106 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
15107 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
15108 Source Specifiers}).
15111 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
15112 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
15113 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
15114 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
15115 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
15118 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
15119 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
15120 then you read the news offline.
15123 And then you go to step 2.
15126 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
15132 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
15133 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
15134 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
15135 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
15136 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
15137 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
15140 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
15147 @node Agent Categories
15148 @subsection Agent Categories
15150 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
15151 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
15152 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
15153 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
15154 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
15155 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
15156 you're interested in the articles anyway.
15158 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
15159 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
15160 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
15161 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
15162 managing categories.
15165 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
15166 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
15167 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
15171 @node Category Syntax
15172 @subsubsection Category Syntax
15174 A category consists of two things.
15178 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
15179 are eligible for downloading; and
15182 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
15183 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
15184 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
15187 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
15188 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
15189 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
15190 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
15192 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
15193 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
15194 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
15196 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
15197 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
15198 operators sprinkled in between.
15200 Perhaps some examples are in order.
15202 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
15203 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
15209 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
15210 short (for some value of ``short'').
15212 Here's a more complex predicate:
15221 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
15222 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
15225 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
15226 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
15227 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
15229 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
15230 you want to do, you can write your own.
15234 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
15235 lines; default 100.
15238 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
15239 lines; default 200.
15242 True iff the article has a download score less than
15243 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
15246 True iff the article has a download score greater than
15247 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
15250 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
15251 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
15252 checksum and sees whether articles match.
15261 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
15262 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
15263 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
15266 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
15267 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
15268 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
15269 something along the lines of the following:
15272 (defun my-article-old-p ()
15273 "Say whether an article is old."
15274 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
15275 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
15278 with the predicate then defined as:
15281 (not my-article-old-p)
15284 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
15285 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
15286 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
15287 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
15290 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
15291 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
15292 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
15295 and simply specify your predicate as:
15301 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
15302 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
15303 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
15304 just don't give a damn.
15306 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
15307 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
15308 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
15309 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
15310 parameters like so:
15313 (agent-predicate . short)
15316 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
15317 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
15318 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
15320 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
15323 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
15326 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
15327 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
15328 predicate is assumed to be a list.
15331 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
15332 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
15333 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
15334 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
15335 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
15336 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
15338 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
15339 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
15340 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
15341 if it's to be specific to that group.
15343 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
15350 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
15351 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
15357 Category specification
15361 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15367 Group Parameter specification
15370 (agent-score ("from"
15371 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15376 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
15382 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
15389 Category specification
15392 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
15398 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
15402 Group Parameter specification
15405 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
15408 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
15413 Use @code{normal} score files
15415 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
15416 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
15417 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
15418 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
15420 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
15421 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
15422 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
15423 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
15427 Category Specification
15434 Group Parameter specification
15437 (agent-score . file)
15442 @node Category Buffer
15443 @subsubsection Category Buffer
15445 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
15446 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
15447 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
15449 The following commands are available in this buffer:
15453 @kindex q (Category)
15454 @findex gnus-category-exit
15455 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
15458 @kindex k (Category)
15459 @findex gnus-category-kill
15460 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
15463 @kindex c (Category)
15464 @findex gnus-category-copy
15465 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
15468 @kindex a (Category)
15469 @findex gnus-category-add
15470 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
15473 @kindex p (Category)
15474 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
15475 Edit the predicate of the current category
15476 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
15479 @kindex g (Category)
15480 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
15481 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
15482 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
15485 @kindex s (Category)
15486 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
15487 Edit the download score rule of the current category
15488 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
15491 @kindex l (Category)
15492 @findex gnus-category-list
15493 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
15497 @node Category Variables
15498 @subsubsection Category Variables
15501 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
15502 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
15503 Hook run in category buffers.
15505 @item gnus-category-line-format
15506 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
15507 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
15508 Variables}). Valid elements are:
15512 The name of the category.
15515 The number of groups in the category.
15518 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
15519 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
15520 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
15522 @item gnus-agent-short-article
15523 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
15524 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
15526 @item gnus-agent-long-article
15527 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
15528 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
15530 @item gnus-agent-low-score
15531 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
15532 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
15535 @item gnus-agent-high-score
15536 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
15537 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
15543 @node Agent Commands
15544 @subsection Agent Commands
15546 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
15547 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
15548 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
15552 * Group Agent Commands::
15553 * Summary Agent Commands::
15554 * Server Agent Commands::
15557 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
15558 following incantation:
15560 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
15562 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
15567 @node Group Agent Commands
15568 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
15572 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
15573 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
15574 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
15575 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
15578 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
15579 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
15580 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
15583 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
15584 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
15585 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
15586 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
15589 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
15590 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
15591 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
15592 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
15595 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
15596 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
15597 Add the current group to an Agent category
15598 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
15599 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15602 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
15603 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
15604 Remove the current group from its category, if any
15605 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
15606 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15609 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
15610 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15611 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
15617 @node Summary Agent Commands
15618 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
15622 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
15623 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
15624 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
15627 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
15628 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
15629 Remove the downloading mark from the article
15630 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
15633 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
15634 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
15635 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
15638 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
15639 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
15640 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
15643 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
15644 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
15645 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
15646 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
15651 @node Server Agent Commands
15652 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
15656 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
15657 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
15658 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
15659 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
15662 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
15663 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
15664 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
15665 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
15671 @subsection Agent Expiry
15673 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
15674 @findex gnus-agent-expire
15675 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
15676 @cindex Agent expiry
15677 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
15680 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
15681 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
15682 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
15683 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
15684 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
15685 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
15687 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
15688 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
15689 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
15690 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
15691 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
15694 @node Agent and IMAP
15695 @subsection Agent and IMAP
15697 The Agent work with any Gnus backend, including nnimap. However,
15698 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
15699 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
15700 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
15702 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
15703 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
15704 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
15705 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
15707 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
15708 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
15709 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
15710 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
15711 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
15713 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15714 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
15715 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
15716 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
15717 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
15718 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
15720 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
15721 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
15722 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
15723 in the group buffer by default.
15725 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
15726 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
15731 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
15734 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
15738 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
15739 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
15740 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
15741 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
15742 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
15743 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
15744 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
15745 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
15748 @node Outgoing Messages
15749 @subsection Outgoing Messages
15751 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
15752 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
15753 after posting, and edit them at will.
15755 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
15756 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
15757 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
15758 messages in the draft group.
15762 @node Agent Variables
15763 @subsection Agent Variables
15766 @item gnus-agent-directory
15767 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
15768 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
15769 @file{~/News/agent/}.
15771 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
15772 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
15773 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
15774 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
15775 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
15778 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15779 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15780 Hook run when connecting to the network.
15782 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15783 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15784 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
15789 @node Example Setup
15790 @subsection Example Setup
15792 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
15793 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
15794 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
15797 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
15798 ;;; from your ISP's server.
15799 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
15801 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
15802 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
15803 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
15805 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
15806 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
15808 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
15812 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
15813 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
15816 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
15817 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
15818 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
15819 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
15820 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
15823 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
15824 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
15825 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
15826 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
15827 back all the killed groups.)
15829 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
15830 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
15831 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
15834 @node Batching Agents
15835 @subsection Batching Agents
15837 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
15838 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
15839 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
15843 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
15847 @node Agent Caveats
15848 @subsection Agent Caveats
15850 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
15851 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
15855 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
15860 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
15861 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
15867 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
15868 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
15875 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
15876 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
15877 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
15880 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
15881 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
15882 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
15883 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
15884 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
15886 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
15887 before generating the summary buffer.
15889 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
15890 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
15891 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
15893 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
15894 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
15895 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
15896 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
15899 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
15900 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
15901 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
15902 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
15903 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
15904 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
15905 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
15906 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
15907 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
15908 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
15909 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
15910 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
15911 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
15912 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
15913 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
15914 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
15915 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
15919 @node Summary Score Commands
15920 @section Summary Score Commands
15921 @cindex score commands
15923 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
15924 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
15925 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
15926 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
15927 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
15929 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
15930 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
15931 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
15932 score file the current one.
15934 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
15939 @kindex V s (Summary)
15940 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
15941 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
15944 @kindex V S (Summary)
15945 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
15946 Display the score of the current article
15947 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
15950 @kindex V t (Summary)
15951 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
15952 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
15953 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
15956 @kindex V R (Summary)
15957 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
15958 Run the current summary through the scoring process
15959 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
15960 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
15961 effect you're having.
15964 @kindex V c (Summary)
15965 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
15966 Make a different score file the current
15967 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
15970 @kindex V e (Summary)
15971 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
15972 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
15973 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
15977 @kindex V f (Summary)
15978 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
15979 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
15980 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
15983 @kindex V F (Summary)
15984 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
15985 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
15986 after editing score files.
15989 @kindex V C (Summary)
15990 @findex gnus-score-customize
15991 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
15992 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
15996 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
16001 @kindex V m (Summary)
16002 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
16003 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
16004 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
16007 @kindex V x (Summary)
16008 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
16009 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
16010 expunge all articles below this score
16011 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
16014 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
16015 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
16018 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
16019 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
16023 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
16024 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
16026 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
16027 keys are available:
16031 Score on the author name.
16034 Score on the subject line.
16037 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
16040 Score on the @code{References} line.
16046 Score on the number of lines.
16049 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
16052 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
16053 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
16054 @file{ADAPT} files.)
