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4 @settitle Semi-gnus 6.10.061 Manual
9 @c * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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264 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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273 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
275 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
276 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
277 are preserved on all copies.
279 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
280 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
281 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
282 permission notice identical to this one.
284 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
285 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
294 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
296 Copyright (C) 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
298 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
299 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
300 are preserved on all copies.
303 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
304 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
305 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
306 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
309 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
310 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
311 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
312 permission notice identical to this one.
314 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
315 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
321 @title Semi-gnus 6.10.061 Manual
323 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
326 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
327 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
329 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
330 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
331 are preserved on all copies.
333 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
334 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
335 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
336 permission notice identical to this one.
338 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
339 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
348 @top The gnus Newsreader
352 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
353 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
354 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
357 Semi-gnus provides MIME features based on SEMI API. So Semi-gnus
358 supports your right to read strange messages including big images or
359 other various kinds of formats. Semi-gnus also supports
360 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
361 API. So Semi-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
362 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
364 This manual corresponds to Semi-gnus 6.10.061.
375 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
376 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
378 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
379 being accused of plagiarism:
381 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
382 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
383 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
384 even read news with it!
386 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
387 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
388 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
389 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
390 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
397 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
398 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
399 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
400 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
401 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
402 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
403 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
404 * Various:: General purpose settings.
405 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
406 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
407 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
408 * Key Index:: Key Index.
412 @chapter Starting gnus
417 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
418 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
421 @findex gnus-other-frame
422 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
423 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
424 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
426 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
427 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
428 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
430 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
431 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
434 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
435 * The First Time:: What does gnus do the first time you start it?
436 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
437 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one gnus active at a time.
438 * Fetching a Group:: Starting gnus just to read a group.
439 * New Groups:: What is gnus supposed to do with new groups?
440 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
441 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
442 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
443 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
444 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
448 @node Finding the News
449 @section Finding the News
452 @vindex gnus-select-method
454 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
455 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
456 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
457 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
460 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
461 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
464 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
467 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
470 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
473 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
474 certainly be much faster.
476 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
478 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
479 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
480 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
481 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
482 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
483 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
485 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
486 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
487 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
488 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
490 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
491 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
492 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
493 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
494 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
495 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
496 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
497 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
498 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
501 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
503 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
504 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
505 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
506 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
507 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
508 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
510 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
512 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
513 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
514 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
515 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
516 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
517 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
520 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
521 would typically set this variable to
524 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
529 @section The First Time
530 @cindex first time usage
532 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
533 be subscribed by default.
535 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
536 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
537 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
538 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
541 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
542 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
543 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
545 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
546 help you with most common problems.
548 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
549 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
553 @node The Server is Down
554 @section The Server is Down
555 @cindex server errors
557 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
558 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
559 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
561 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
562 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
563 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
564 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
565 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
566 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
567 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
569 @findex gnus-no-server
570 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
572 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
573 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
574 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
575 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
576 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
577 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
582 @section Slave Gnusae
585 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
586 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
587 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
588 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
590 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
593 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
594 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
595 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
596 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
597 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
598 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
599 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
601 Anyways, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
602 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
603 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
604 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
605 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
606 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
607 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
608 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
610 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
611 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
614 @node Fetching a Group
615 @section Fetching a Group
616 @cindex fetching a group
618 @findex gnus-fetch-group
619 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
620 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
621 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
622 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
623 It takes the group name as a parameter.
631 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
632 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
633 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
634 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
635 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
636 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
637 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
638 @code{always}, then gnus will query the backends for new groups even
639 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
642 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
643 * Subscription Methods:: What gnus should do with new groups.
644 * Filtering New Groups:: Making gnus ignore certain new groups.
648 @node Checking New Groups
649 @subsection Checking New Groups
651 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
652 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
653 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
654 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
655 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
656 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
657 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
658 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
659 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
660 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
662 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
663 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
664 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
665 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
666 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
667 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
668 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
669 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
670 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
671 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
672 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
674 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
675 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
676 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
677 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
678 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
679 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
682 @node Subscription Methods
683 @subsection Subscription Methods
685 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
686 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
687 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
689 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
690 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
692 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
696 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
697 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
698 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
699 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
700 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
702 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
703 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
704 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
705 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
707 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
708 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
709 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
711 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
712 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
713 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
714 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
715 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
716 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into it's
717 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
718 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
719 up. Or something like that.
721 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
722 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
723 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
724 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
725 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
727 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
728 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
733 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
734 A closely related variable is
735 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
736 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
737 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
738 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
741 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
742 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
743 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
744 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
747 @node Filtering New Groups
748 @subsection Filtering New Groups
750 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
751 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
752 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
755 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
758 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
759 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
760 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
761 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
762 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
763 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
764 subscribing these groups.
765 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
766 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
768 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
769 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
770 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
771 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
772 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
773 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
774 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
775 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
777 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
778 Yet another variable that meddles here is
779 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
780 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
781 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
782 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
783 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
784 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
785 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
786 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
788 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
789 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
792 @node Changing Servers
793 @section Changing Servers
794 @cindex changing servers
796 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
797 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
798 very flaky and you want to use another.
800 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
801 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
805 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
806 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
807 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
808 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
811 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
812 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
813 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
814 functions more than absolutely necessary.
816 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
817 @findex gnus-change-server
818 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
819 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
820 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
821 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
822 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
824 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
825 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
826 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
827 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
828 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
830 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
831 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
832 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
833 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
834 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
835 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
837 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
838 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
839 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
843 @section Startup Files
844 @cindex startup files
849 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
850 information is traditionally stored in this file.
852 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{GNUS}. In addition to
853 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
854 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
855 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
856 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{GNUS} would read whichever one of these
857 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
858 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
860 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
861 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
862 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
863 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
864 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
865 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
867 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
868 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
869 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
870 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
871 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
872 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
874 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
875 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
876 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
877 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
878 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
879 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
880 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
881 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
882 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
883 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
884 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
885 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
887 @vindex gnus-startup-file
888 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
889 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
890 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
892 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
893 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
894 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
895 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
896 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
897 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
898 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
899 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
900 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
901 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
904 (defun turn-off-backup ()
905 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
907 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
908 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
911 @vindex gnus-init-file
912 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
913 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
914 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
915 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
916 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
917 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
918 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
919 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
920 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
929 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
930 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
931 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
932 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
933 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
936 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
937 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
940 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
941 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
942 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
944 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
945 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
946 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
947 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
948 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
949 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
951 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
952 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
953 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
956 @node The Active File
957 @section The Active File
959 @cindex ignored groups
961 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
962 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
963 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
965 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
966 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
967 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
968 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
969 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
970 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
971 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
974 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
975 @c if you set it to anything else.
977 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
979 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
980 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
981 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
983 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
984 you actually subscribe to.
986 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
987 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
988 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
989 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
991 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
992 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
993 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
994 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
995 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
996 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
998 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
999 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1000 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1001 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1002 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1003 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1005 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1006 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1008 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1009 secondary select methods.
1012 @node Startup Variables
1013 @section Startup Variables
1017 @item gnus-load-hook
1018 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1019 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1020 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1021 times you start gnus.
1023 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1024 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1025 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1027 @item gnus-startup-hook
1028 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1029 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1031 @item gnus-started-hook
1032 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1033 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1036 @item gnus-started-hook
1037 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1038 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1039 generating the group buffer.
1041 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1042 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1043 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1044 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1045 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1046 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1047 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1048 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1050 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1051 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1052 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1053 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1054 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1055 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1057 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1058 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1059 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1061 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1062 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1063 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1065 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1066 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1067 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1068 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1073 @node The Group Buffer
1074 @chapter The Group Buffer
1075 @cindex group buffer
1077 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1078 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1079 long as gnus is active.
1083 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1084 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1085 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1086 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1087 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1088 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1089 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1090 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1096 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1097 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1098 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1099 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1100 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1101 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1102 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1103 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1104 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1105 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1106 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1107 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1108 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1109 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1110 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1111 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1112 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1116 @node Group Buffer Format
1117 @section Group Buffer Format
1120 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1121 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1122 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1126 @node Group Line Specification
1127 @subsection Group Line Specification
1128 @cindex group buffer format
1130 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1131 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1133 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1136 25: news.announce.newusers
1137 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1142 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1143 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1144 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1145 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1147 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1148 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1149 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1150 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1151 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1152 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1154 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1156 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1157 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1158 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1159 never examined by gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1162 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1163 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1164 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1166 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1171 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1174 Whether the group is subscribed.
1177 Level of subscribedness.
1180 Number of unread articles.
1183 Number of dormant articles.
1186 Number of ticked articles.
1189 Number of read articles.
1192 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1193 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1196 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1199 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1208 Newsgroup description.
1211 @samp{m} if moderated.
1214 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1223 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1227 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1230 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1231 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1232 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1233 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1234 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.emacs.gnus}.
1237 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1239 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1243 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1247 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1248 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1249 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1250 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1251 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1252 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1257 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1258 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1259 group, or a bogus native group.
1262 @node Group Modeline Specification
1263 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1264 @cindex group modeline
1266 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1267 The mode line can be changed by setting
1268 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1269 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1273 The native news server.
1275 The native select method.
1279 @node Group Highlighting
1280 @subsection Group Highlighting
1281 @cindex highlighting
1282 @cindex group highlighting
1284 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1285 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1286 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1287 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1288 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1290 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1294 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-1
1295 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))))
1296 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-2
1297 '((t (:foreground "SeaGreen" :bold t))))
1298 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-3
1299 '((t (:foreground "SpringGreen" :bold t))))
1300 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-4
1301 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))))
1302 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-5
1303 '((t (:foreground "SkyBlue" :bold t))))
1305 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1306 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1307 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1308 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1309 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1310 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1313 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1315 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1322 The number of unread articles in the group.
1326 Whether the group is a mail group.
1328 The level of the group.
1330 The score of the group.
1332 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1334 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1335 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1337 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1338 topic being inserted.
1341 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1342 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1343 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1345 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1346 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1347 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1348 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1349 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1352 @node Group Maneuvering
1353 @section Group Maneuvering
1354 @cindex group movement
1356 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1357 expected, hopefully.
1363 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1364 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1365 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1371 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1372 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1373 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1377 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1378 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1382 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1383 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1387 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1388 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1389 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1393 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1394 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1395 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1398 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1404 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1405 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1406 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1411 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1412 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1413 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1417 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1418 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1419 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1422 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1423 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1424 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1425 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1429 @node Selecting a Group
1430 @section Selecting a Group
1431 @cindex group selection
1436 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1437 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1438 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1439 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1440 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1441 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1442 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1443 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1444 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1445 negative, gnus fetches the @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1449 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1450 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1451 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1452 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1453 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1457 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1458 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1459 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1460 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1461 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1462 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1463 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1464 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1465 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1466 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1469 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1470 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1471 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1472 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1473 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1476 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1477 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1478 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1479 doing any processing of its contents
1480 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1481 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1482 manner will have no permanent effects.
1486 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1487 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
1488 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1489 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
1490 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1491 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1492 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1493 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1496 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1497 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1498 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1499 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1504 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1505 full summary buffer.
1508 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1511 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
1516 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
1517 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
1518 Useful functions include:
1521 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
1522 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
1523 don't select the article.
1525 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
1526 Select the first unread article.
1528 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
1529 Select the highest-scored unread article.
1533 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1534 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1535 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1539 @node Subscription Commands
1540 @section Subscription Commands
1541 @cindex subscription
1549 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1550 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
1551 Toggle subscription to the current group
1552 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1558 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1559 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1560 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1561 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1567 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1568 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
1569 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1575 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1576 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1579 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1580 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1581 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1582 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1583 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1589 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1590 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1594 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1595 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1598 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1599 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1600 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1601 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1602 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1603 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1604 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1605 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1606 @file{.newsrc} file.
1610 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1620 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1621 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1622 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
1623 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1624 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1625 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
1630 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1631 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1632 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1636 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1637 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1638 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1640 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1641 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1642 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1643 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1644 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1645 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1652 @section Group Levels
1656 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1657 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1658 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1659 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1660 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1662 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1668 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1669 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1670 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1671 prompted for a level.