16063 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
16069 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
16070 what headers you are scoring on.
16082 Substring matching.
16085 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
16114 Greater than number.
16119 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
16120 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
16121 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
16125 Temporary score entry.
16128 Permanent score entry.
16131 Immediately scoring.
16136 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
16137 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
16138 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
16139 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
16141 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
16142 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
16143 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
16144 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
16145 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
16147 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
16148 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
16149 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
16150 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
16151 current score file.
16153 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
16154 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
16155 pretend they are keymaps or not.
16158 @node Group Score Commands
16159 @section Group Score Commands
16160 @cindex group score commands
16162 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
16167 @kindex W f (Group)
16168 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16169 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
16170 all the time. This command will flush the cache
16171 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
16175 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
16177 @findex gnus-batch-score
16178 @cindex batch scoring
16180 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
16184 @node Score Variables
16185 @section Score Variables
16186 @cindex score variables
16190 @item gnus-use-scoring
16191 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
16192 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
16193 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
16195 @item gnus-kill-killed
16196 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
16197 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
16198 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
16199 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
16200 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
16201 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
16202 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
16204 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
16205 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
16206 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
16207 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
16208 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
16210 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
16211 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
16212 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
16213 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
16215 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16216 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16217 @cindex score cache
16218 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
16219 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
16220 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
16221 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
16222 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
16223 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
16226 @item gnus-save-score
16227 @vindex gnus-save-score
16228 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
16229 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
16230 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
16232 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
16233 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
16234 across group visits.
16236 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16237 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16238 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
16239 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
16240 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
16241 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
16242 manually entered data.
16244 @item gnus-summary-default-score
16245 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
16246 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
16248 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
16249 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
16250 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
16251 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
16252 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
16253 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
16255 @item gnus-score-over-mark
16256 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
16257 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
16258 default. Default is @samp{+}.
16260 @item gnus-score-below-mark
16261 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
16262 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
16263 default. Default is @samp{-}.
16265 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16266 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16267 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
16268 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
16270 Predefined functions available are:
16273 @item gnus-score-find-single
16274 @findex gnus-score-find-single
16275 Only apply the group's own score file.
16277 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
16278 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
16279 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
16280 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
16281 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
16282 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
16283 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
16284 then a regexp match is done.
16286 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
16287 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
16289 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
16290 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
16291 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
16292 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
16294 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16295 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16296 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
16297 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
16298 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
16302 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
16303 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
16304 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
16305 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
16306 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
16307 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
16308 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
16311 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
16312 overall score file, you could use the value
16314 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
16315 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
16318 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
16319 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
16320 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
16321 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
16322 are expired. It's 7 by default.
16324 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16325 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16326 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
16327 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
16328 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
16329 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
16330 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
16333 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16334 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16335 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
16337 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
16338 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
16339 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
16340 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
16341 threading---according to the current value of
16342 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
16343 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
16344 simplified in this manner.
16349 @node Score File Format
16350 @section Score File Format
16351 @cindex score file format
16353 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
16354 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
16355 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
16357 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
16361 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
16363 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
16365 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
16367 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
16372 (mark-and-expunge -10)
16376 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
16377 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
16378 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
16379 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
16383 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
16384 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
16386 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
16387 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
16388 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
16390 Six keys are supported by this alist:
16395 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
16396 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
16397 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
16398 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
16399 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
16400 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
16401 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
16402 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
16403 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
16404 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
16405 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
16406 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
16407 to articles that matches these score entries.
16409 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
16410 score entry has one to four elements.
16414 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
16415 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
16419 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
16420 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
16421 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
16422 is successful. If this element is not present, the
16423 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
16424 instead. This is 1000 by default.
16427 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
16428 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
16429 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
16430 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
16431 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
16434 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
16435 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
16436 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
16437 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
16440 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
16441 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
16442 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
16443 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
16444 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
16445 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
16446 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
16447 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
16448 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
16449 instead, if you feel like.
16452 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
16453 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
16455 These predicates are true if
16458 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
16461 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
16462 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
16469 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
16470 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
16471 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
16472 it's not. I think.)
16474 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
16475 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
16476 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
16477 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
16480 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
16481 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
16482 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
16483 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
16484 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
16485 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
16486 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
16490 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
16491 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
16492 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
16493 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
16494 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
16495 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
16496 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
16497 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
16500 @item Head, Body, All
16501 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
16505 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
16506 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
16507 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
16508 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
16509 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
16510 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
16511 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
16515 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
16516 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
16517 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
16518 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
16519 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
16520 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
16521 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
16522 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
16523 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
16524 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
16525 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
16529 @cindex Score File Atoms
16531 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16532 lower than this number will be marked as read.
16535 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16536 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
16538 @item mark-and-expunge
16539 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16540 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
16543 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
16544 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
16545 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
16546 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
16547 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
16550 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
16551 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
16554 @item exclude-files
16555 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
16556 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
16560 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
16561 ignored when handling global score files.
16564 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
16565 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
16566 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
16567 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
16570 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
16571 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
16572 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
16573 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
16575 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
16579 (mark-and-expunge -100)
16582 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
16583 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
16584 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
16585 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
16586 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
16588 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
16589 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
16590 scoring rules exist.
16593 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
16594 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
16595 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
16596 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
16597 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
16598 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
16599 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
16600 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
16601 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
16602 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
16603 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
16607 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
16608 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
16609 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
16610 file for a number of groups.
16613 @cindex local variables
16614 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
16615 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
16616 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
16617 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
16618 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
16622 @node Score File Editing
16623 @section Score File Editing
16625 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
16626 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
16627 with a mode for that.
16629 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
16630 additional commands:
16635 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
16636 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
16637 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
16638 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
16641 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
16642 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
16643 Insert the current date in numerical format
16644 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
16645 you were wondering.
16648 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
16649 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
16650 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
16651 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
16652 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
16657 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
16659 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
16660 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
16662 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
16663 e} to begin editing score files.
16666 @node Adaptive Scoring
16667 @section Adaptive Scoring
16668 @cindex adaptive scoring
16670 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
16671 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
16672 stupidity, to be precise.
16674 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
16675 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
16676 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
16677 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
16678 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
16679 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
16680 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
16681 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
16682 variable to @code{(word line)}.
16684 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16685 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
16686 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
16687 might look something like this:
16690 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16691 '((gnus-unread-mark)
16692 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
16693 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
16694 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
16695 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
16696 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
16697 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
16698 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
16699 (gnus-ancient-mark)
16700 (gnus-low-score-mark)
16701 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
16704 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
16705 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
16706 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
16707 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
16708 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
16709 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
16712 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
16713 will be applied to each article.
16715 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
16716 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
16717 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
16718 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
16720 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
16721 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
16722 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
16723 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
16725 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
16726 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
16727 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
16728 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
16730 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
16731 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
16732 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
16733 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
16734 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
16735 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
16737 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
16738 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
16739 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
16740 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
16741 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
16742 aspirins afterwards.)
16744 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
16745 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
16746 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
16748 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
16749 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
16750 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
16752 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
16753 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
16754 let you use different rules in different groups.
16756 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
16757 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
16758 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
16761 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
16762 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
16763 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
16764 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
16765 the length of the match is less than
16766 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
16767 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
16770 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16771 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
16772 headers. If you adapt on words, the
16773 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
16774 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
16777 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16778 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
16779 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
16780 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
16781 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
16784 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
16785 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
16786 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
16787 score with 30 points.
16789 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
16790 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
16791 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
16792 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
16793 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
16795 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
16796 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
16797 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
16798 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
16799 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
16801 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
16802 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
16803 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
16804 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
16806 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
16807 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
16808 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
16809 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
16811 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
16812 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
16813 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
16814 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
16815 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
16817 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
16818 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
16819 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
16821 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
16822 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
16823 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
16824 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
16827 @node Home Score File
16828 @section Home Score File
16830 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
16831 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
16832 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
16833 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
16835 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
16836 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
16837 could perhaps use the same home score file.
16839 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
16840 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
16845 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
16849 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
16850 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
16854 A list. The elements in this list can be:
16858 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
16859 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
16862 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
16863 the home score file.
16866 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
16869 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
16874 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
16877 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16878 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
16881 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
16882 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
16884 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
16886 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16887 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
16890 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
16891 Other functions include
16894 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
16895 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
16896 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
16897 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
16901 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
16902 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
16903 their own home score files:
16906 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16907 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
16908 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
16909 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
16910 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
16913 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
16914 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
16915 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
16916 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
16917 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
16919 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
16920 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
16921 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
16922 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
16923 precedence over this variable.
16926 @node Followups To Yourself
16927 @section Followups To Yourself
16929 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
16930 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
16931 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
16932 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
16933 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
16934 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
16938 @item gnus-score-followup-article
16939 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
16940 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
16943 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
16944 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
16945 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
16949 @vindex message-sent-hook
16950 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
16951 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
16953 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
16957 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
16958 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
16962 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
16963 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
16966 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
16967 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
16972 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
16976 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
16977 is system-dependent.