1674 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1675 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1676 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1677 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1678 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
1679 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1680 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1681 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1682 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1683 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
1684 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
1685 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
1686 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
1687 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
1688 reasons of efficiency.
1690 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1691 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1693 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1694 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1695 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1697 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1698 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1699 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1700 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1701 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1702 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1703 relevant valid ranges.
1705 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1706 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1707 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
1708 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1709 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1710 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1713 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1714 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1715 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1718 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1719 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1720 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1721 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1724 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1725 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1726 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1727 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1729 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1730 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
1731 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
1732 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
1733 to 5. The default is 6.
1737 @section Group Score
1742 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1743 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1744 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1747 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1748 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1749 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1750 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1751 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1752 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1753 part and the score is the least significant part.))
1755 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1756 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1757 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1758 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1759 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1760 action after each summary exit, you can add
1761 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1762 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1763 slow things down somewhat.
1766 @node Marking Groups
1767 @section Marking Groups
1768 @cindex marking groups
1770 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1771 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1772 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1773 bidding on those groups.
1775 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1776 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1777 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1785 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1786 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1792 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1793 Remove the mark from the current group
1794 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1798 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1799 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1803 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1804 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1808 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1809 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1813 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1814 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1815 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1818 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1820 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1821 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1822 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1823 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1824 the command to be executed.
1827 @node Foreign Groups
1828 @section Foreign Groups
1829 @cindex foreign groups
1831 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1832 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1833 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1834 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1841 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1842 @cindex making groups
1843 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1844 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1845 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1849 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1850 @cindex renaming groups
1851 Rename the current group to something else
1852 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
1853 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1859 @findex gnus-group-customize
1860 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
1864 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1865 @cindex renaming groups
1866 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1867 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1871 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1872 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1873 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1877 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1878 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1879 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1883 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1885 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1886 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1891 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1892 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1896 @cindex (ding) archive
1897 @cindex archive group
1898 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1899 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1900 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1901 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1902 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1903 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1904 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1908 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1910 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1911 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1912 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1913 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1917 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1919 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
1920 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1921 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1925 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1926 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1928 Make a group based on some file or other
1929 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1930 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1931 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1932 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
1933 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, and @code{forward}. If you run
1934 this command without a prefix, gnus will guess at the file type.
1935 @xref{Document Groups}.
1939 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
1940 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
1941 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
1942 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
1946 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1951 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1952 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1953 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1954 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
1955 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1956 @xref{Web Searches}.
1958 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
1959 to a particular group by using a match string like
1960 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
1963 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1964 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1965 This function will delete the current group
1966 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1967 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1968 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1969 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
1970 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
1974 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1975 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1976 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1980 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1981 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1982 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1985 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1988 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1989 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1990 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1991 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1992 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
1993 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
1997 @node Group Parameters
1998 @section Group Parameters
1999 @cindex group parameters
2001 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2002 Here's an example group parameter list:
2005 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2009 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2010 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2011 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2012 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2014 The following group parameters can be used:
2019 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2022 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2025 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2026 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2027 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2028 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2029 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2031 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2032 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2033 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2034 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2035 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2036 list address instead.
2040 Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
2043 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2046 It is totally ignored
2047 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2048 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2050 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2051 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2052 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2053 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2054 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2056 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2057 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2058 sending the message.
2062 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2063 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2064 of whether it has any unread articles.
2066 @item broken-reply-to
2067 @cindex broken-reply-to
2068 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2069 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2070 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2071 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2072 broken behavior. So there!
2076 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2077 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2081 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2082 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2083 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2088 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2089 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2090 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2091 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2092 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2093 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2094 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2098 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2099 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2100 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2103 @cindex total-expire
2104 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2105 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2106 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2107 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2112 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2113 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2114 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2115 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2116 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2117 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2120 @cindex score file group parameter
2121 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2122 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2123 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2126 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2127 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2128 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2129 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2132 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2133 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2134 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2135 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2138 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2139 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2143 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2146 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2151 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2152 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2153 gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2157 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2158 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2159 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2161 @item @var{(variable form)}
2162 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2163 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2164 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2165 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2166 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2167 @code{eval}ed there.
2169 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2170 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2171 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2172 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2173 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2176 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2177 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2178 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2179 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2180 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2182 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2183 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2184 like this in the group parameters:
2189 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2194 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2195 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2199 @node Listing Groups
2200 @section Listing Groups
2201 @cindex group listing
2203 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2211 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2212 List all groups that have unread articles
2213 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2214 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2215 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2216 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2223 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2224 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2225 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2226 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2227 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2228 unsubscribed groups).
2232 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2233 List all unread groups on a specific level
2234 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2235 with no unread articles.
2239 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2240 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2241 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2242 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2247 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2248 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2252 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2253 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2254 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2258 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2259 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2263 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2264 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2265 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2266 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2267 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2268 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2269 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2270 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2274 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2275 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2276 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2280 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2281 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2282 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2286 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2287 @cindex visible group parameter
2288 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2289 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2290 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2291 get the same effect.
2293 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2294 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2295 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2296 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2297 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2300 @node Sorting Groups
2301 @section Sorting Groups
2302 @cindex sorting groups
2304 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2305 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2306 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2307 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2308 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2309 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2314 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2315 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2316 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2318 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2319 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2320 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2322 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2323 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2324 Sort by group level.
2326 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2327 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2328 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2330 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2331 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2332 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2333 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2335 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2336 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2337 Sort by number of unread articles.
2339 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2340 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2341 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2346 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2347 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2351 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2352 some sorting criteria:
2356 @kindex G S a (Group)
2357 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2358 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2359 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2362 @kindex G S u (Group)
2363 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2364 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2365 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2368 @kindex G S l (Group)
2369 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2370 Sort the group buffer by group level
2371 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2374 @kindex G S v (Group)
2375 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2376 Sort the group buffer by group score
2377 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2380 @kindex G S r (Group)
2381 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2382 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2383 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2386 @kindex G S m (Group)
2387 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2388 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2389 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2393 All the commands below obeys the process/prefix convention
2394 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2396 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2397 commands will sort in reverse order.
2399 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2403 @kindex G P a (Group)
2404 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2405 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2406 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2409 @kindex G P u (Group)
2410 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2411 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2412 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2415 @kindex G P l (Group)
2416 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2417 Sort the groups by group level
2418 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2421 @kindex G P v (Group)
2422 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2423 Sort the groups by group score
2424 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2427 @kindex G P r (Group)
2428 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2429 Sort the groups by group rank
2430 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2433 @kindex G P m (Group)
2434 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2435 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
2436 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2442 @node Group Maintenance
2443 @section Group Maintenance
2444 @cindex bogus groups
2449 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2450 Find bogus groups and delete them
2451 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2455 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2456 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2457 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2458 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
2459 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
2463 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2464 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2465 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2466 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2469 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2470 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2471 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2472 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2477 @node Browse Foreign Server
2478 @section Browse Foreign Server
2479 @cindex foreign servers
2480 @cindex browsing servers
2485 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2486 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2487 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2488 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2491 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2492 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2493 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2494 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2496 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2501 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2502 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2506 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2507 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2510 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2511 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2512 Enter the current group and display the first article
2513 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2516 @kindex RET (Browse)
2517 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2518 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2522 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2523 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2524 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2530 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2531 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2535 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2536 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2537 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2542 @section Exiting gnus
2543 @cindex exiting gnus
2545 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
2550 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2551 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
2552 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2553 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2557 @findex gnus-group-exit
2558 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
2559 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2563 @findex gnus-group-quit
2564 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2565 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2568 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2569 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2570 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
2571 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
2572 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2577 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2578 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2579 trying to customize meta-variables.
2584 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2585 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2586 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2592 @section Group Topics
2595 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2596 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2597 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2598 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2599 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2600 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2604 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
2605 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
2616 2: alt.religion.emacs
2619 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2621 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2622 13: comp.sources.unix
2625 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2627 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2628 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2629 is a toggling command.)
2631 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2632 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2633 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2634 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2637 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2638 the hook for the group mode:
2641 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2645 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2646 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2647 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2648 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2649 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2653 @node Topic Variables
2654 @subsection Topic Variables
2655 @cindex topic variables
2657 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2658 really neat, I think.
2660 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2661 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2662 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2675 Number of groups in the topic.
2677 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2679 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2682 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2683 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2684 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2687 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2688 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2690 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2691 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2692 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2695 @node Topic Commands
2696 @subsection Topic Commands
2697 @cindex topic commands
2699 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2700 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2701 definitions slightly.
2707 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2708 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2709 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2713 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2714 Move the current group to some other topic
2715 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2716 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2720 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2721 Copy the current group to some other topic
2722 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2723 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2727 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2728 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2729 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
2730 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
2731 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
2732 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
2733 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
2736 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2737 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2741 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2742 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2743 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2747 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2748 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2749 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2753 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
2754 Toggle hiding empty topics
2755 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
2759 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2760 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2761 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2764 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2765 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2766 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2767 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2771 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2773 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2774 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2775 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2776 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2779 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
2780 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
2781 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2782 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
2786 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2788 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2789 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2790 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2791 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2792 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2793 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2796 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
2797 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
2798 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the expiry
2799 process (if any) (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}).
2803 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2804 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2805 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2809 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2810 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2811 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2816 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2817 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2820 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2821 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2822 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2826 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2827 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2828 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2832 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2833 @cindex group parameters
2834 @cindex topic parameters
2836 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2837 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2843 @subsection Topic Sorting
2844 @cindex topic sorting
2846 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2852 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2853 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2854 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2855 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2858 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2859 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2860 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2861 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2864 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2865 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2866 Sort the current topic by group level
2867 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2870 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2871 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2872 Sort the current topic by group score
2873 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2876 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2877 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2878 Sort the current topic by group rank
2879 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2882 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2883 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2884 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2885 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2889 @xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
2892 @node Topic Topology
2893 @subsection Topic Topology
2894 @cindex topic topology
2897 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2903 2: alt.religion.emacs
2906 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2908 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2909 13: comp.sources.unix
2912 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2913 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2914 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
2919 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2920 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2924 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2925 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2926 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2927 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2928 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2929 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2931 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2932 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2933 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2936 @node Topic Parameters
2937 @subsection Topic Parameters
2938 @cindex topic parameters
2940 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2941 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
2942 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2944 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2945 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2946 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2947 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2953 2: alt.religion.emacs
2957 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2959 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2960 13: comp.sources.unix
2964 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
2965 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
2966 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
2967 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
2968 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
2969 . "religion.SCORE")}.
2971 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2972 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2973 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2974 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
2975 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
2977 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
2978 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
2979 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
2980 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
2981 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
2982 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
2983 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
2984 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
2987 @node Misc Group Stuff
2988 @section Misc Group Stuff
2991 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2992 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and gnus.
2993 * Group Timestamp:: Making gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
2994 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the gnus files.
3001 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3002 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3003 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
3007 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3008 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3009 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3013 @findex gnus-group-mail
3014 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3018 Variables for the group buffer:
3022 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3023 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3024 is called after the group buffer has been
3027 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3028 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3029 is called after the group buffer is
3030 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3033 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3034 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3035 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3036 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3038 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3039 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3040 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3041 whether they are empty or not.
3046 @node Scanning New Messages
3047 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3048 @cindex new messages
3049 @cindex scanning new news
3055 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3056 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3057 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3058 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3059 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3060 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3065 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3066 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3067 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3068 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3069 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3070 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3071 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3073 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3074 @cindex activating groups
3076 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3077 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3082 @findex gnus-group-restart
3083 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3084 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3085 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
3089 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3090 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3092 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3093 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3097 @node Group Information
3098 @subsection Group Information
3099 @cindex group information
3100 @cindex information on groups
3107 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3108 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3111 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3112 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3113 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3114 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3115 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3116 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3117 for fetching the file.
3119 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
3120 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3124 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3126 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3127 @cindex describing groups
3128 @cindex group description
3129 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3130 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3131 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3135 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3136 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3137 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3144 @findex gnus-version
3145 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3149 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3150 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3153 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3156 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3157 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3161 @node Group Timestamp
3162 @subsection Group Timestamp
3164 @cindex group timestamps
3166 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
3167 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3168 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3171 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3174 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3176 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3177 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3180 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3181 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3184 This will result in lines looking like:
3187 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3188 0: custom 19961002T012713
3191 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3192 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3196 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3197 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3202 @subsection File Commands
3203 @cindex file commands
3209 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3210 @vindex gnus-init-file
3211 @cindex reading init file
3212 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3213 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3217 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3218 @cindex saving .newsrc
3219 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3220 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3221 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3224 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3225 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3226 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3231 @node The Summary Buffer
3232 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3233 @cindex summary buffer
3235 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3236 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3238 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3239 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3241 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3244 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3245 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3246 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3247 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3248 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3249 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
3250 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3251 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3252 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3253 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3254 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3255 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3256 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3257 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3258 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3259 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3260 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3261 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3262 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
3263 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3264 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3265 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3266 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3267 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3268 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3269 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3270 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3271 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3272 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3276 @node Summary Buffer Format
3277 @section Summary Buffer Format
3278 @cindex summary buffer format
3282 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3283 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3284 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3290 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3291 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3292 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3293 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3296 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3297 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3298 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3299 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3300 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3301 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
3302 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3303 fast, and too simplistic solution;
3304 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
3305 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
3306 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
3307 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
3308 other function instead:
3311 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3312 'mail-extract-address-components)
3315 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3316 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3317 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3318 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3321 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3322 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3324 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3325 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3326 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3327 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3328 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3330 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3332 The following format specification characters are understood:
3340 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3341 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3342 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3344 Full @code{From} header.
3346 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3348 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3349 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3351 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3352 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3353 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3354 may be more thorough.
3356 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3359 Number of lines in the article.
3361 Number of characters in the article.
3363 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3365 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3366 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3368 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3369 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3371 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3372 for adopted articles.
3374 One space for each thread level.
3376 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3381 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3382 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3386 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3388 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3389 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3390 default level. If the difference between
3391 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3392 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3400 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3402 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3408 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3409 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3411 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3412 article has any children.
3418 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3419 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3420 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3421 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3422 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3423 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3426 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3427 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
3428 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3429 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3430 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3431 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3433 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3434 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3436 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
3439 @node To From Newsgroups
3440 @subsection To From Newsgroups
3444 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
3445 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
3446 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
3447 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
3448 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
3452 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
3453 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
3454 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
3458 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3459 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
3462 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
3463 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
3466 @findex gnus-extra-header
3467 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
3468 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
3469 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
3472 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
3476 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
3477 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
3478 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
3479 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
3480 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
3481 headers are used instead.
3485 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
3486 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
3487 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
3488 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
3491 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3492 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
3493 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
3494 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
3496 In summary, you'd typically do something like the following:
3499 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3501 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
3502 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
3503 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
3504 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
3508 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
3509 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
3516 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
3517 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
3520 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3521 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3523 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3524 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
3525 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
3526 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3528 Here are the elements you can play with:
3534 Unprefixed group name.
3536 Current article number.
3538 Current article score.
3542 Number of unread articles in this group.
3544 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
3547 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3548 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3549 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3550 and no unselected ones.
3552 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3553 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3555 Subject of the current article.
3557 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
3559 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
3561 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3563 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3565 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3567 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3571 @node Summary Highlighting
3572 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3576 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3577 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3578 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3579 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3580 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3582 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3583 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3584 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3585 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3587 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3588 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3589 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
3590 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3592 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3593 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3594 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3595 list where the elements are of the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
3596 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
3597 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
3599 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3600 ((> score default) . bold))
3602 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3603 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
3607 @node Summary Maneuvering
3608 @section Summary Maneuvering
3609 @cindex summary movement
3611 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3612 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3614 None of these commands select articles.
3619 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3620 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3621 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3622 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3623 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3627 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3628 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3629 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3630 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3631 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3636 @kindex G j (Summary)
3637 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3638 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
3639 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3642 @kindex G g (Summary)
3643 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3644 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
3645 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3648 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3649 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3650 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3651 to the group buffer.
3653 Variables related to summary movement:
3657 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3658 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3659 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
3660 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
3661 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
3662 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
3663 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
3664 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
3665 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
3666 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
3667 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
3668 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
3669 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
3670 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
3672 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3673 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3674 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3675 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3676 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3677 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
3678 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
3680 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3682 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3683 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3684 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3685 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3686 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3688 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3689 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3690 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3691 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3692 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3693 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3694 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3695 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3698 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
3699 the given number of lines from the top.
3704 @node Choosing Articles
3705 @section Choosing Articles
3706 @cindex selecting articles
3709 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3710 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3714 @node Choosing Commands
3715 @subsection Choosing Commands
3717 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3718 and they all select and display an article.
3722 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3723 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3724 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3725 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3730 @kindex G n (Summary)
3731 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3732 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
3733 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3738 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3739 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
3740 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3745 @kindex G N (Summary)
3746 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3747 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3752 @kindex G P (Summary)
3753 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3754 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3757 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3758 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3759 Go to the next article with the same subject
3760 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3763 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3764 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3765 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3766 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3770 @kindex G f (Summary)
3772 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3773 Go to the first unread article
3774 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3778 @kindex G b (Summary)
3780 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3781 Go to the article with the highest score
3782 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3787 @kindex G l (Summary)
3788 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3789 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3792 @kindex G o (Summary)
3793 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3795 @cindex article history
3796 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3797 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3798 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3799 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
3800 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
3801 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
3805 @node Choosing Variables
3806 @subsection Choosing Variables
3808 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3811 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3812 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3813 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3814 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3815 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3816 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3818 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3819 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3820 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3821 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3823 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3824 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3825 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3826 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3827 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3828 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3829 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3830 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3831 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3832 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3833 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3834 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3835 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3836 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3841 @node Paging the Article
3842 @section Scrolling the Article
3843 @cindex article scrolling
3848 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3849 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3850 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3851 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3852 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3855 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3856 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3857 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3860 @kindex RET (Summary)
3861 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3862 Scroll the current article one line forward
3863 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3866 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
3867 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
3868 Scroll the current article one line backward
3869 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
3873 @kindex A g (Summary)
3875 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3876 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3877 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3878 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3879 the way it came from the server.
3884 @kindex A < (Summary)
3885 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3886 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3887 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3892 @kindex A > (Summary)
3893 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3894 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3898 @kindex A s (Summary)
3900 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3901 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3902 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3906 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
3907 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
3912 @node Reply Followup and Post
3913 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3916 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3917 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3921 @node Summary Mail Commands
3922 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3924 @cindex composing mail
3926 Commands for composing a mail message:
3932 @kindex S r (Summary)
3934 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3935 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
3936 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
3937 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3938 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3943 @kindex S R (Summary)
3944 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3945 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
3946 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3947 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3948 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3951 @kindex S w (Summary)
3952 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
3953 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
3954 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
3955 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
3956 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
3959 @kindex S W (Summary)
3960 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
3961 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
3962 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
3963 the process/prefix convention.
3966 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3967 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3968 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
3969 Forward the current article to some other person
3970 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3971 headers of the forwarded article.
3976 @kindex S m (Summary)
3977 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3978 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
3979 Send a mail to some other person
3980 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3983 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3984 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3985 @cindex bouncing mail
3986 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3987 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3988 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3989 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3990 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3991 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
3992 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3993 very well fail, though.
3996 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3997 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3998 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3999 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4000 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4001 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4002 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4003 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4004 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4005 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4007 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4008 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4009 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4010 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4011 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4013 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4014 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4017 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4018 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4019 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4020 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4021 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4024 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4025 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4026 @cindex crossposting
4027 @cindex excessive crossposting
4028 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4029 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4031 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4032 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4033 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4034 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4035 command understands the process/prefix convention
4036 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4040 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4043 @node Summary Post Commands
4044 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4046 @cindex composing news
4048 Commands for posting a news article:
4054 @kindex S p (Summary)
4055 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4056 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4057 Post an article to the current group
4058 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4063 @kindex S f (Summary)
4064 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4065 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4066 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4070 @kindex S F (Summary)
4072 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4073 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4074 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4075 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4076 process/prefix convention.
4079 @kindex S n (Summary)
4080 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4081 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4082 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4085 @kindex S N (Summary)
4086 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4087 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4088 message through mail and include the original message
4089 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4090 the process/prefix convention.
4093 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4094 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4095 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4096 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4097 headers of the forwarded article.
4100 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4101 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4103 @cindex making digests
4104 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4105 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4106 process/prefix convention.
4109 @kindex S u (Summary)
4110 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4111 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4112 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4113 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4116 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4119 @node Canceling and Superseding
4120 @section Canceling Articles
4121 @cindex canceling articles
4122 @cindex superseding articles
4124 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4125 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4127 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4129 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4131 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4132 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4133 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4134 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4135 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4136 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4138 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4139 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4142 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4143 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4144 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4146 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4147 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4148 your original article.
4150 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4152 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4153 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4154 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4157 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4158 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4159 have posted almost the same article twice.
4161 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4162 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4163 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4164 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4165 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4166 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4167 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4168 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4169 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4170 canceled/superseded.
4172 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4175 @node Marking Articles
4176 @section Marking Articles
4177 @cindex article marking
4178 @cindex article ticking
4181 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4183 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4184 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4185 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4187 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4190 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4191 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4192 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4196 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4200 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4201 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4205 @node Unread Articles
4206 @subsection Unread Articles
4208 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4213 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4214 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4216 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4217 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4218 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4219 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4220 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4224 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4225 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4227 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4228 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4229 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4232 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4233 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4235 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4240 @subsection Read Articles
4241 @cindex expirable mark
4243 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4248 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4249 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4250 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4253 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4254 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4257 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4258 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4259 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4262 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4263 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4266 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4267 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4270 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4271 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4274 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4275 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4278 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4279 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4282 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4283 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4286 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4287 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4291 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4292 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4293 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4297 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4298 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4300 One more special mark, though:
4304 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4305 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4307 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4308 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4309 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4310 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
4316 @subsection Other Marks
4317 @cindex process mark
4320 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4326 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4327 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4328 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4329 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4330 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
4333 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4334 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4335 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4336 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4339 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4340 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4341 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4344 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4345 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4346 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4347 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4350 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4351 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4352 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4353 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4354 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4357 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4358 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4359 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4360 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4361 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4362 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4366 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4367 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4368 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4370 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4371 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4372 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4376 @subsection Setting Marks
4377 @cindex setting marks
4379 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4384 @kindex M c (Summary)
4385 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4386 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4387 @cindex mark as unread
4388 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4389 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4395 @kindex M t (Summary)
4396 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4397 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4398 @xref{Article Caching}.