16980 @node Scoring On Other Headers
16981 @section Scoring On Other Headers
16982 @cindex scoring on other headers
16984 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
16985 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
16986 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
16987 that Gnus has to request every single article from the backend to find
16988 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
16990 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
16991 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
16992 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
16993 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
16994 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
16996 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
16999 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
17000 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
17003 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
17004 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
17005 time if you have much mail.
17007 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
17008 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
17014 @section Scoring Tips
17015 @cindex scoring tips
17021 @cindex scoring crossposts
17022 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
17023 the @code{Xref} header.
17025 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
17028 @item Multiple crossposts
17029 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
17030 more than, say, 3 groups:
17033 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
17037 @item Matching on the body
17038 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
17039 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
17040 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
17041 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
17042 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
17043 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
17044 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
17047 @item Marking as read
17048 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
17049 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
17050 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
17054 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
17056 @item Negated character classes
17057 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
17058 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
17059 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
17063 @node Reverse Scoring
17064 @section Reverse Scoring
17065 @cindex reverse scoring
17067 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
17068 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
17069 like this in your score file:
17073 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
17078 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
17079 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
17082 @node Global Score Files
17083 @section Global Score Files
17084 @cindex global score files
17086 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
17087 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
17088 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
17090 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
17091 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
17092 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
17094 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
17095 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
17096 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
17097 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
17098 files are applicable to which group.
17100 To use the score file
17101 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
17102 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
17106 (setq gnus-global-score-files
17107 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
17108 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
17111 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
17113 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
17114 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
17115 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
17116 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
17118 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
17119 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
17121 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
17122 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
17123 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
17124 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
17125 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
17126 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
17128 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
17134 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
17136 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
17138 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
17140 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
17141 lowered out of existence.
17143 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
17144 articles completely.
17147 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
17148 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
17149 old articles for a long time.
17152 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
17153 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
17154 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
17155 holding our breath yet?
17159 @section Kill Files
17162 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
17163 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
17164 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
17166 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
17167 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
17168 files into score files.
17170 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
17171 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
17172 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
17173 that isn't a very good idea.
17175 Normal kill files look like this:
17178 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17179 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
17183 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
17184 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
17186 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
17187 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
17190 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
17195 @kindex M-k (Summary)
17196 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
17197 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
17200 @kindex M-K (Summary)
17201 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
17202 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
17205 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
17210 @kindex M-k (Group)
17211 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
17212 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
17215 @kindex M-K (Group)
17216 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
17217 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
17220 Kill file variables:
17223 @item gnus-kill-file-name
17224 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
17225 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
17226 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
17227 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
17228 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
17229 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
17231 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17232 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17233 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
17234 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
17237 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
17238 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
17239 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
17240 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
17241 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
17242 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
17243 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
17244 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
17245 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
17247 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17248 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17249 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
17254 @node Converting Kill Files
17255 @section Converting Kill Files
17257 @cindex converting kill files
17259 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
17260 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
17261 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
17264 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
17265 You can fetch it from
17266 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
17268 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
17269 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
17270 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
17278 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
17279 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
17280 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
17282 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
17283 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
17284 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
17285 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
17286 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
17287 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
17288 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
17289 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
17293 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
17294 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
17295 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
17296 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
17300 @node Using GroupLens
17301 @subsection Using GroupLens
17303 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
17305 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
17306 better bit in town at the moment.
17308 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
17312 @item gnus-use-grouplens
17313 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
17314 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
17315 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
17317 @item grouplens-pseudonym
17318 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
17319 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
17320 with the Better Bit Bureau.
17322 @item grouplens-newsgroups
17323 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
17324 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
17328 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
17329 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
17330 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
17331 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
17332 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
17333 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
17336 @node Rating Articles
17337 @subsection Rating Articles
17339 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
17340 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
17341 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
17342 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
17345 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
17350 @kindex r (GroupLens)
17351 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
17352 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
17355 @kindex k (GroupLens)
17356 @findex grouplens-score-thread
17357 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
17358 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
17359 threads in rec.humor.
17363 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
17364 the score of the article you're reading.
17369 @kindex n (GroupLens)
17370 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
17371 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
17374 @kindex , (GroupLens)
17375 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
17376 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
17380 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
17381 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
17384 @node Displaying Predictions
17385 @subsection Displaying Predictions
17387 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
17388 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
17389 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
17390 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
17391 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
17393 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
17394 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
17395 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
17396 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
17397 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
17398 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
17399 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
17400 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
17401 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
17402 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
17403 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
17404 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
17405 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
17407 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
17408 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
17409 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
17410 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
17412 The following are valid values for that variable.
17415 @item prediction-spot
17416 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
17419 @item confidence-interval
17420 A numeric confidence interval.
17422 @item prediction-bar
17423 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
17425 @item confidence-bar
17426 Numerical confidence.
17428 @item confidence-spot
17429 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
17431 @item prediction-num
17432 Plain-old numeric value.
17434 @item confidence-plus-minus
17435 Prediction +/- confidence.
17440 @node GroupLens Variables
17441 @subsection GroupLens Variables
17445 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
17446 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
17447 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
17448 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
17451 @item grouplens-bbb-host
17452 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
17455 @item grouplens-bbb-port
17456 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
17458 @item grouplens-score-offset
17459 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
17460 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
17463 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
17464 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
17465 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
17470 @node Advanced Scoring
17471 @section Advanced Scoring
17473 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
17474 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
17475 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
17476 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
17477 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
17479 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
17483 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
17484 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
17485 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
17489 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
17490 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
17492 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
17493 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
17494 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
17495 non-@code{nil} value.
17497 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
17498 operator, and various match operators.
17505 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
17506 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
17507 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
17512 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
17513 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
17514 then this operator will return @code{false}.
17519 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
17520 logical negation of the value of its argument.
17524 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
17525 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
17526 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
17527 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
17528 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
17529 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
17530 the ancestry you want to go.
17532 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
17533 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
17534 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
17535 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
17536 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
17539 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
17540 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
17542 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
17543 when he's talking about Gnus:
17547 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17548 ("subject" "Gnus"))
17554 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
17558 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17565 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
17566 really don't want to read what he's written:
17570 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17571 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
17575 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
17576 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
17577 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
17584 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
17585 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
17586 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
17587 ("body" "white.*socks"))
17591 The possibilities are endless.
17594 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
17595 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
17597 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
17598 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
17599 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
17600 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
17601 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
17602 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
17603 @samp{subject}) first.
17605 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
17606 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
17617 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
17618 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
17624 ("subject" "Gnus")))
17631 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
17632 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
17637 @section Score Decays
17638 @cindex score decays
17641 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
17642 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
17643 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
17644 use them in any sensible way.
17646 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
17647 @findex gnus-decay-score
17648 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
17649 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
17650 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
17651 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
17652 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
17653 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
17654 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
17655 definition of that function:
17658 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
17660 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
17661 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
17664 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
17666 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
17668 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
17671 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
17672 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
17673 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
17674 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
17678 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
17681 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
17684 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
17688 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
17689 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
17690 the new score, which should be an integer.
17692 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
17693 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
17700 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
17701 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
17702 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
17703 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
17704 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
17705 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
17706 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
17707 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
17708 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
17709 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
17710 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
17711 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
17712 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
17713 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
17714 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
17715 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
17716 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
17717 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
17721 @node Process/Prefix
17722 @section Process/Prefix
17723 @cindex process/prefix convention
17725 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
17726 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
17728 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
17729 command to be performed on.
17733 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
17734 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
17735 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
17736 with the current one.
17738 @vindex transient-mark-mode
17739 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
17740 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
17742 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
17743 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
17746 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
17747 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
17749 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
17752 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
17753 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
17754 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
17755 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
17757 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
17758 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
17759 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
17760 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
17761 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
17762 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
17763 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
17764 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
17766 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
17767 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
17768 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
17769 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
17770 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
17774 @section Interactive
17775 @cindex interaction
17779 @item gnus-novice-user
17780 @vindex gnus-novice-user
17781 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
17782 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
17783 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
17784 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
17787 @item gnus-expert-user
17788 @vindex gnus-expert-user
17789 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
17790 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
17791 matter how strange.
17793 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
17794 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
17795 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
17796 is @code{t} by default.
17798 @item gnus-interactive-exit
17799 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
17800 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
17805 @node Symbolic Prefixes
17806 @section Symbolic Prefixes
17807 @cindex symbolic prefixes
17809 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
17810 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
17811 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
17812 rule of 900 to the current article.
17814 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
17815 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
17816 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
17817 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
17818 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
17819 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
17820 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
17822 @kindex M-i (Summary)
17823 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
17824 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
17825 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
17826 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
17827 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
17828 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
17829 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
17830 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
17832 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
17833 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
17834 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
17836 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
17840 @node Formatting Variables
17841 @section Formatting Variables
17842 @cindex formatting variables
17844 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
17845 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
17846 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
17847 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
17848 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
17851 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
17852 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
17853 lots of percentages everywhere.
17856 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
17857 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
17858 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
17859 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
17860 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
17861 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
17862 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
17863 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
17866 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
17867 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
17868 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
17869 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
17870 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
17871 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
17872 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
17873 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
17875 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
17876 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
17878 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
17879 @findex gnus-update-format
17880 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
17881 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
17882 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
17883 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
17887 @node Formatting Basics
17888 @subsection Formatting Basics
17890 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
17891 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
17892 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
17894 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
17895 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
17896 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
17897 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
17898 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
17901 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
17902 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
17903 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
17904 less than 4 characters wide.