4403 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4404 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4405 Mark the current article as dormant
4406 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4410 @kindex M d (Summary)
4412 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4413 Mark the current article as read
4414 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4418 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4419 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4420 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
4425 @kindex M k (Summary)
4426 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
4427 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
4428 and then select the next unread article
4429 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
4433 @kindex M K (Summary)
4434 @kindex C-k (Summary)
4435 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
4436 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
4437 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4440 @kindex M C (Summary)
4441 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4442 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
4443 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4446 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4447 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4448 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4449 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4452 @kindex M H (Summary)
4453 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4454 Catchup the current group to point
4455 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4458 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4459 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4460 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4461 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
4464 @kindex M V k (Summary)
4465 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
4466 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
4467 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
4471 @kindex M e (Summary)
4473 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
4474 Mark the current article as expirable
4475 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
4478 @kindex M b (Summary)
4479 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
4480 Set a bookmark in the current article
4481 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
4484 @kindex M B (Summary)
4485 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
4486 Remove the bookmark from the current article
4487 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
4490 @kindex M V c (Summary)
4491 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
4492 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
4493 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4496 @kindex M V u (Summary)
4497 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
4498 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
4499 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
4502 @kindex M V m (Summary)
4503 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
4504 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
4505 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
4506 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4509 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
4510 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
4511 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
4512 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
4513 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
4514 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
4515 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
4516 The default is @code{t}.
4519 @node Setting Process Marks
4520 @subsection Setting Process Marks
4521 @cindex setting process marks
4528 @kindex M P p (Summary)
4529 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
4530 Mark the current article with the process mark
4531 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
4532 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
4536 @kindex M P u (Summary)
4537 @kindex M-# (Summary)
4538 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
4539 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
4542 @kindex M P U (Summary)
4543 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
4544 Remove the process mark from all articles
4545 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
4548 @kindex M P i (Summary)
4549 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
4550 Invert the list of process marked articles
4551 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
4554 @kindex M P R (Summary)
4555 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
4556 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
4557 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
4560 @kindex M P r (Summary)
4561 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
4562 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
4565 @kindex M P t (Summary)
4566 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4567 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4568 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4571 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4572 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4573 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4574 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4577 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4578 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4579 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4580 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4583 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4584 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4585 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4588 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4589 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4590 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4591 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4594 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4595 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4596 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4599 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4600 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4601 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4602 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4605 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4606 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4607 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4608 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4611 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4612 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4613 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4614 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4617 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4618 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4619 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4620 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4629 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4630 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4631 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4634 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
4635 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
4636 additional articles.
4642 @kindex / / (Summary)
4643 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4644 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4645 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4648 @kindex / a (Summary)
4649 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4650 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4651 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4655 @kindex / u (Summary)
4657 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4658 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
4659 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4660 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4661 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4664 @kindex / m (Summary)
4665 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4666 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
4667 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4670 @kindex / t (Summary)
4671 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
4672 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
4673 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}). If given a prefix, limit to
4674 articles younger than that number of days.
4677 @kindex / n (Summary)
4678 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4679 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4680 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4681 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4684 @kindex / w (Summary)
4685 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4686 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4687 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4691 @kindex / v (Summary)
4692 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4693 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4694 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4698 @kindex M S (Summary)
4699 @kindex / E (Summary)
4700 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4701 Include all expunged articles in the limit
4702 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4705 @kindex / D (Summary)
4706 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4707 Include all dormant articles in the limit
4708 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4711 @kindex / * (Summary)
4712 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
4713 Include all cached articles in the limit
4714 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
4717 @kindex / d (Summary)
4718 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4719 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
4720 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4723 @kindex / M (Summary)
4724 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
4725 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
4728 @kindex / T (Summary)
4729 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
4730 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
4733 @kindex / c (Summary)
4734 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4735 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
4736 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4739 @kindex / C (Summary)
4740 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4741 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4742 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4743 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4751 @cindex article threading
4753 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
4754 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
4755 hierarchical fashion.
4757 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
4758 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
4759 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
4760 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
4761 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
4762 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
4763 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
4765 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
4769 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
4772 A tree-like article structure.
4775 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
4778 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
4779 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
4780 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
4781 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
4782 called loose threads.
4784 @item thread gathering
4785 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
4787 @item sparse threads
4788 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
4789 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
4795 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4796 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4800 @node Customizing Threading
4801 @subsection Customizing Threading
4802 @cindex customizing threading
4805 * Loose Threads:: How gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
4806 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
4807 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
4808 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
4813 @subsubsection Loose Threads
4816 @cindex loose threads
4819 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4820 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4821 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4822 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4823 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4824 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4826 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
4827 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
4828 There are four possible values:
4832 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
4833 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
4834 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4835 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4836 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4841 @cindex adopting articles
4846 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4847 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4848 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4849 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4852 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4853 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4854 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4855 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4856 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4857 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4858 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4861 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4862 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4863 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4867 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4868 display them after one another.
4871 Don't gather loose threads.
4874 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4875 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4876 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4877 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
4878 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4879 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4880 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
4881 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
4882 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4883 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
4884 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4886 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4887 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
4888 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
4891 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4892 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4893 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4894 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4895 simplification is used.
4897 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4898 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4899 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4900 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4902 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4904 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4910 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4911 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4912 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4913 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4918 (mapconcat 'identity
4919 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4921 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4924 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4927 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4928 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4929 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
4930 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
4931 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
4932 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
4934 Useful functions to put in this list include:
4937 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
4938 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
4939 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
4941 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4942 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4945 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
4946 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
4947 Remove excessive whitespace.
4950 You may also write your own functions, of course.
4953 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4954 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4955 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
4956 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
4957 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
4958 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
4959 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
4960 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
4962 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4963 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4964 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
4965 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
4966 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
4967 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
4968 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
4969 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
4970 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
4974 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4975 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4976 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
4977 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
4979 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4980 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4981 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
4984 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
4988 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4989 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
4995 @node Filling In Threads
4996 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
4999 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
5000 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
5001 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
5002 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
5003 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
5004 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
5005 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
5006 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
5007 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
5008 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
5009 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
5010 expired by the server, there's not much gnus can do about that.
5012 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
5013 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
5014 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
5016 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
5017 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
5018 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
5019 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
5020 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
5021 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
5022 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
5023 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
5024 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
5025 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
5026 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
5027 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
5028 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
5029 @code{nil} by default.
5034 @node More Threading
5035 @subsubsection More Threading
5038 @item gnus-show-threads
5039 @vindex gnus-show-threads
5040 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
5041 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
5042 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
5043 slower and more awkward.
5045 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5046 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5047 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
5050 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
5051 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5052 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5053 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5054 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5055 threads are expunged.
5057 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5058 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5059 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5062 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5063 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5064 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5065 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
5066 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
5069 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5070 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5071 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5077 @node Low-Level Threading
5078 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5082 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5083 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5084 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
5085 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
5086 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
5087 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
5089 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5090 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5091 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5092 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5093 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5094 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5095 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5096 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5097 meaningful. Here's one example:
5100 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5102 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5103 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5105 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5107 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5114 @node Thread Commands
5115 @subsection Thread Commands
5116 @cindex thread commands
5122 @kindex T k (Summary)
5123 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5124 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5125 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5126 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5127 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5132 @kindex T l (Summary)
5133 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5134 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5135 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5136 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5139 @kindex T i (Summary)
5140 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5141 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5142 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5145 @kindex T # (Summary)
5146 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5147 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5148 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5151 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5152 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5153 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5154 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5157 @kindex T T (Summary)
5158 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5159 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5162 @kindex T s (Summary)
5163 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5164 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5165 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5168 @kindex T h (Summary)
5169 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5170 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5173 @kindex T S (Summary)
5174 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5175 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5178 @kindex T H (Summary)
5179 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5180 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5183 @kindex T t (Summary)
5184 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5185 Re-thread the current article's thread
5186 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5187 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5190 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5191 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5192 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5193 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5197 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5198 understand the numeric prefix.
5203 @kindex T n (Summary)
5204 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5205 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5208 @kindex T p (Summary)
5209 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5210 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5213 @kindex T d (Summary)
5214 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5215 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5218 @kindex T u (Summary)
5219 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5220 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5223 @kindex T o (Summary)
5224 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5225 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5228 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5229 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5230 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5231 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5232 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5233 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5234 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5235 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5236 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5237 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5238 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5239 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5246 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5247 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5248 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5249 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5250 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5251 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5252 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5253 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5254 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
5255 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
5256 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
5258 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5259 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5260 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5261 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5262 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5264 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5265 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5266 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
5268 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
5269 last function in the list. You should probably always include
5270 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5271 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5272 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5273 ascending article order.
5275 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
5276 by number, you could do something like:
5279 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5280 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5281 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5282 (reverse gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
5285 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5286 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5287 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5288 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5289 which the articles arrived.
5291 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
5295 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5297 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
5298 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5301 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5302 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5303 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5304 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5307 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5308 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5309 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5310 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5311 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5312 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5313 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5314 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5315 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5316 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5317 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5318 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5319 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5321 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5325 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5326 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5327 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5332 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5333 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5334 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5335 @cindex article pre-fetch
5338 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5339 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5340 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5341 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5342 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5344 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5345 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
5347 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
5348 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
5349 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
5350 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
5351 connection is blocked.
5353 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
5354 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
5355 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
5356 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
5358 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
5359 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
5360 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
5361 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
5364 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
5367 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
5368 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
5369 happen automatically.
5371 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
5372 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
5373 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
5374 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
5375 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
5376 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
5377 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
5379 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
5380 @findex gnus-async-read-p
5381 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
5382 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
5383 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
5384 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
5385 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
5386 data structure as the only parameter.
5388 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
5391 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
5392 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
5393 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
5394 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
5397 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
5400 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
5401 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
5402 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
5404 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
5405 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
5406 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
5407 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
5411 Remove articles when they are read.
5414 Remove articles when exiting the group.
5417 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
5419 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
5420 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
5421 @c from the next group.
5424 @node Article Caching
5425 @section Article Caching
5426 @cindex article caching
5429 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
5430 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
5431 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
5432 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
5433 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
5435 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
5437 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5438 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
5439 @vindex gnus-use-cache
5440 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
5441 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
5442 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
5443 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
5444 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
5446 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
5447 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
5448 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
5449 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
5450 as dormant, and don't worry.
5452 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
5454 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
5455 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
5456 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
5457 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
5458 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
5459 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
5460 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
5461 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
5462 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
5463 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
5465 @findex gnus-jog-cache
5466 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
5467 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
5468 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
5469 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
5470 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
5471 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
5472 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
5473 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
5474 not then be downloaded by this command.
5476 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
5477 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
5478 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
5479 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
5480 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
5481 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
5483 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
5484 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
5485 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
5486 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
5487 variables, the group is not cached.
5489 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
5490 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
5491 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
5492 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
5493 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
5494 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
5495 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
5496 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
5497 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
5501 @node Persistent Articles
5502 @section Persistent Articles
5503 @cindex persistent articles
5505 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
5506 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
5507 useful in my opinion.
5509 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
5510 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
5511 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
5512 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
5513 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
5514 the expiry going on at the news server.
5516 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
5517 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
5518 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
5524 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
5525 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
5528 @kindex M-* (Summary)
5529 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
5530 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
5531 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
5535 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
5537 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
5538 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
5539 interested in persistent articles:
5542 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
5546 @node Article Backlog
5547 @section Article Backlog
5549 @cindex article backlog
5551 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
5552 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
5553 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
5554 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
5555 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
5556 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
5557 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
5558 increase memory usage some.
5560 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
5561 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
5562 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
5563 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
5564 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
5565 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
5566 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
5568 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
5571 @node Saving Articles
5572 @section Saving Articles
5573 @cindex saving articles
5575 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
5576 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
5577 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
5578 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
5579 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
5581 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
5582 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
5583 unwanted headers before saving the article.
5585 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
5586 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
5587 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
5588 deleted before saving.
5594 @kindex O o (Summary)
5596 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
5597 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
5598 Save the current article using the default article saver
5599 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
5602 @kindex O m (Summary)
5603 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
5604 Save the current article in mail format
5605 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
5608 @kindex O r (Summary)
5609 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
5610 Save the current article in rmail format
5611 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
5614 @kindex O f (Summary)
5615 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
5616 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
5617 Save the current article in plain file format
5618 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
5621 @kindex O F (Summary)
5622 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
5623 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
5624 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
5627 @kindex O b (Summary)
5628 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
5629 Save the current article body in plain file format
5630 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
5633 @kindex O h (Summary)
5634 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
5635 Save the current article in mh folder format
5636 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
5639 @kindex O v (Summary)
5640 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
5641 Save the current article in a VM folder
5642 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
5645 @kindex O p (Summary)
5646 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
5647 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
5648 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
5651 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
5652 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
5653 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
5654 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
5655 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
5656 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
5657 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
5658 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
5659 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
5660 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
5661 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
5662 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
5666 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
5667 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
5668 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
5669 functions below, or you can create your own.
5673 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5674 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5675 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
5676 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5677 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
5678 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5679 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5681 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5682 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5683 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
5684 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
5685 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5686 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5688 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
5689 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
5690 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
5691 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5692 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
5693 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5694 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5696 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5697 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5698 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
5699 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5700 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5702 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5703 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5704 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
5705 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
5706 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
5709 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
5710 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
5711 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
5712 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
5713 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
5715 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5716 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5717 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
5718 reader to use this setting.
5721 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
5722 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
5723 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
5724 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
5727 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
5728 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
5729 available functions that generate names:
5733 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
5734 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
5735 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5737 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
5738 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5739 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5741 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
5742 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
5743 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5745 @item gnus-plain-save-name
5746 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5747 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5750 @vindex gnus-split-methods
5751 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
5752 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
5753 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
5754 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
5758 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
5759 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
5760 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
5761 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
5764 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
5765 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
5766 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5767 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5768 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5769 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5770 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5771 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5772 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5774 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5775 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5776 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5777 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5779 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5780 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5781 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
5784 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
5785 lots of mail groups called things like
5786 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
5787 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
5788 following will do just that:
5791 (defun my-save-name (group)
5792 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
5793 (substring group (match-end 0))))
5795 (setq gnus-split-methods
5796 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
5801 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5802 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5803 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5804 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5805 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5806 all the files in the top level directory
5807 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5808 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5809 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5810 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5812 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5813 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5814 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5815 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5816 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5819 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5823 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5824 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5827 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5828 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5829 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5830 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5833 @node Decoding Articles
5834 @section Decoding Articles
5835 @cindex decoding articles
5837 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5838 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5841 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5842 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
5843 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5844 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
5845 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5846 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5850 @cindex article series
5851 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5852 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5853 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5854 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5855 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5857 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5858 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5859 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5861 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
5862 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5863 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5865 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
5866 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
5867 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
5870 @node Uuencoded Articles
5871 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
5873 @cindex uuencoded articles
5878 @kindex X u (Summary)
5879 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
5880 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
5881 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
5884 @kindex X U (Summary)
5885 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
5886 Uudecodes and saves the current series
5887 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5890 @kindex X v u (Summary)
5891 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
5892 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
5895 @kindex X v U (Summary)
5896 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
5897 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
5898 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
5902 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
5903 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
5904 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
5905 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
5906 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5908 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
5909 @sc{GNUS 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
5910 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
5911 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
5914 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
5915 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
5916 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
5917 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5918 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5919 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
5923 @node Shell Archives
5924 @subsection Shell Archives
5926 @cindex shell archives
5927 @cindex shared articles
5929 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
5930 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
5931 some commands to deal with these:
5936 @kindex X s (Summary)
5937 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
5938 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
5941 @kindex X S (Summary)
5942 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
5943 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
5946 @kindex X v s (Summary)
5947 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
5948 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
5951 @kindex X v S (Summary)
5952 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
5953 Unshars, views and saves the current series
5954 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
5958 @node PostScript Files
5959 @subsection PostScript Files
5965 @kindex X p (Summary)
5966 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
5967 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
5970 @kindex X P (Summary)
5971 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
5972 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
5973 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
5976 @kindex X v p (Summary)
5977 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
5978 View the current PostScript series
5979 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
5982 @kindex X v P (Summary)
5983 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
5984 View and save the current PostScript series
5985 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
5990 @subsection Other Files
5994 @kindex X o (Summary)
5995 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
5996 Save the current series
5997 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
6000 @kindex X b (Summary)
6001 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
6002 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
6003 doesn't really work yet.
6007 @node Decoding Variables
6008 @subsection Decoding Variables
6010 Adjective, not verb.
6013 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
6014 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
6015 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
6019 @node Rule Variables
6020 @subsubsection Rule Variables
6021 @cindex rule variables
6023 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
6024 variables are of the form
6027 (list '(regexp1 command2)
6034 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6035 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6037 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
6038 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
6041 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6042 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
6045 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6046 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6047 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
6048 user and default view rules.
6050 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6051 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6052 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6057 @node Other Decode Variables
6058 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6061 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6063 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6064 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6065 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6066 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6067 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6071 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6072 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6075 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6076 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6077 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6080 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6081 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6082 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6083 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6084 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6087 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6088 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6089 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6091 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6092 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6093 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6094 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6095 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6098 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6099 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6100 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6102 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6103 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6104 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6105 looking for files to display.
6107 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6108 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6109 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6112 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6113 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6114 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6117 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6118 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6119 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6122 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6123 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6124 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6127 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6128 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6129 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6130 decoded articles as unread.
6132 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6133 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6134 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6135 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6137 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6138 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6139 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6141 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6142 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6144 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6145 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6146 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6147 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6149 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6150 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6151 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6152 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6153 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6154 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
6155 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6156 simply dropped them.
6161 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6162 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6166 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6167 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6168 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6169 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6170 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6171 for you when you post the article.
6173 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6174 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6175 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6176 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6178 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6179 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6180 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6181 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6182 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6183 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6184 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6186 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6187 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6188 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6189 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6190 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6191 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6192 Default is @code{t}.
6198 @subsection Viewing Files
6199 @cindex viewing files
6200 @cindex pseudo-articles
6202 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
6203 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6204 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6205 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
6206 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6207 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6208 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6210 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6211 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6212 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6213 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6215 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6216 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6217 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6219 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6220 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6221 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6222 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6223 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6225 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6226 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6227 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6228 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6229 a list of parameters to that command.
6231 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6232 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6233 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6235 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6236 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6237 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6240 @node Article Treatment
6241 @section Article Treatment
6243 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6244 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6245 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6246 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6247 these articles easier.
6250 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6251 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6252 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6253 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6254 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6255 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6256 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6260 @node Article Highlighting
6261 @subsection Article Highlighting
6262 @cindex highlighting
6264 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6265 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6270 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6271 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6272 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6273 Do much highlighting of the current article
6274 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
6275 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
6278 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6279 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6280 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6281 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6282 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6283 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
6284 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6285 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6286 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6287 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6288 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
6291 @kindex W H c (Summary)
6292 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
6293 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
6295 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
6298 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6300 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6301 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
6302 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
6304 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6305 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6306 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6308 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6309 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6310 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6312 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6313 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6314 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
6315 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
6316 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
6317 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
6319 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6320 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6321 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6323 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6324 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6325 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6327 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6328 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6329 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6330 that it's a citation.
6332 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6333 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6334 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6336 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6337 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6338 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6340 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6341 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6342 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6343 cited text belonging to the attribution.
6349 @kindex W H s (Summary)
6350 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6351 @vindex gnus-signature-face
6352 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
6353 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
6354 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
6355 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
6356 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
6361 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to highlight articles automatically.
6364 @node Article Fontisizing
6365 @subsection Article Fontisizing
6367 @cindex article emphasis
6369 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
6370 @kindex W e (Summary)
6371 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
6372 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*}. Gnus can make this look nicer by
6373 running the article through the @kbd{W e}
6374 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
6376 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
6377 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
6378 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
6379 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
6380 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
6381 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
6382 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
6383 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
6387 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
6388 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
6389 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
6392 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
6393 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
6394 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
6395 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
6396 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
6397 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
6398 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
6399 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
6400 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
6401 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
6402 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
6403 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
6404 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
6406 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
6407 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
6408 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
6412 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
6415 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to fontize articles automatically.
6418 @node Article Hiding
6419 @subsection Article Hiding
6420 @cindex article hiding
6422 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
6423 too much cruft in most articles.
6428 @kindex W W a (Summary)
6429 @findex gnus-article-hide
6430 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
6431 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
6432 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
6435 @kindex W W h (Summary)
6436 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
6437 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
6441 @kindex W W b (Summary)
6442 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6443 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
6444 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
6447 @kindex W W s (Summary)
6448 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
6449 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
6453 @kindex W W p (Summary)
6454 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
6455 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6456 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
6457 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
6458 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
6459 articles that have signatures in them do:
6461 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
6463 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
6465 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
6466 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
6468 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6471 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
6476 @kindex W W P (Summary)
6477 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
6478 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
6479 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
6482 @kindex W W B (Summary)
6483 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
6484 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
6485 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
6486 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
6487 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
6488 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
6489 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
6490 which will be interpreted as a regulax expression matching text to be
6491 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
6492 signature should be removed.
6495 @kindex W W c (Summary)
6496 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
6497 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
6498 customizing the hiding:
6502 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
6503 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
6504 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
6505 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
6506 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
6507 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
6508 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
6513 Starting point of the hidden text.
6515 Ending point of the hidden text.
6517 Number of characters in the hidden region.
6519 Number of lines of hidden text.
6522 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
6523 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
6524 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
6529 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
6530 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
6532 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
6533 following two variables:
6536 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6537 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6538 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
6539 50), hide the cited text.
6541 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6542 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6543 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
6548 @kindex W W C (Summary)
6549 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
6550 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
6551 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
6552 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
6553 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
6557 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
6558 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
6559 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
6561 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
6562 citation customization.
6564 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to hide article elements
6568 @node Article Washing
6569 @subsection Article Washing
6571 @cindex article washing
6573 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
6574 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
6576 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
6577 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
6583 @kindex W l (Summary)
6584 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
6585 Remove page breaks from the current article
6586 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article} for page
6590 @kindex W r (Summary)
6591 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
6592 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
6593 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
6594 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
6595 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
6596 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
6598 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
6599 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
6600 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
6601 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
6604 @kindex W t (Summary)
6605 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
6606 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
6607 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
6610 @kindex W v (Summary)
6611 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
6612 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
6613 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
6616 @kindex W m (Summary)
6617 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
6618 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
6619 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
6622 @kindex W o (Summary)
6623 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
6624 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
6627 @kindex W d (Summary)
6628 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
6629 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
6631 @cindex M******** sm*rtq**t*s
6633 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s according to
6634 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
6635 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
6636 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
6640 @kindex W w (Summary)
6641 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
6642 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
6644 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
6648 @kindex W q (Summary)
6649 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
6650 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
6653 @kindex W C (Summary)
6654 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentencse
6655 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
6656 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
6659 @kindex W c (Summary)
6660 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
6661 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
6662 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
6663 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
6664 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
6667 @kindex W f (Summary)
6669 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
6670 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
6671 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
6672 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
6678 Look for and display any X-Face headers
6679 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
6680 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
6681 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
6682 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
6683 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
6684 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
6685 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
6686 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
6687 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
6688 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
6689 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
6690 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
6691 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
6695 @kindex W b (Summary)
6696 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
6697 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
6698 @xref{Article Buttons}.
6701 @kindex W B (Summary)
6702 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
6703 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
6704 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
6707 @kindex W E l (Summary)
6708 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
6709 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
6710 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
6713 @kindex W E m (Summary)
6714 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
6715 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
6716 lines with a single empty line.
6717 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
6720 @kindex W E t (Summary)
6721 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
6722 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
6723 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
6726 @kindex W E a (Summary)
6727 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
6728 Do all the three commands above
6729 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
6732 @kindex W E A (Summary)
6733 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
6734 Remove all blank lines
6735 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
6738 @kindex W E s (Summary)
6739 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
6740 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
6741 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
6744 @kindex W E e (Summary)
6745 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
6746 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
6747 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
6751 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to wash articles automatically.
6754 @node Article Buttons
6755 @subsection Article Buttons
6758 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
6759 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
6760 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
6761 button on these references.
6763 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
6764 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
6765 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
6770 @item gnus-button-alist
6771 @vindex gnus-button-alist
6772 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
6775 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6781 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
6782 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
6783 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
6786 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
6787 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
6788 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
6791 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
6792 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
6793 avoid false matches.
6796 This function will be called when you click on this button.
6799 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
6800 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
6804 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
6807 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
6810 @item gnus-header-button-alist
6811 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
6812 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
6813 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
6814 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
6817 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6820 @var{HEADER} is a regular expression.
6822 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
6823 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
6824 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
6825 default values of the variables above.
6827 @item gnus-article-button-face
6828 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
6829 Face used on buttons.
6831 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
6832 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
6833 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
6837 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to buttonize articles automatically.
6841 @subsection Article Date
6843 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
6844 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
6845 when the article was sent.