17907 @node Mode Line Formatting
17908 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
17910 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
17911 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
17912 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
17913 with the following two differences:
17918 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
17921 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
17922 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
17923 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
17924 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
17925 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
17926 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
17927 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
17932 @node Advanced Formatting
17933 @subsection Advanced Formatting
17935 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
17936 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
17937 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
17938 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
17940 These are the valid modifiers:
17945 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
17949 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
17954 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
17957 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
17962 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
17965 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
17968 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
17971 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
17975 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
17976 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
17977 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
17978 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
17979 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
17980 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
17981 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
17983 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
17984 last operation, padding.
17986 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
17987 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
17988 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
17989 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
17990 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
17991 the look of your lines.
17992 @xref{Compilation}.
17995 @node User-Defined Specs
17996 @subsection User-Defined Specs
17998 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
17999 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
18000 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
18001 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
18002 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
18003 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
18004 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
18005 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
18006 should protect against that.
18008 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
18009 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
18010 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
18011 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
18015 @node Formatting Fonts
18016 @subsection Formatting Fonts
18018 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
18019 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
18020 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
18021 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
18024 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
18025 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
18026 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
18027 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
18028 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
18029 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
18031 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
18032 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
18033 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
18034 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
18035 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
18036 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
18037 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
18038 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
18040 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
18043 ;; Create three face types.
18044 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
18045 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
18047 ;; We want the article count to be in
18048 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
18049 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
18050 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
18052 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
18053 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
18055 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
18056 (setq gnus-group-line-format
18057 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
18060 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
18061 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
18063 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
18064 mode-line variables.
18066 @node Positioning Point
18067 @subsection Positioning Point
18069 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
18070 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
18071 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
18073 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
18075 @findex gnus-goto-colon
18076 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
18077 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
18079 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
18080 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
18081 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
18086 @subsection Tabulation
18088 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
18089 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
18090 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
18091 about lining up the following text afterwards.
18093 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
18094 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
18096 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18097 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
18098 This is the soft tabulator.
18100 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18101 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
18102 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
18105 @node Wide Characters
18106 @subsection Wide Characters
18108 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
18109 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
18110 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
18112 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
18113 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
18114 these coutries, that's not true.
18116 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
18117 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
18118 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
18119 prettieer. The default value is @code{nil}.
18123 @node Window Layout
18124 @section Window Layout
18125 @cindex window layout
18127 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
18129 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
18130 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
18131 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
18132 @code{t} by default.
18134 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
18135 glitches. Use at your own peril.
18137 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
18138 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
18139 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
18142 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
18143 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
18144 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18148 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
18149 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
18150 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
18151 possible names is listed below.
18153 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
18154 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
18157 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18161 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
18162 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
18163 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
18164 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
18165 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
18166 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
18167 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
18168 size spec per split.
18170 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
18171 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
18172 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
18173 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
18174 present) gets focus.
18176 Here's a more complicated example:
18179 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
18180 (summary 0.25 point)
18181 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
18185 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
18186 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
18187 occupy, not a percentage.
18189 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
18190 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
18191 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
18192 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
18193 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
18196 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
18199 (article (horizontal 1.0
18204 (summary 0.25 point)
18209 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
18210 @code{horizontal} thingie?
18212 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
18213 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
18214 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
18215 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
18216 the screen is to be given to this strip.
18218 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
18219 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
18220 lines from the splits.
18222 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
18226 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
18227 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
18228 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
18229 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
18230 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
18231 size = number | frame-params
18232 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
18235 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
18236 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
18237 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
18238 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
18240 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
18241 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
18242 @cindex window height
18243 @cindex window width
18244 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
18245 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
18246 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
18247 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
18248 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
18249 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
18251 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
18252 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
18253 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
18254 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
18256 @findex gnus-configure-frame
18257 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
18258 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
18259 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
18260 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
18261 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
18262 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
18263 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
18264 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
18265 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
18266 configuration list.
18269 (gnus-configure-frame
18273 (article 0.3 point))
18281 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
18282 @code{frame} split:
18285 (gnus-configure-frame
18288 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
18290 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
18291 (user-position . t)
18292 (left . -1) (top . 1))
18297 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
18298 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
18299 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
18300 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
18301 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
18302 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
18303 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
18304 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
18306 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
18307 be found in its default value.
18309 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
18310 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
18311 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
18315 (message (horizontal 1.0
18316 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
18318 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
18323 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
18324 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
18325 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
18330 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
18331 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
18332 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
18333 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
18334 (name . "Message"))
18335 (message 1.0 point))))
18338 @findex gnus-add-configuration
18339 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
18340 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
18341 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
18342 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
18345 (gnus-add-configuration
18346 '(article (vertical 1.0
18348 (summary .25 point)
18352 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
18353 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
18354 Gnus has been loaded.
18356 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
18357 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
18358 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
18359 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
18360 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
18362 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
18363 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
18364 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
18367 @subsection Example Window Configurations
18371 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
18372 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
18387 (gnus-add-configuration
18390 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18392 (summary 0.16 point)
18395 (gnus-add-configuration
18398 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18399 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
18405 @node Faces and Fonts
18406 @section Faces and Fonts
18411 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
18412 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
18413 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
18418 @section Compilation
18419 @cindex compilation
18420 @cindex byte-compilation
18422 @findex gnus-compile
18424 Remember all those line format specification variables?
18425 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
18426 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
18427 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
18428 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
18429 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
18430 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
18431 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
18434 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
18435 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
18436 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
18437 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
18438 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
18441 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
18442 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
18443 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
18444 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
18445 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
18450 @section Mode Lines
18453 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
18454 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
18455 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
18456 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
18457 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
18458 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
18459 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
18462 @cindex display-time
18464 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
18465 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
18466 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
18467 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
18468 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
18469 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
18470 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
18471 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
18474 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
18476 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
18477 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
18479 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
18480 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
18481 (length display-time-string)))))
18484 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
18485 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
18486 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
18487 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
18488 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
18491 @node Highlighting and Menus
18492 @section Highlighting and Menus
18494 @cindex highlighting
18497 @vindex gnus-visual
18498 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
18499 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
18500 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
18503 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
18504 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
18507 @item group-highlight
18508 Do highlights in the group buffer.
18509 @item summary-highlight
18510 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
18511 @item article-highlight
18512 Do highlights in the article buffer.
18514 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
18516 Create menus in the group buffer.
18518 Create menus in the summary buffers.
18520 Create menus in the article buffer.
18522 Create menus in the browse buffer.
18524 Create menus in the server buffer.
18526 Create menus in the score buffers.
18528 Create menus in all buffers.
18531 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
18532 buffers, you could say something like:
18535 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
18538 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
18541 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
18544 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
18545 in all Gnus buffers.
18547 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
18550 @item gnus-mouse-face
18551 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
18552 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
18553 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
18557 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
18561 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
18562 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
18563 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
18565 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
18566 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
18567 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
18569 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
18570 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
18571 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
18573 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
18574 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
18575 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
18577 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
18578 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
18579 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
18581 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
18582 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
18583 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
18594 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
18595 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
18596 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
18597 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
18598 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
18602 @vindex gnus-carpal
18603 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
18604 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
18605 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
18610 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
18611 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
18612 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
18614 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
18615 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
18616 Face used on buttons.
18618 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
18619 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
18620 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
18622 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
18623 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
18624 Buttons in the group buffer.
18626 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
18627 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
18628 Buttons in the summary buffer.
18630 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
18631 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
18632 Buttons in the server buffer.
18634 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
18635 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
18636 Buttons in the browse buffer.
18639 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
18640 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
18641 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
18649 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
18650 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
18651 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
18652 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
18653 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
18655 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
18656 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
18657 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
18659 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
18660 been idle for thirty minutes:
18663 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
18666 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
18670 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
18673 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
18674 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
18675 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
18677 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
18678 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
18679 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
18680 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
18682 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
18683 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
18684 @var{idle} minutes.
18686 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
18687 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
18690 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
18691 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
18692 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
18694 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
18695 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
18696 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
18697 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
18699 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
18700 your @file{.gnus} file:
18702 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
18704 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
18707 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
18708 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
18709 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
18710 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
18711 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
18712 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
18713 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
18714 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
18715 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
18716 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
18717 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
18719 @findex gnus-demon-init
18720 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
18721 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
18722 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
18723 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
18724 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
18726 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
18727 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
18728 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
18737 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
18738 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
18740 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
18741 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
18742 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
18743 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
18746 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
18747 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
18748 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
18749 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
18751 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
18752 this will make spam disappear.