6850 @kindex W T u (Summary)
6851 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
6852 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
6853 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
6856 @kindex W T i (Summary)
6857 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
6859 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
6860 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
6863 @kindex W T l (Summary)
6864 @findex gnus-article-date-local
6865 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
6868 @kindex W T s (Summary)
6869 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
6870 @findex gnus-article-date-user
6871 @findex format-time-string
6872 Display the date using a user-defined format
6873 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
6874 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
6875 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
6876 for a list of possible format specs.
6879 @kindex W T e (Summary)
6880 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
6881 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
6882 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
6883 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
6884 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). If you want to have this line
6885 updated continually, you can put
6888 (gnus-start-date-timer)
6891 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
6892 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
6896 @kindex W T o (Summary)
6897 @findex gnus-article-date-original
6898 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
6899 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
6900 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
6901 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
6902 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
6906 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to display the date in your
6907 preferred format automatically.
6910 @node Article Signature
6911 @subsection Article Signature
6913 @cindex article signature
6915 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6916 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
6917 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
6918 that says what is to be considered a signature is
6919 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
6920 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
6921 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
6922 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
6923 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
6926 (setq gnus-signature-separator
6927 '("^-- $" ; The standard
6928 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
6929 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
6930 ; line of dashes. Shame!
6931 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
6932 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
6933 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
6936 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
6939 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
6940 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
6945 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
6948 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
6951 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
6952 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
6954 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
6955 in question is not a signature.
6958 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
6959 listed above. Here's an example:
6962 (setq gnus-signature-limit
6963 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
6966 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
6967 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
6968 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
6969 signature after all.
6973 @section MIME Commands
6974 @cindex MIME decoding
6978 @kindex M-t (Summary)
6979 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
6980 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
6981 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
6984 @kindex W M w (Summary)
6985 Decode RFC2047-encoded words in the article headers
6986 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
6989 @kindex W M c (Summary)
6990 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
6991 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
6993 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
6994 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
6995 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
6996 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
6997 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
6998 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
7001 @kindex W M v (Summary)
7002 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
7003 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
7010 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
7011 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
7012 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7013 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
7016 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
7019 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
7023 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7024 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7025 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7026 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
7027 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
7029 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
7030 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
7031 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
7032 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
7033 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
7034 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
7035 save all jpegs into some directory).
7037 Here's an example function the does the latter:
7040 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
7041 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
7043 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
7044 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
7045 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
7046 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
7047 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
7057 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
7058 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
7059 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
7060 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
7061 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
7062 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
7063 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
7065 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
7066 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
7067 variable, which is an alist of regexps (to match group names) and
7068 default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
7070 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
7071 aren't. These blitely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
7072 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
7073 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
7074 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
7075 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
7076 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
7077 something some agents insist on having in there.
7080 @node Article Commands
7081 @section Article Commands
7088 @kindex A P (Summary)
7089 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
7090 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
7091 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
7092 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
7093 run just before printing the buffer.
7098 @node Summary Sorting
7099 @section Summary Sorting
7100 @cindex summary sorting
7102 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
7103 can't really see why you'd want that.
7108 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
7109 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
7110 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
7113 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
7114 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
7115 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
7118 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
7119 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
7120 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
7123 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
7124 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
7125 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
7128 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
7129 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
7130 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
7133 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
7134 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
7135 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
7138 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
7139 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
7140 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
7143 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
7144 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
7145 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
7146 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
7147 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
7151 @node Finding the Parent
7152 @section Finding the Parent
7153 @cindex parent articles
7154 @cindex referring articles
7159 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
7160 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
7161 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
7162 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
7163 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
7164 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
7165 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
7166 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
7167 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
7169 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
7170 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
7171 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
7172 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
7173 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
7177 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
7178 @kindex A R (Summary)
7179 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
7180 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
7183 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
7184 @kindex A T (Summary)
7185 Display the full thread where the current article appears
7186 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
7187 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
7188 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
7189 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
7190 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
7191 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
7193 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
7194 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
7195 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
7196 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
7197 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
7198 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
7201 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
7202 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
7204 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
7205 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
7206 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
7207 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
7208 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
7209 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
7210 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
7213 The current select method will be used when fetching by
7214 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
7215 by giving this command a prefix.
7217 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
7218 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
7219 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
7220 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
7221 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
7222 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
7225 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
7226 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
7227 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
7228 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
7229 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
7230 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
7233 @node Alternative Approaches
7234 @section Alternative Approaches
7236 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
7237 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
7240 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
7241 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
7246 @subsection Pick and Read
7247 @cindex pick and read
7249 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
7250 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
7251 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
7252 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
7254 @findex gnus-pick-mode
7255 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
7256 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
7257 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
7258 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
7259 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
7261 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
7266 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
7267 Pick the article or thread on the current line
7268 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
7269 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
7270 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
7271 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
7272 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
7273 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
7276 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
7277 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
7278 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
7279 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
7283 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
7284 Unpick the thread or article
7285 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
7286 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
7287 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
7288 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
7289 the thread or article at that line.
7293 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
7294 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
7295 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
7296 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
7297 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
7298 will still be visible when you are reading.
7302 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
7303 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
7304 which is mapped to the same function
7305 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
7307 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
7310 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
7313 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
7314 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
7316 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
7317 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
7318 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
7320 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
7321 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
7322 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
7323 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
7324 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
7325 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
7326 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
7330 @subsection Binary Groups
7331 @cindex binary groups
7333 @findex gnus-binary-mode
7334 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
7335 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
7336 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
7337 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
7338 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
7339 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
7342 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
7343 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
7344 command, when you have turned on this mode
7345 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
7347 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
7348 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
7352 @section Tree Display
7355 @vindex gnus-use-trees
7356 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
7357 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
7358 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
7361 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
7364 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
7365 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
7366 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
7368 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
7369 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
7370 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
7371 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
7372 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
7374 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
7375 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
7376 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
7377 default is @code{modeline}.
7379 @item gnus-tree-line-format
7380 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
7381 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
7382 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
7383 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
7384 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
7385 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
7391 The name of the poster.
7393 The @code{From} header.
7395 The number of the article.
7397 The opening bracket.
7399 The closing bracket.
7404 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
7406 Variables related to the display are:
7409 @item gnus-tree-brackets
7410 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
7411 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
7412 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
7413 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
7414 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
7416 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7417 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7418 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
7419 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
7423 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
7424 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
7425 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
7426 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
7427 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
7428 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
7429 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
7430 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
7431 other windows displayed next to it.
7433 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
7434 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
7435 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7436 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
7437 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
7438 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
7439 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
7443 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
7446 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
7456 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
7460 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
7461 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
7463 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
7465 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
7470 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
7471 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
7472 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
7475 (setq gnus-use-trees t
7476 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7477 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
7478 (gnus-add-configuration
7482 (summary 0.75 point)
7487 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
7490 @node Mail Group Commands
7491 @section Mail Group Commands
7492 @cindex mail group commands
7494 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
7495 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
7497 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
7498 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7503 @kindex B e (Summary)
7504 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
7505 Expire all expirable articles in the group
7506 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
7509 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
7510 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
7511 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
7512 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
7513 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
7514 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
7517 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
7518 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
7519 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
7520 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
7521 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
7522 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
7525 @kindex B m (Summary)
7527 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
7528 Move the article from one mail group to another
7529 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
7532 @kindex B c (Summary)
7534 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
7535 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
7536 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
7537 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
7540 @kindex B B (Summary)
7541 @cindex crosspost mail
7542 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
7543 Crosspost the current article to some other group
7544 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
7545 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
7546 be properly updated.
7549 @kindex B i (Summary)
7550 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
7551 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
7552 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
7553 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
7556 @kindex B r (Summary)
7557 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
7558 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
7559 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
7560 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
7561 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
7565 @kindex B w (Summary)
7567 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
7568 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
7569 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
7570 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
7571 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
7572 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
7575 @kindex B q (Summary)
7576 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
7577 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
7578 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
7579 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
7582 @kindex B t (Summary)
7583 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
7584 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
7585 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
7588 @kindex B p (Summary)
7589 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
7590 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
7591 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
7592 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
7593 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
7594 article from your news server (or rather, from
7595 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
7596 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
7597 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
7598 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
7599 just not have arrived yet.
7603 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
7604 @cindex moving articles
7605 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
7606 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
7607 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
7608 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
7609 suggestions you find reasonable.
7612 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
7613 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
7614 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
7615 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
7619 @node Various Summary Stuff
7620 @section Various Summary Stuff
7623 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
7624 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
7625 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
7626 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
7630 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
7631 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
7632 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
7634 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
7635 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
7636 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
7637 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
7638 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
7639 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
7642 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7643 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7644 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
7645 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
7646 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
7648 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
7649 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
7650 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
7653 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7654 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7655 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
7656 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
7657 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
7658 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
7659 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
7660 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
7661 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
7662 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
7667 @node Summary Group Information
7668 @subsection Summary Group Information
7673 @kindex H f (Summary)
7674 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
7675 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
7676 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
7677 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
7678 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
7679 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
7680 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
7681 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
7682 be used for fetching the file.
7685 @kindex H d (Summary)
7686 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
7687 Give a brief description of the current group
7688 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
7689 rereading the description from the server.
7692 @kindex H h (Summary)
7693 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
7694 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
7695 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
7698 @kindex H i (Summary)
7699 @findex gnus-info-find-node
7700 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
7704 @node Searching for Articles
7705 @subsection Searching for Articles
7710 @kindex M-s (Summary)
7711 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
7712 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
7713 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
7716 @kindex M-r (Summary)
7717 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
7718 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
7719 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
7723 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
7724 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
7725 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
7726 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
7730 @kindex M-& (Summary)
7731 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
7732 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
7733 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
7736 @node Summary Generation Commands
7737 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
7742 @kindex Y g (Summary)
7743 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
7744 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
7747 @kindex Y c (Summary)
7748 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
7749 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
7750 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
7755 @node Really Various Summary Commands
7756 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
7761 @kindex C-d (Summary)
7762 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
7763 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
7764 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
7765 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
7766 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
7767 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
7768 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
7769 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
7773 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
7774 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
7775 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
7776 several documents into one biiig group
7777 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
7778 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
7779 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
7780 command understands the process/prefix convention
7781 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7784 @kindex C-t (Summary)
7785 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
7786 Toggle truncation of summary lines
7787 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
7788 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
7789 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
7793 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
7794 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
7795 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
7798 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
7799 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
7800 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
7801 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
7804 @kindex M-C-g (Summary)
7805 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
7806 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
7807 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
7812 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
7813 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
7814 @cindex summary exit
7815 @cindex exiting groups
7817 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
7818 group and return you to the group buffer.
7824 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
7826 @findex gnus-summary-exit
7827 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
7828 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
7829 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
7830 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
7831 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
7832 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
7833 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
7834 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
7835 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
7836 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
7840 @kindex Z E (Summary)
7842 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
7843 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
7844 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
7848 @kindex Z c (Summary)
7850 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
7851 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
7852 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
7853 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
7856 @kindex Z C (Summary)
7857 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
7858 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
7859 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
7862 @kindex Z n (Summary)
7863 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
7864 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
7865 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
7868 @kindex Z R (Summary)
7869 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
7870 Exit this group, and then enter it again
7871 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
7872 all articles, both read and unread.
7876 @kindex Z G (Summary)
7877 @kindex M-g (Summary)
7878 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
7879 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
7880 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
7881 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
7882 articles, both read and unread.
7885 @kindex Z N (Summary)
7886 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
7887 Exit the group and go to the next group
7888 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
7891 @kindex Z P (Summary)
7892 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
7893 Exit the group and go to the previous group
7894 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
7897 @kindex Z s (Summary)
7898 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
7899 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
7900 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
7901 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
7902 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
7905 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
7906 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
7909 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
7910 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
7911 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
7912 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
7913 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
7914 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
7915 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
7916 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
7917 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
7918 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
7919 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
7920 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
7922 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
7924 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
7925 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
7926 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
7927 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
7928 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
7929 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
7930 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
7931 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
7932 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
7935 @node Crosspost Handling
7936 @section Crosspost Handling
7940 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
7941 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
7942 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
7943 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
7944 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
7945 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
7948 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
7949 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
7950 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
7951 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
7952 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
7954 @cindex cross-posting
7957 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
7958 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
7959 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
7960 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
7961 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
7962 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
7963 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
7964 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
7965 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
7966 the cross reference mechanism.
7968 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
7969 @cindex overview.fmt
7970 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
7971 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
7972 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
7973 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
7974 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
7975 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
7978 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
7979 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
7980 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
7985 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
7988 @node Duplicate Suppression
7989 @section Duplicate Suppression
7991 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
7992 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
7993 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
7994 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
7999 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
8000 is evil and not very common.
8003 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
8004 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
8007 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
8008 different @sc{nntp} servers.
8011 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
8014 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
8015 well, but these four are the most common situations.
8017 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
8018 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
8019 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
8020 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
8021 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
8022 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
8023 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
8026 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
8027 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
8028 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
8029 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
8030 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
8034 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
8035 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
8036 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
8038 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
8039 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
8040 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
8041 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
8042 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
8043 session are suppressed.
8045 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
8046 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
8047 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
8048 suppression list. The default is 10000.
8050 @item gnus-duplicate-file
8051 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
8052 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
8053 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
8056 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
8057 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
8058 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
8059 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
8060 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
8061 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
8062 to you to figure out, I think.
8065 @node The Article Buffer
8066 @chapter The Article Buffer
8067 @cindex article buffer
8069 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
8070 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
8071 tell gnus otherwise.
8074 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
8075 * Using MIME:: Pushing to mime articles as @sc{mime} messages.
8076 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
8077 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
8078 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
8082 @node Hiding Headers
8083 @section Hiding Headers
8084 @cindex hiding headers
8085 @cindex deleting headers
8087 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
8088 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
8090 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
8091 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
8092 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
8093 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
8094 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
8095 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
8096 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
8097 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
8098 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
8100 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
8104 @item gnus-visible-headers
8105 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
8106 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
8107 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
8108 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
8110 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
8111 the article and the subject, you'd say:
8114 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
8117 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
8120 @item gnus-ignored-headers
8121 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
8122 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
8123 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
8124 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
8125 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
8127 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
8128 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
8131 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
8134 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
8137 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
8138 variable will have no effect.
8142 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
8143 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
8144 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
8145 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
8146 the headers are to be displayed.
8148 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
8149 and then the subject, you might say something like:
8152 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
8155 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
8156 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
8158 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8159 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
8160 You can hide further boring headers by setting
8161 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
8162 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
8163 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
8164 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
8167 These conditions are:
8170 Remove all empty headers.
8172 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
8173 @code{Newsgroups} header.
8175 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
8178 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
8181 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
8184 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
8186 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
8189 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
8192 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
8193 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
8196 This is also the default value for this variable.
8200 @section Using @sc{mime}
8203 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
8204 while people stand around yawning.
8206 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
8207 while all newsreaders die of fear.
8209 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
8210 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
8211 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
8213 @vindex gnus-show-mime
8214 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
8215 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
8216 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
8217 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
8218 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
8219 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
8220 calls the SEMI MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
8221 information on SEMI MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is not
8222 existed yet, sorry).
8224 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
8225 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
8226 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
8227 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
8228 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
8229 buffer. These can't be avoided.
8231 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
8232 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
8233 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
8234 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
8235 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
8236 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
8237 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
8238 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
8239 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
8242 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
8244 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
8245 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
8246 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
8247 buffer when there are nobody else.
8250 @node Customizing Articles
8251 @section Customizing Articles
8252 @cindex article customization
8254 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
8255 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
8256 called automatically when you select the articles.
8258 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
8259 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
8260 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
8261 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
8265 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
8268 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
8271 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
8274 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
8277 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
8283 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
8284 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
8285 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
8289 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
8294 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
8295 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
8296 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
8297 considered to contain just a single part.
8299 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
8300 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
8301 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
8302 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
8303 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
8304 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
8305 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
8307 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
8308 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
8312 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature
8313 @item gnus-treat-buttonize
8314 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head
8315 @item gnus-treat-emphasize
8316 @item gnus-treat-fill-article
8317 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr
8318 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers
8319 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
8320 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature
8321 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation
8322 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp
8323 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem
8324 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers
8325 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation
8326 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature
8327 @item gnus-treat-date-ut
8328 @item gnus-treat-date-local
8329 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed
8330 @item gnus-treat-date-original
8331 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines
8332 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines
8333 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8334 @item gnus-treat-strip-blank-lines
8335 @item gnus-treat-overstrike
8336 @item gnus-treat-display-xface
8337 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys
8338 @item gnus-treat-display-picons
8341 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
8342 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
8343 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
8344 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
8345 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
8346 everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead make
8347 them invisible if you want to make them go away.
8350 @node Article Keymap
8351 @section Article Keymap
8353 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
8354 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
8355 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
8356 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
8359 A few additional keystrokes are available:
8364 @kindex SPACE (Article)
8365 @findex gnus-article-next-page
8366 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
8369 @kindex DEL (Article)
8370 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
8371 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
8374 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
8375 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
8376 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
8377 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
8378 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
8381 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
8382 @findex gnus-article-mail
8383 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
8384 given a prefix, include the mail.
8388 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
8389 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
8390 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
8394 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
8395 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
8396 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
8399 @kindex TAB (Article)
8400 @findex gnus-article-next-button
8401 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
8402 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
8405 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
8406 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
8407 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
8413 @section Misc Article
8417 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
8418 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
8419 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
8420 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
8423 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
8424 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
8426 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
8427 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
8429 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
8430 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
8431 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
8432 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
8433 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
8434 the contents of the article buffer.
8436 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
8437 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
8438 Hook called in article mode buffers.
8440 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
8441 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
8442 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
8443 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
8445 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
8446 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
8447 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
8448 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
8449 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with one
8454 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
8455 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
8458 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
8461 @vindex gnus-break-pages
8463 @item gnus-break-pages
8464 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
8465 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
8466 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
8467 paging will not be done.
8469 @item gnus-page-delimiter
8470 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
8471 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
8476 @node Composing Messages
8477 @chapter Composing Messages
8478 @cindex composing messages
8481 @cindex sending mail
8486 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
8487 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
8488 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
8489 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
8490 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
8491 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
8492 to make gnus try to post using the foreign server.
8495 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
8496 * Post:: Posting and following up.
8497 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
8498 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
8499 * Archived Messages:: Where gnus stores the messages you've sent.
8500 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
8501 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
8502 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
8505 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
8506 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
8512 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
8515 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
8516 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
8517 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
8518 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
8520 @item gnus-add-to-list
8521 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
8522 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
8523 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
8531 Variables for composing news articles:
8534 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8535 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8536 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
8537 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
8538 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
8539 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
8540 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
8541 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
8542 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want gnus to keep a history
8545 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8546 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8547 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
8548 file. It is 1000 by default.
8553 @node Posting Server
8554 @section Posting Server
8556 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
8557 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
8559 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
8561 @vindex gnus-post-method
8563 It can be quite complicated. Normally, gnus will use the same native
8564 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
8565 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
8566 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
8567 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
8570 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
8573 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
8574 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
8575 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
8576 the ``current'' server for posting.
8578 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
8579 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
8581 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
8582 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
8585 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
8586 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
8587 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
8592 @section Mail and Post
8594 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
8598 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
8599 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
8600 @cindex mailing lists
8602 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
8603 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
8604 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
8605 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
8606 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
8607 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
8608 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
8609 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
8610 still a pain, though.
8614 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
8615 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
8616 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
8619 @findex ispell-message
8621 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
8625 @node Archived Messages
8626 @section Archived Messages
8627 @cindex archived messages
8628 @cindex sent messages
8630 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
8631 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
8632 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
8633 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
8636 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
8637 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
8638 use to store sent messages. The default is:
8642 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
8643 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
8644 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
8645 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
8648 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
8649 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
8650 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
8651 directory chosen, you could say something like:
8654 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
8655 '(nnfolder "archive"
8656 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
8657 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
8658 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
8661 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
8663 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
8664 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
8665 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
8667 This variable can be used to do the following:
8671 Messages will be saved in that group.
8672 @item a list of strings
8673 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
8674 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
8675 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
8677 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
8682 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
8684 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
8687 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
8689 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
8692 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
8694 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8695 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
8696 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
8697 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
8702 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8703 '((if (message-news-p)
8708 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
8709 messages in one file per month:
8712 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8713 '((if (message-news-p)
8715 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
8716 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
8719 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
8720 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
8722 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
8723 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
8724 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
8725 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
8726 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
8727 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
8728 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
8729 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
8730 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
8731 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
8733 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
8734 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
8735 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
8736 this will disable archiving.
8739 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
8740 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
8741 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
8742 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
8743 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
8746 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
8747 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
8748 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
8751 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
8752 but the latter is the preferred method.
8756 @node Posting Styles
8757 @section Posting Styles
8758 @cindex posting styles
8761 All them variables, they make my head swim.
8763 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
8764 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
8765 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
8768 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
8769 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
8770 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
8771 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
8772 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
8777 (signature "Peace and happiness")
8778 (organization "What me?"))
8780 (signature "Death to everybody"))
8781 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
8782 (organization "Emacs is it")))
8785 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
8786 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
8787 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
8788 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
8789 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
8790 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
8791 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
8792 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
8794 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
8795 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
8796 If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
8797 arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
8798 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
8799 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
8802 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
8803 attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
8804 can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
8805 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
8806 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
8807 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
8810 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
8811 return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
8812 list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
8814 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
8815 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
8816 of the two dynamically bound variables @code{message-this-is-news} and
8817 @code{message-this-is-mail}.
8819 @vindex message-this-is-mail
8820 @vindex message-this-is-news
8822 So here's a new example:
8825 (setq gnus-posting-styles
8827 (signature-file "~/.signature")
8829 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
8830 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
8832 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
8833 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
8834 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
8835 (message-this-is-news
8836 (signature my-news-signature))
8837 (posting-from-work-p
8838 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
8839 (address "user@@bar.foo")
8840 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
8841 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
8843 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
8851 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
8852 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
8853 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
8854 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
8855 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
8857 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
8858 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
8859 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
8860 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
8861 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
8865 @vindex nndraft-directory
8866 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
8867 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
8868 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
8869 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
8870 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
8871 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
8873 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
8874 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
8877 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
8878 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
8879 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
8880 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
8881 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
8882 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
8883 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
8884 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
8885 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
8886 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
8887 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
8888 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
8889 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
8890 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
8892 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
8893 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
8894 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
8896 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
8898 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
8899 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
8900 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
8902 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
8905 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
8906 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
8907 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
8908 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
8909 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
8910 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
8911 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
8914 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
8915 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
8916 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
8919 @node Rejected Articles
8920 @section Rejected Articles
8921 @cindex rejected articles
8923 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
8924 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
8925 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
8926 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
8928 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
8929 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
8930 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
8931 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
8932 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
8934 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
8935 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
8936 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
8939 @node Select Methods
8940 @chapter Select Methods
8941 @cindex foreign groups
8942 @cindex select methods
8944 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
8945 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
8946 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
8947 personal mail group.
8949 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
8950 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
8951 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
8952 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
8953 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
8954 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
8956 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
8957 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
8959 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
8962 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
8963 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
8964 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
8965 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
8966 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
8968 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
8971 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
8972 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
8973 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
8974 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
8975 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
8976 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
8980 @node The Server Buffer
8981 @section The Server Buffer
8983 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
8984 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
8985 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
8986 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
8987 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
8988 backend represents a virtual server.