18754 There are some variables to customize, of course:
18757 @item gnus-use-nocem
18758 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
18759 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
18762 @item gnus-nocem-groups
18763 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
18764 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
18765 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
18766 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
18768 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
18769 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
18770 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
18771 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
18772 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
18773 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
18775 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
18776 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
18778 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
18779 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
18780 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
18781 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
18782 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
18783 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
18784 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
18785 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
18786 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
18787 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
18789 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
18790 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
18793 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
18796 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
18797 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
18800 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
18803 The specs are applied left-to-right.
18806 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
18807 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
18809 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
18810 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
18811 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
18812 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
18814 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
18815 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
18818 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
18820 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
18828 This might be dangerous, though.
18830 @item gnus-nocem-directory
18831 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
18832 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
18833 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
18835 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
18836 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
18837 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
18838 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
18839 might then see old spam.
18841 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
18842 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
18843 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
18844 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
18845 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
18848 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
18849 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
18850 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
18851 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
18855 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
18856 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
18857 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
18858 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
18865 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
18866 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
18867 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
18869 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
18870 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
18871 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
18872 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
18873 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
18874 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
18875 @code{undo} function.
18877 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
18878 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
18879 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
18880 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
18881 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
18882 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
18883 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
18884 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
18885 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
18886 never be totally undoable.
18888 @findex gnus-undo-mode
18889 @vindex gnus-use-undo
18891 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
18892 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
18893 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
18894 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
18899 @section Moderation
18902 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
18903 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
18904 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
18907 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
18911 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
18914 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18916 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
18921 You split your incoming mail by matching on
18922 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
18923 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
18926 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
18927 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
18930 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
18931 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
18935 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
18938 (setq gnus-moderated-list
18939 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
18943 @node XEmacs Enhancements
18944 @section XEmacs Enhancements
18947 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
18951 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
18952 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
18953 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
18954 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
18967 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
18968 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
18969 over your shoulder as you read news.
18972 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
18973 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
18974 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
18975 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
18976 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
18981 @subsubsection Picon Basics
18983 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
18992 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
18993 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
18994 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
18995 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
18996 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
18997 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
18998 @code{GIF} formats.
19001 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19002 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
19003 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
19004 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
19005 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
19007 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19008 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
19009 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
19010 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
19011 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
19012 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19015 @node Picon Requirements
19016 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
19018 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
19019 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
19022 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
19023 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
19024 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
19026 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19027 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
19028 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
19029 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
19030 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
19034 @subsubsection Easy Picons
19036 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
19037 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
19040 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
19041 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
19044 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
19045 containing the Picons databases.
19047 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
19050 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19051 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
19056 @subsubsection Hard Picons
19064 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
19065 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
19066 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
19067 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
19068 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
19073 @item gnus-picons-database
19074 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19075 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
19076 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
19077 subdirectories. This is only useful if
19078 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
19079 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
19081 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19082 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19083 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
19084 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
19085 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
19086 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
19087 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19089 @item gnus-picons-display-where
19090 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19091 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
19092 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
19093 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
19094 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
19095 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
19096 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
19098 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19099 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19100 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
19105 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
19106 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
19108 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
19109 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
19112 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19114 @item gnus-article-display-picons
19115 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
19116 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
19117 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
19119 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
19120 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
19121 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
19127 @node Picon Useless Configuration
19128 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
19136 The following variables offer further control over how things are
19137 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
19138 don't need to worry about.
19142 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
19143 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
19144 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19145 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
19147 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
19148 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
19149 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
19150 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
19152 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
19153 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
19154 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19155 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
19156 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
19158 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19159 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19160 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
19161 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
19162 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
19163 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
19164 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
19166 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
19167 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
19168 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
19169 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
19171 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
19172 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
19173 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
19174 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
19175 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
19176 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
19177 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
19179 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
19180 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
19181 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
19182 Defaults to @code{nil}.
19184 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
19185 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
19186 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
19187 Defaults to @code{t}.
19189 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
19190 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
19191 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
19192 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
19194 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
19195 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
19196 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
19198 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19199 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19200 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
19201 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
19203 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
19204 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
19206 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19207 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19208 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
19209 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
19210 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
19211 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
19212 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
19213 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
19224 @subsection Smileys
19229 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
19234 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
19235 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
19237 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
19238 @file{.gnus.el} file:
19241 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
19244 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
19245 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
19246 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
19247 text and maps that to file names.
19249 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
19250 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
19251 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
19252 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
19253 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
19254 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
19256 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
19257 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
19259 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
19260 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
19261 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
19263 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
19264 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
19268 @item smiley-data-directory
19269 @vindex smiley-data-directory
19270 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
19272 @item smiley-flesh-color
19273 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
19274 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
19276 @item smiley-features-color
19277 @vindex smiley-features-color
19278 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19280 @item smiley-tongue-color
19281 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
19282 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
19284 @item smiley-circle-color
19285 @vindex smiley-circle-color
19286 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19288 @item smiley-mouse-face
19289 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
19290 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
19296 @subsection Toolbar
19306 @item gnus-use-toolbar
19307 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
19308 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
19309 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
19310 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
19312 @item gnus-group-toolbar
19313 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
19314 The toolbar in the group buffer.
19316 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
19317 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
19318 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
19320 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19321 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19322 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
19328 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
19331 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19332 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19333 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
19334 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
19335 unusual directory structure.
19337 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19338 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19339 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
19340 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
19342 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19343 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19344 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
19345 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
19346 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
19347 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
19349 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19350 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19351 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
19365 @node Fuzzy Matching
19366 @section Fuzzy Matching
19367 @cindex fuzzy matching
19369 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
19370 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
19372 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
19373 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
19374 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
19376 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
19377 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
19378 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
19379 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
19380 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
19383 @node Thwarting Email Spam
19384 @section Thwarting Email Spam
19388 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
19390 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
19391 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
19392 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
19393 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
19394 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
19395 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
19396 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
19397 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
19400 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
19401 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
19402 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
19403 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
19404 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
19405 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
19409 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
19410 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
19412 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
19413 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
19414 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
19415 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
19416 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
19417 part of the mail address.)
19420 (setq message-default-news-headers
19421 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
19424 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
19425 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
19430 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
19431 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
19432 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
19438 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
19439 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
19440 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
19441 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
19443 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
19444 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
19445 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
19446 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
19447 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
19448 your fancy split rule in this way:
19453 (to "larsi" "misc")
19457 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
19458 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
19459 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
19460 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
19461 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
19463 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
19464 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
19465 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
19466 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
19467 cosmic balance somewhat.
19469 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
19470 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
19471 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
19472 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
19475 @node Various Various
19476 @section Various Various
19482 @item gnus-home-directory
19483 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
19484 defaults to @file{~/}.
19486 @item gnus-directory
19487 @vindex gnus-directory
19488 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
19489 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
19490 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
19492 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
19493 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
19494 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
19495 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
19497 @item gnus-default-directory
19498 @vindex gnus-default-directory
19499 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
19500 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
19501 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
19502 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
19503 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
19504 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
19507 @vindex gnus-verbose
19508 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
19509 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
19510 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
19511 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
19512 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
19514 @item gnus-verbose-backends
19515 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
19516 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
19517 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
19519 @item nnheader-max-head-length
19520 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
19521 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
19522 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
19523 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
19524 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
19525 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
19526 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
19527 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
19528 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
19530 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
19531 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
19532 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
19533 read when doing the operation described above.
19535 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19536 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19538 @cindex invalid characters in file names
19539 @cindex characters in file names
19540 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
19541 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
19542 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
19545 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19549 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
19550 Windows (phooey) systems.
19552 @item gnus-hidden-properties
19553 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
19554 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
19555 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
19556 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
19558 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
19559 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
19560 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
19561 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
19562 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
19564 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
19565 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
19566 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
19568 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
19569 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
19571 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
19572 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
19573 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
19574 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
19577 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
19586 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
19587 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
19589 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
19591 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
19597 Not because of victories @*
19600 but for the common sunshine,@*
19602 the largess of the spring.
19606 but for the day's work done@*
19607 as well as I was able;@*
19608 not for a seat upon the dais@*
19609 but at the common table.@*
19614 @chapter Appendices
19617 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
19618 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
19619 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
19620 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
19621 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
19622 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
19623 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
19624 * Frequently Asked Questions::
19632 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
19633 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
19635 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
19636 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
19637 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
19638 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
19639 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
19641 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
19642 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
19643 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
19644 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
19645 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
19646 appropriate name, don't you think?)
19648 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
19649 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
19650 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
19651 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
19654 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
19655 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
19656 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
19657 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
19658 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
19659 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
19660 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
19661 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
19662 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
19666 @node Gnus Versions
19667 @subsection Gnus Versions
19668 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
19670 @cindex September Gnus
19671 @cindex Quassia Gnus
19673 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
19674 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
19675 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
19677 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
19678 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
19680 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
19681 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
19683 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
19684 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
19686 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
19687 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
19690 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
19692 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
19693 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
19694 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
19695 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
19696 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
19697 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
19700 @node Other Gnus Versions
19701 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
19704 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
19705 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
19706 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
19707 @sc{mime} capabilities.
19709 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
19710 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
19711 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
19712 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
19719 What's the point of Gnus?
19721 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
19722 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
19723 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
19724 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
19725 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
19726 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
19727 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
19728 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
19729 keep track of millions of people who post?
19731 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
19732 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
19733 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
19734 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
19735 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
19736 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
19737 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
19738 every one of you to explore and invent.
19740 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
19741 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
19744 @node Compatibility
19745 @subsection Compatibility
19747 @cindex compatibility
19748 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
19749 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
19750 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
19755 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
19759 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
19762 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
19765 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
19766 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
19767 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
19768 important variables have their values copied into their global
19769 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
19770 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
19772 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
19773 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
19774 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
19775 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
19776 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
19780 @cindex highlighting
19781 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
19782 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
19783 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
19784 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
19785 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
19786 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
19789 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
19790 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
19791 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
19792 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
19794 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
19795 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
19796 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
19797 to stop doing it the old way.
19799 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
19801 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
19803 @cindex reporting bugs
19805 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
19806 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
19807 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
19809 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
19810 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
19811 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
19812 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
19817 @subsection Conformity
19819 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
19820 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
19827 There are no known breaches of this standard.
19831 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
19833 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
19834 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
19835 We do have some breaches to this one.
19841 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
19842 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
19843 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
19844 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
19845 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
19850 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
19851 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
19852 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
19853 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
19857 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
19858 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
19863 @subsection Emacsen
19869 Gnus should work on :
19877 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
19881 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
19882 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
19883 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
19884 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
19885 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
19887 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
19888 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
19889 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
19893 @node Gnus Development
19894 @subsection Gnus Development
19896 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
19897 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
19898 propose changes and new features, post patches and new backends. This
19899 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
19900 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
19901 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
19902 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
19903 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
19905 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
19906 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
19907 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
19908 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
19909 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
19912 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
19913 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
19914 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
19915 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
19916 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
19918 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
19919 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
19920 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
19921 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
19922 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
19923 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
19924 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
19925 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
19926 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
19927 can't be assumed to do so.
19932 @subsection Contributors
19933 @cindex contributors
19935 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
19936 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
19937 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
19938 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
19939 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
19940 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
19941 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
19942 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
19943 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
19944 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
19946 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
19952 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
19955 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
19956 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
19957 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
19958 functionality and stuff.
19961 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
19962 well as numerous other things).
19965 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
19968 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
19971 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
19974 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
19975 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
19978 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
19981 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
19982 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
19985 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
19988 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
19991 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
19994 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
19997 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
19998 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
20001 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
20004 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
20007 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
20010 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
20014 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
20017 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
20020 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
20023 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
20024 well as autoconf support.
20028 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
20029 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
20031 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
20040 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
20044 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
20054 Alexei V. Barantsev,
20069 Massimo Campostrini,
20074 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
20075 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
20079 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
20082 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
20088 Michael Welsh Duggan,
20093 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
20097 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
20105 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
20107 Michelangelo Grigni,
20111 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
20113 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
20115 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
20122 François Felix Ingrand,
20123 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
20124 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
20126 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
20137 Peter Skov Knudsen,
20138 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
20140 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
20141 Thor Kristoffersen,
20144 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
20162 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
20163 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
20170 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
20175 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
20179 John McClary Prevost,
20185 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
20190 Christian von Roques,
20193 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
20200 Philippe Schnoebelen,
20202 Randal L. Schwartz,
20216 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
20221 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
20237 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
20242 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
20243 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
20244 (550kB and counting).
20246 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
20249 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
20250 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
20254 @subsection New Features
20255 @cindex new features
20258 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
20259 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
20260 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
20261 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
20262 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
20265 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
20266 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
20267 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
20270 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
20272 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
20277 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
20278 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
20281 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
20282 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
20285 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
20288 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
20289 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
20290 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
20293 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
20294 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
20295 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
20296 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
20299 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
20300 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20303 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
20304 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
20305 (@pxref{The Active File}).
20308 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
20309 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
20312 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
20313 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
20314 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
20317 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
20318 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
20319 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
20322 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
20323 the @file{.emacs} file.
20326 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
20327 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
20330 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
20331 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
20334 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
20335 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20338 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
20339 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
20342 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
20343 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
20346 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
20349 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
20350 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
20353 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
20354 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
20357 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
20358 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
20361 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
20364 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
20365 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
20368 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
20372 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
20376 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
20377 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
20380 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
20386 @node September Gnus
20387 @subsubsection September Gnus
20391 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
20395 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
20400 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
20401 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
20405 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
20406 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
20410 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
20414 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
20415 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
20418 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
20422 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20425 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
20428 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
20431 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
20435 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
20436 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
20439 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
20443 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
20447 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
20451 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
20455 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
20458 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
20459 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
20462 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
20466 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
20467 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
20470 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
20473 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
20474 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
20475 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
20478 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
20482 The Gnus cache is much faster.
20485 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
20489 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
20490 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
20493 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
20494 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
20497 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
20498 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
20501 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
20502 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
20503 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
20506 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
20507 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
20510 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
20513 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
20516 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
20519 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
20522 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
20523 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
20526 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
20530 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
20533 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
20538 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
20541 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
20545 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20548 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
20552 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
20555 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
20558 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
20559 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
20562 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
20563 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
20567 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
20568 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
20571 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
20575 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
20576 buffer to allow easier treatment.
20579 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
20582 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
20586 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
20590 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
20591 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
20594 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
20598 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
20599 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
20602 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
20603 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
20606 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
20610 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
20613 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
20616 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
20622 @subsubsection Red Gnus
20624 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
20628 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
20635 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
20638 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
20639 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
20642 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
20643 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
20647 Article washing status can be displayed in the
20648 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
20651 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
20654 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
20655 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
20658 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
20662 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
20663 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
20667 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
20668 Server Internals}).
20671 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
20675 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
20678 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
20679 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
20682 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
20683 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
20684 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
20687 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
20688 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
20691 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
20692 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
20695 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
20699 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
20700 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
20703 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
20704 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
20707 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
20711 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
20714 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
20718 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
20719 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
20722 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
20723 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
20726 A new command for reading collections of documents
20727 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
20728 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
20731 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
20735 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
20736 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
20739 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
20740 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
20741 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
20744 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
20745 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
20749 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
20753 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
20757 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
20762 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
20766 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
20770 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
20771 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
20774 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
20780 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
20782 New features in Gnus 5.6:
20787 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
20788 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
20789 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
20792 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
20793 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
20794 group, which is created automatically.
20797 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
20801 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
20804 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
20805 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
20808 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
20812 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
20815 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
20816 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
20819 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
20822 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
20823 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
20826 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
20827 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
20830 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
20831 control over simplification.
20834 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
20837 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
20841 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
20844 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
20847 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
20848 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
20849 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
20852 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
20853 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
20856 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
20860 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
20861 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
20864 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
20865 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
20868 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
20872 A history of where mails have been split is available.
20875 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
20878 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
20879 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
20882 A new function for citing in Message has been
20883 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
20886 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
20889 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
20893 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
20894 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
20897 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
20898 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
20901 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
20904 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
20908 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
20909 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
20911 New features in Gnus 5.8:
20915 @item The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
20916 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
20918 If you used procmail like in
20921 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
20922 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
20923 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
20924 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
20927 this now has changed to
20931 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
20935 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
20936 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
20938 @item Gnus is now a MIME-capable reader. This affects many parts of
20939 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
20941 @item Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
20942 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
20944 @item @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
20945 called to position point.
20947 @item The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
20948 summary buffers and NOV files.
20950 @item @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
20951 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
20953 @item The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
20954 subtly different manner.
20956 @item New web-based backends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
20957 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
20958 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
20960 @item Gnus can now read IMAP mail via @code{nnimap}.
20968 @section The Manual
20972 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
20973 either @code{texi2dvi}
20975 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
20976 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
20978 to get what you hold in your hands now.
20980 The following conventions have been used:
20985 This is a @samp{string}
20988 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
20991 This is a @file{file}
20994 This is a @code{symbol}
20998 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
21002 (setq flargnoze "yes")
21005 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
21008 (setq flumphel 'yes)
21011 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
21012 ever get them confused.
21016 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
21017 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
21018 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
21019 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
21020 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
21021 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
21022 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
21028 @node On Writing Manuals
21029 @section On Writing Manuals
21031 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
21032 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
21033 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
21034 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
21035 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
21036 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
21039 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
21040 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
21041 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
21044 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
21045 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
21050 @section Terminology
21052 @cindex terminology
21057 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
21058 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
21059 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
21060 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
21061 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
21065 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
21066 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
21067 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
21068 not posting, and replying is not following up.
21072 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
21076 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
21081 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
21082 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
21083 is all done by the backends.
21087 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
21088 default, way of getting news.
21092 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
21093 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
21098 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
21099 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
21103 A message that has been posted as news.
21106 @cindex mail message
21107 A message that has been mailed.
21111 A mail message or news article
21115 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
21120 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
21125 A line from the head of an article.
21129 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
21130 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
21134 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
21135 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
21136 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
21137 normal @sc{head} format.
21141 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
21142 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
21143 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
21144 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
21145 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
21146 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
21148 @item killed groups
21149 @cindex killed groups
21150 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
21151 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
21153 @item zombie groups
21154 @cindex zombie groups
21155 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
21158 @cindex active file
21159 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
21160 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
21161 is rather large, as you might surmise.
21164 @cindex bogus groups
21165 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
21166 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
21167 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
21170 @cindex activating groups
21171 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
21172 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
21173 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
21177 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
21179 @item select method
21180 @cindex select method
21181 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
21184 @item virtual server
21185 @cindex virtual server
21186 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
21187 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
21188 whole is a virtual server.