8990 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
8991 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
8992 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
8993 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
8995 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
8996 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
8997 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
8998 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
8999 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
9000 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
9001 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
9003 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
9004 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
9007 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
9008 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
9009 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
9010 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
9011 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
9012 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
9013 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
9016 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
9017 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
9020 @node Server Buffer Format
9021 @subsection Server Buffer Format
9022 @cindex server buffer format
9024 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
9025 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
9026 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
9027 variable, with some simple extensions:
9032 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
9035 The name of this server.
9038 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
9041 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
9044 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
9045 The mode line can also be customized by using the
9046 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
9047 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
9057 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
9060 @node Server Commands
9061 @subsection Server Commands
9062 @cindex server commands
9068 @findex gnus-server-add-server
9069 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
9073 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
9074 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
9077 @kindex SPACE (Server)
9078 @findex gnus-server-read-server
9079 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
9083 @findex gnus-server-exit
9084 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
9088 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
9089 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
9093 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
9094 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
9098 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
9099 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
9103 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
9104 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
9108 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
9109 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
9110 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
9115 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
9116 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
9117 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
9118 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
9123 @node Example Methods
9124 @subsection Example Methods
9126 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
9129 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
9132 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
9138 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
9139 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
9142 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
9143 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
9145 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
9146 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
9150 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
9153 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
9154 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
9156 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
9157 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
9158 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
9162 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
9165 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
9168 Here's the method for a public spool:
9172 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
9173 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
9176 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
9177 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
9178 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
9179 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
9180 should probably look something like this:
9184 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
9185 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
9186 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
9187 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
9188 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
9191 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
9192 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
9193 server that would look something like this:
9197 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
9198 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
9199 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
9200 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
9201 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
9202 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
9205 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
9206 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
9207 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
9208 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
9211 @node Creating a Virtual Server
9212 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
9214 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
9215 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
9217 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
9218 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
9219 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
9221 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
9223 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
9224 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
9225 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
9226 will contain the following:
9236 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
9237 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
9238 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
9241 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
9242 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
9243 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
9246 @node Server Variables
9247 @subsection Server Variables
9249 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
9250 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
9251 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
9252 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
9253 won't change the "derived" variables.
9255 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
9256 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
9257 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
9258 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
9259 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
9260 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
9261 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
9262 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
9263 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
9267 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
9268 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
9269 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
9273 @node Servers and Methods
9274 @subsection Servers and Methods
9276 Wherever you would normally use a select method
9277 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
9278 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
9279 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
9283 @node Unavailable Servers
9284 @subsection Unavailable Servers
9286 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
9287 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
9288 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
9289 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
9290 actually the case or not.
9292 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
9293 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
9294 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
9295 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
9296 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
9297 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
9298 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
9299 it will regard that server as ``down''.
9301 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
9302 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
9304 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
9305 with the following commands:
9311 @findex gnus-server-open-server
9312 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
9313 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
9317 @findex gnus-server-close-server
9318 Close the connection (if any) to the server
9319 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
9323 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
9324 Mark the current server as unreachable
9325 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
9328 @kindex M-o (Server)
9329 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
9330 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
9331 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
9334 @kindex M-c (Server)
9335 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
9336 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
9337 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
9341 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
9342 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
9343 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
9349 @section Getting News
9350 @cindex reading news
9351 @cindex news backends
9353 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
9354 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
9355 or it can read from a local spool.
9358 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
9359 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
9364 @subsection @sc{nntp}
9367 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
9368 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
9369 server as the, uhm, address.
9371 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
9372 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
9373 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
9374 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
9376 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
9377 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
9378 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
9380 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
9385 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
9386 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
9387 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
9389 @cindex authentification
9390 @cindex nntp authentification
9391 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
9392 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
9393 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
9394 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
9395 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
9396 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
9397 present in this hook.
9399 @item nntp-authinfo-function
9400 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
9401 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
9402 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
9403 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
9404 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
9405 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
9406 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
9407 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
9408 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
9409 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
9410 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
9414 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
9417 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
9418 valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
9419 @samp{default} and @samp{force}. (The latter is not a valid
9420 @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} token, which is the only way the
9421 @file{.authinfo} file format deviates from the @file{.netrc} file
9426 Here's an example file:
9429 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
9430 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
9433 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
9434 have to be first, for instance.
9436 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
9437 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
9438 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
9439 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
9440 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
9441 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
9442 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
9444 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
9445 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
9451 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
9452 previously mentioned.
9454 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
9456 @item nntp-server-action-alist
9457 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
9458 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
9459 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
9460 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
9463 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
9467 You probably don't want to do that, though.
9469 The default value is
9472 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
9473 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
9476 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
9477 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
9479 @item nntp-maximum-request
9480 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
9481 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
9482 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
9483 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
9484 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
9485 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
9486 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
9488 @item nntp-connection-timeout
9489 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
9490 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
9491 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
9492 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
9493 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
9494 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
9495 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
9496 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
9497 no timeouts are done.
9499 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
9500 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
9501 @c @cindex PPP connections
9502 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
9503 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
9504 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
9505 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
9506 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
9507 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
9508 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
9509 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
9510 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
9511 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
9513 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
9514 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
9515 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
9516 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
9519 @item nntp-server-hook
9520 @vindex nntp-server-hook
9521 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
9524 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
9525 @findex nntp-open-telnet
9526 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
9527 @item nntp-open-connection-function
9528 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
9529 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
9530 functions are supplied:
9533 @item nntp-open-network-stream
9534 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
9537 @item nntp-open-rlogin
9538 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
9539 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
9542 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
9546 @item nntp-rlogin-program
9547 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
9548 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
9549 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
9551 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
9552 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
9553 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
9555 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9556 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9557 User name on the remote system.
9561 @item nntp-open-telnet
9562 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
9563 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
9565 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
9568 @item nntp-telnet-command
9569 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
9570 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
9572 @item nntp-telnet-switches
9573 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
9574 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
9576 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
9577 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
9578 User name for log in on the remote system.
9580 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
9581 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
9582 Password to use when logging in.
9584 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
9585 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
9586 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
9589 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9590 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9591 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
9592 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
9594 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9595 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9596 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
9597 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
9598 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
9602 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
9603 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
9604 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
9605 you must have SSLay installed
9606 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
9607 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
9608 define a server as follows:
9611 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
9613 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
9615 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
9616 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
9617 (nntp-port-number "snews")
9618 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
9623 @item nntp-end-of-line
9624 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
9625 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
9626 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
9627 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
9629 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9630 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9631 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
9635 @vindex nntp-address
9636 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
9638 @item nntp-port-number
9639 @vindex nntp-port-number
9640 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
9643 @item nntp-buggy-select
9644 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
9645 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
9647 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
9648 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
9649 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
9650 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
9653 @item nntp-xover-commands
9654 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
9657 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
9658 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
9662 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
9663 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
9664 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
9665 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
9666 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
9667 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
9668 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
9669 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
9670 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
9671 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
9672 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
9674 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
9675 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
9676 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
9678 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9679 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9680 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
9681 server closes connection.
9683 @item nntp-record-commands
9684 @vindex nntp-record-commands
9685 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
9686 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
9687 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
9688 that doesn't seem to work.
9694 @subsection News Spool
9698 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
9699 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
9700 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
9703 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
9704 anything else) as the address.
9706 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
9707 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
9708 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
9709 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
9713 @item nnspool-inews-program
9714 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
9715 Program used to post an article.
9717 @item nnspool-inews-switches
9718 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
9719 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
9721 @item nnspool-spool-directory
9722 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
9723 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
9724 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
9726 @item nnspool-nov-directory
9727 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
9728 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
9729 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
9731 @item nnspool-lib-dir
9732 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
9733 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
9735 @item nnspool-active-file
9736 @vindex nnspool-active-file
9737 The path to the active file.
9739 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
9740 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
9741 The path to the group descriptions file.
9743 @item nnspool-history-file
9744 @vindex nnspool-history-file
9745 The path to the news history file.
9747 @item nnspool-active-times-file
9748 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
9749 The path to the active date file.
9751 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
9752 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
9753 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
9756 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9757 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9759 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
9760 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
9761 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
9767 @section Getting Mail
9768 @cindex reading mail
9771 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
9775 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
9776 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
9777 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
9778 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
9779 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
9780 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
9781 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
9782 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
9783 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
9784 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
9785 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
9789 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
9790 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
9792 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
9793 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
9794 and things will happen automatically.
9796 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
9797 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
9800 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
9801 '((nnml "private")))
9804 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
9805 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
9806 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
9807 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
9808 like any other group.
9810 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
9813 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9814 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9815 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9819 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
9820 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
9821 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
9824 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
9825 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
9826 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
9829 @node Splitting Mail
9830 @subsection Splitting Mail
9831 @cindex splitting mail
9832 @cindex mail splitting
9834 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
9835 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
9836 to be split into groups.
9839 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9840 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9841 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9845 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
9846 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
9847 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
9848 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
9849 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
9850 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
9851 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
9854 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
9857 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
9858 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
9859 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
9860 mail belongs in that group.
9862 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
9863 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
9864 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
9865 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
9866 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
9867 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
9869 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
9870 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
9871 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
9872 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
9873 thinks should carry this mail message.
9875 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
9876 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
9877 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
9878 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
9880 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
9881 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
9882 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
9883 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
9884 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
9886 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
9889 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
9890 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
9891 links. If that's the case for you, set
9892 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
9893 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
9895 @findex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
9896 Header lines may be arbitrarily long. However, the longer a line is,
9897 the longer it takes to match them. Very long lines may lead to Gnus
9898 taking forever to split the mail, so Gnus excludes lines that are longer
9899 than @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} (which defaults to 1024).
9901 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
9902 @kindex nnmail-split-history
9903 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
9904 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
9906 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
9907 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
9908 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
9909 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
9910 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
9911 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
9912 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
9913 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
9918 @subsection Mail Sources
9920 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
9921 POP mail server, or from a procmail directory, for instance.
9924 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
9925 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
9926 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
9930 @node Mail Source Specifiers
9931 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
9938 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by creating a @dfn{mail source
9944 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
9947 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
9948 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
9949 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
9952 The following mail source types are available:
9956 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
9962 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
9963 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
9966 An example file mail source:
9969 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
9972 Or using the default path:
9979 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
9980 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
9986 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
9990 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
9994 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
9995 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
9996 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
9997 predicate are considered.
10001 An example directory mail source:
10004 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
10009 Get mail from a POP server.
10015 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
10016 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
10019 The port number of the POP server. The default is @samp{pop3}.
10022 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
10026 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
10030 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This is should be
10031 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
10034 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
10037 The valid format specifier characters are:
10041 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
10042 included in this string.
10045 The name of the server.
10048 The port number of the server.
10051 The user name to use.
10054 The password to use.
10057 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
10058 corresponding keywords.
10061 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
10062 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
10065 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
10066 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
10069 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
10070 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
10073 @item :authentication
10074 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
10075 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
10080 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
10081 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
10083 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
10084 default user name, and default fetcher:
10090 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
10093 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
10094 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
10097 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
10100 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
10104 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox currently only
10105 supported by qmail, where each file in a special directory contains
10112 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
10113 @samp{~/Maildir/new}.
10115 If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
10116 them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
10117 @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the following example.
10121 An example maildir mail source:
10124 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/cur")
10130 @node Mail Source Customization
10131 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
10133 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
10134 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
10138 @item mail-source-movemail-program
10139 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
10140 A command to be executed to move mail from the inbox. The default is
10143 This can also be a function. In that case, the function will be
10144 called with two parameters -- the name of the INBOX file, and the file
10147 @item mail-source-movemail-args
10148 @vindex mail-source-movemail-args
10149 Extra arguments to give to the command described above.
10151 @item mail-source-crash-box
10152 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
10153 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
10154 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
10156 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
10157 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
10158 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
10160 @item mail-source-directory
10161 @vindex mail-source-directory
10162 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
10163 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
10164 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
10167 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
10168 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
10169 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
10174 @node Fetching Mail
10175 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
10177 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
10178 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to a list of mail source specifiers
10179 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
10181 If this variable is @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to
10182 fetch mail by themselves.
10184 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
10185 mail server, you'd say something like:
10188 (setq nnmail-spool-file
10190 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
10191 :password "secret")))
10194 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
10197 (setq nnmail-spool-file
10198 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
10199 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
10202 :password "secret")))
10206 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
10207 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
10208 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
10209 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
10210 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
10211 