21192 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
21193 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
21196 @item ephemeral groups
21197 @cindex ephemeral groups
21198 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
21199 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
21200 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
21203 @cindex solid groups
21204 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
21205 group buffer are solid groups.
21207 @item sparse articles
21208 @cindex sparse articles
21209 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
21210 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21214 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21215 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21219 @cindex thread root
21220 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21221 articles in the thread.
21225 An article that has responses.
21229 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21233 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21234 specified by RFC 1153.
21240 @node Customization
21241 @section Customization
21242 @cindex general customization
21244 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
21245 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
21246 for some quite common situations.
21249 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
21250 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
21251 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
21252 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
21256 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
21257 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
21259 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
21260 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
21261 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
21265 @item gnus-read-active-file
21266 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
21267 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
21268 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21269 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
21270 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
21272 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
21273 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
21274 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
21275 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
21279 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21280 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21282 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21283 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21284 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21288 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21289 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21290 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21291 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21292 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21294 @item gnus-visible-headers
21295 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21296 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21297 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21298 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21300 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21302 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21303 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21304 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21307 @item gnus-use-full-window
21308 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21309 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21310 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21311 want to read them anyway.
21313 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21314 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21317 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21318 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21319 lines, which might save some time.
21323 @node Little Disk Space
21324 @subsection Little Disk Space
21327 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21328 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21332 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21333 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21334 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21335 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21338 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21339 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21340 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21341 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21344 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21345 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21346 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21347 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21348 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
21354 @subsection Slow Machine
21355 @cindex slow machine
21357 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
21358 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
21360 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21361 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
21363 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
21364 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
21365 summary buffer faster.
21369 @node Troubleshooting
21370 @section Troubleshooting
21371 @cindex troubleshooting
21373 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
21381 Make sure your computer is switched on.
21384 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
21385 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
21389 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
21390 like @samp{T-gnus 6.15.* (based on Oort Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
21391 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you get
21392 something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some old
21393 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
21396 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
21400 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
21401 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
21402 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
21403 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
21404 something like that.
21407 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
21410 @cindex reporting bugs
21412 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21414 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
21415 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
21416 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
21417 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
21419 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
21420 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
21421 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
21422 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
21425 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
21426 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
21427 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
21428 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
21429 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
21430 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
21432 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
21433 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
21434 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
21438 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
21439 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
21441 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
21442 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
21444 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
21445 @cindex ding mailing list
21446 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
21447 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
21451 @node Gnus Reference Guide
21452 @section Gnus Reference Guide
21454 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
21455 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
21456 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
21457 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
21460 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
21461 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
21462 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
21463 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
21464 and general methods of operation.
21467 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
21468 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
21469 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
21470 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
21471 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
21472 * Group Info:: The group info format.
21473 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
21474 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
21475 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
21479 @node Gnus Utility Functions
21480 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
21481 @cindex Gnus utility functions
21482 @cindex utility functions
21484 @cindex internal variables
21486 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
21487 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
21488 Below is a list of the most common ones.
21492 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
21493 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
21494 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
21496 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
21497 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
21498 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
21500 @item gnus-group-real-name
21501 @findex gnus-group-real-name
21502 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
21505 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
21506 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
21507 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
21508 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
21510 @item gnus-get-info
21511 @findex gnus-get-info
21512 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
21514 @item gnus-group-unread
21515 @findex gnus-group-unread
21516 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
21520 @findex gnus-active
21521 The active entry for @var{group}.
21523 @item gnus-set-active
21524 @findex gnus-set-active
21525 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
21527 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21528 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21529 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
21532 @item gnus-continuum-version
21533 @findex gnus-continuum-version
21534 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
21535 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
21538 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
21539 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
21540 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
21542 @item gnus-news-group-p
21543 @findex gnus-news-group-p
21544 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
21546 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21547 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21548 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
21550 @item gnus-server-to-method
21551 @findex gnus-server-to-method
21552 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
21554 @item gnus-server-equal
21555 @findex gnus-server-equal
21556 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
21558 @item gnus-group-native-p
21559 @findex gnus-group-native-p
21560 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
21562 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
21563 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
21564 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
21566 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
21567 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
21568 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
21570 @item group-group-find-parameter
21571 @findex group-group-find-parameter
21572 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
21573 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
21575 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
21576 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
21577 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
21579 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
21580 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
21581 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
21583 @item gnus-check-backend-function
21584 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
21585 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
21586 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
21589 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
21593 @item gnus-read-method
21594 @findex gnus-read-method
21595 Prompts the user for a select method.
21600 @node Backend Interface
21601 @subsection Backend Interface
21603 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
21604 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
21605 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
21606 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
21607 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
21608 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
21610 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
21611 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
21612 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
21613 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
21614 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
21615 been opened, the function should fail.
21617 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
21618 name. Take this example:
21622 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
21623 (nntp-port-number 4324))
21626 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
21627 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
21629 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
21630 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
21631 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
21633 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
21634 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
21635 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
21637 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
21638 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
21639 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
21640 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
21641 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
21642 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
21645 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
21646 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
21647 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
21648 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
21651 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
21652 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
21653 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
21654 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
21655 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
21656 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
21657 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
21658 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Backend Functions}.}
21659 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
21660 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
21662 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
21663 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
21664 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
21665 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
21666 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
21667 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
21668 of numbers as long as possible.
21670 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
21673 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
21676 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
21677 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
21678 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
21679 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
21680 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
21681 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
21685 @node Required Backend Functions
21686 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
21690 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
21692 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
21693 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
21694 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
21695 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
21697 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
21698 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
21699 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
21700 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
21702 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
21703 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
21704 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
21705 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
21706 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
21707 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
21708 number, do maximum fetches.
21710 Here's an example HEAD:
21713 221 1056 Article retrieved.
21714 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
21715 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
21716 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
21717 Subject: Re: Something very droll
21718 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
21719 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
21721 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
21722 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
21723 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
21727 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
21728 these in the data buffer.
21730 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
21734 head = error / valid-head
21735 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
21736 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
21737 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
21738 header = <text> eol
21741 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
21742 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
21746 nov-buffer = *nov-line
21747 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
21748 field = <text except TAB>
21751 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
21755 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
21757 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
21758 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
21760 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
21761 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
21762 server. In fact, it should do so.
21764 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
21765 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
21768 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
21770 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
21771 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
21774 There should be no data returned.
21777 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
21779 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
21780 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
21781 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
21782 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
21784 There should be no data returned.
21787 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
21789 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
21790 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
21791 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
21792 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
21794 There should be no data returned.
21797 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
21799 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
21801 There should be no data returned.
21804 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
21806 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
21807 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
21808 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
21809 it would be nice if that were possible.
21811 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
21812 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
21813 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
21814 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
21815 into its article buffer.
21817 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
21818 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
21819 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
21820 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
21821 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
21822 on successful article retrieval.
21825 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
21827 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
21828 making @var{group} the current group.
21830 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
21833 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
21836 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
21839 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
21840 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
21841 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
21842 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
21843 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
21844 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
21845 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
21846 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
21849 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
21850 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
21851 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
21855 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
21857 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
21858 a no-op on most backends.
21860 There should be no data returned.
21863 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
21865 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
21868 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
21871 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
21872 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
21875 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
21876 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
21879 active-file = *active-line
21880 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
21882 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
21885 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
21886 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
21887 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
21890 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
21892 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
21893 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
21894 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
21895 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
21896 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
21897 clear if the posting could not be completed.
21899 There should be no result data from this function.
21904 @node Optional Backend Functions
21905 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
21909 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
21911 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
21912 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
21913 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
21915 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
21916 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
21917 former is in the same format as the data from
21918 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
21919 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
21922 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
21926 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
21928 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
21929 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
21930 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
21931 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
21932 should return the (altered) group info.
21934 There should be no result data from this function.
21937 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
21939 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
21940 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
21941 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
21942 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
21943 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
21944 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
21945 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
21946 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
21948 There should be no result data from this function.
21951 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
21953 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
21954 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
21955 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
21956 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
21957 propagate the mark information to the server.
21959 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
21962 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
21965 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
21966 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
21967 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
21968 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
21969 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
21970 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
21971 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your backend should, if
21972 possible, not limit itself to these.
21974 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
21975 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
21976 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
21977 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
21979 An example action list:
21982 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
21983 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
21984 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
21987 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
21988 mark on (currently not used for anything).
21990 There should be no result data from this function.
21992 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
21994 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
21995 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
21996 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
21997 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
21998 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
22000 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
22001 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
22002 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
22005 There should be no result data from this function.
22008 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
22010 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
22011 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
22012 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
22013 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
22014 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
22015 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
22016 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
22018 There should be no result data from this function.
22021 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
22023 The result data from this function should be a description of
22027 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
22029 description = <text>
22032 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
22034 The result data from this function should be the description of all
22035 groups available on the server.
22038 description-buffer = *description-line
22042 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
22044 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
22045 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
22046 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
22049 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22051 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
22053 There should be no return data.
22056 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
22058 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
22059 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
22060 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
22061 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
22062 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
22065 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
22068 There should be no result data returned.
22071 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
22074 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
22075 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
22077 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
22078 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
22079 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
22080 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
22081 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
22082 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
22084 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
22085 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
22088 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22089 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22091 There should be no data returned.
22094 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
22096 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
22097 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
22098 this function in short order.
22100 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22101 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22103 There should be no data returned.
22106 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
22108 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
22109 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
22111 There should be no data returned.
22114 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
22116 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
22117 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
22118 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
22120 There should be no data returned.
22123 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
22125 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
22126 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
22128 There should be no data returned.
22133 @node Error Messaging
22134 @subsubsection Error Messaging
22136 @findex nnheader-report
22137 @findex nnheader-get-report
22138 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
22139 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
22140 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
22141 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
22142 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
22143 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
22146 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
22148 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
22151 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
22152 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
22153 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
22154 takes one argument---the server symbol.
22156 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
22157 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
22158 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
22161 @node Writing New Backends
22162 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
22164 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
22165 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
22166 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
22167 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
22168 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
22171 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
22172 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
22173 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
22175 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
22176 package called @code{nnoo}.
22178 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
22179 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
22185 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
22186 parameters. For instance:
22189 (nnoo-declare nndir
22193 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
22194 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
22197 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
22198 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
22199 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
22201 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
22202 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
22203 a function in those backends.
22206 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22207 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22208 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22211 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
22212 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
22213 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
22215 @item nnoo-define-basics
22216 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
22220 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22224 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
22225 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
22226 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
22228 @item nnoo-map-functions
22229 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
22230 functions from the parent backends.
22233 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22234 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22235 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
22238 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
22239 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
22240 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
22241 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
22244 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
22245 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
22246 haven't already been defined.
22252 nnmh-request-newgroups)
22256 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
22257 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
22258 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
22263 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
22266 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
22267 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22271 (require 'nnheader)
22275 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
22277 (nnoo-declare nndir
22280 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22281 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22282 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22284 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
22285 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
22288 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
22290 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
22291 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
22292 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
22294 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
22295 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
22297 ;;; Interface functions.
22299 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22301 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22302 (setq nndir-directory
22303 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22305 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22306 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22307 (push `(nndir-current-group
22308 ,(file-name-nondirectory
22309 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22311 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22312 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22314 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22316 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22317 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22318 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22319 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22320 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22324 nnmh-status-message
22326 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22332 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22333 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22335 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22336 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
22337 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22338 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22340 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
22341 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
22346 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
22349 The abilities can be:
22353 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
22355 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
22357 This backend supports both mail and news.
22359 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
22362 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
22363 articles and groups.
22365 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
22366 true for almost all backends.
22367 @item prompt-address
22368 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
22369 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
22370 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
22374 @node Mail-like Backends
22375 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
22377 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
22378 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
22379 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
22380 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
22383 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
22384 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
22385 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
22388 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
22389 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
22392 This function takes four parameters.
22396 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
22399 @item exit-function
22400 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
22402 @item temp-directory
22403 Where the temporary files should be stored.
22406 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
22407 performed for one group only.
22410 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
22411 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
22412 find the article number assigned to this article.
22414 The function also uses the following variables:
22415 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
22416 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
22417 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
22418 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
22422 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
22423 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
22427 @node Score File Syntax
22428 @subsection Score File Syntax
22430 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
22431 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
22432 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
22434 Here's a typical score file:
22438 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
22445 BNF definition of a score file:
22448 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
22449 element = rule / atom
22450 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
22451 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
22452 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
22453 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
22455 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
22456 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
22457 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
22458 date-header = "date"
22459 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22460 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22461 score = "nil" / <integer>
22462 date = "nil" / <natural number>
22463 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
22464 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
22465 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
22466 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
22467 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22468 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22469 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
22470 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22471 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
22472 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
22473 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
22474 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
22475 exclude-files / read-only / touched
22476 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
22477 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
22478 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
22479 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
22480 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
22481 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
22482 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
22483 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
22484 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
22485 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
22486 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
22487 eval = "eval" space <form>
22488 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
22491 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
22494 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
22495 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
22496 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
22497 one looong line, then that's ok.
22499 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
22500 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22504 @subsection Headers
22506 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
22507 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
22508 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
22509 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
22511 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
22512 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
22513 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
22514 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
22515 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
22516 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
22517 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
22519 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
22520 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
22521 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
22522 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
22523 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
22525 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
22526 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
22532 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
22533 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
22535 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
22536 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
22537 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
22538 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
22540 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
22544 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
22547 is transformed into
22550 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
22553 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
22554 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
22557 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
22560 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
22561 is slightly tricky:
22564 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
22570 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
22573 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
22579 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
22586 and is equal to the previous range.
22588 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
22589 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
22590 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
22594 range = simple-range / normal-range
22595 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
22596 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
22597 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
22598 number *[ " " contents ]
22601 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
22602 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
22603 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
22604 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
22605 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
22610 @subsection Group Info
22612 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
22613 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
22614 describes the group.
22616 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
22617 second is a more complex one:
22620 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
22622 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
22623 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
22625 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
22628 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
22629 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
22630 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
22631 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
22632 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
22633 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
22634 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
22635 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
22636 this section is about.
22638 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
22639 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
22640 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
22642 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
22645 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
22646 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
22647 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22648 group = quote <string> quote
22649 ralevel = rank / level
22650 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22651 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
22652 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22654 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
22655 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
22656 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
22657 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
22660 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
22661 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
22664 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
22665 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
22668 @item gnus-info-group
22669 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
22670 @findex gnus-info-group
22671 @findex gnus-info-set-group
22672 Get/set the group name.
22674 @item gnus-info-rank
22675 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
22676 @findex gnus-info-rank
22677 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
22678 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
22680 @item gnus-info-level
22681 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
22682 @findex gnus-info-level
22683 @findex gnus-info-set-level
22684 Get/set the group level.
22686 @item gnus-info-score
22687 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
22688 @findex gnus-info-score
22689 @findex gnus-info-set-score
22690 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
22692 @item gnus-info-read
22693 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
22694 @findex gnus-info-read
22695 @findex gnus-info-set-read
22696 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
22698 @item gnus-info-marks
22699 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
22700 @findex gnus-info-marks
22701 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
22702 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
22704 @item gnus-info-method
22705 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
22706 @findex gnus-info-method
22707 @findex gnus-info-set-method
22708 Get/set the group select method.
22710 @item gnus-info-params
22711 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
22712 @findex gnus-info-params
22713 @findex gnus-info-set-params
22714 Get/set the group parameters.
22717 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
22718 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
22720 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
22721 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
22722 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
22723 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
22726 @node Extended Interactive
22727 @subsection Extended Interactive
22728 @cindex interactive
22729 @findex gnus-interactive
22731 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
22732 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
22733 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
22736 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
22737 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
22742 The best thing to do would have been to implement
22743 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
22744 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
22745 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
22746 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
22747 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
22748 @code{interactive}.
22750 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
22755 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
22756 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
22760 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
22761 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
22762 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
22765 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
22769 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
22773 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
22779 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
22780 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
22784 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
22785 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
22786 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
22788 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
22789 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
22790 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
22791 Gnus, that's very useful.
22793 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
22794 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
22795 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
22796 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
22797 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
22798 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
22799 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
22800 following function:
22803 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
22807 (,function ,@@args))
22811 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
22812 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
22813 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
22816 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
22817 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
22818 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
22820 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
22821 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
22822 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
22825 @node Various File Formats
22826 @subsection Various File Formats
22829 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
22830 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
22834 @node Active File Format
22835 @subsubsection Active File Format
22837 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
22838 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
22841 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
22844 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
22845 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
22846 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
22847 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
22848 no.general 1000 900 y
22851 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
22854 active = *group-line
22855 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
22856 group = <non-white-space string>
22858 high-number = <non-negative integer>
22859 low-number = <positive integer>
22860 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
22863 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
22864 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
22867 @node Newsgroups File Format
22868 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
22870 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
22871 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
22872 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
22875 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
22876 Here's the definition:
22880 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
22881 group = <non-white-space string>
22883 description = <string>
22888 @node Emacs for Heathens
22889 @section Emacs for Heathens
22891 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
22892 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
22893 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
22894 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
22895 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
22896 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
22897 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
22901 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
22902 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
22907 @subsection Keystrokes
22911 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
22914 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
22917 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
22918 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
22919 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
22920 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
22921 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
22922 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
22924 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
22925 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
22926 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
22927 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
22928 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
22929 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
22930 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
22932 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
22933 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
22934 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
22935 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
22936 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
22937 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
22938 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
22940 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
22941 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
22942 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
22943 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
22944 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
22950 @subsection Emacs Lisp
22952 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
22953 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
22954 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
22955 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
22957 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
22958 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
22959 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
22960 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
22961 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
22962 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
22963 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
22966 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
22967 write the following:
22970 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
22973 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
22974 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
22975 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
22978 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
22979 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
22980 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
22981 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
22982 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
22984 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
22985 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
22986 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
22990 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
22994 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
22997 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
22998 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
23001 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
23004 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
23005 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
23008 @include gnus-faq.texi
23029 % LocalWords: Backend BNF mucho Backends backends detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
23030 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
23031 % LocalWords: nnmbox backend newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
23032 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
23033 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref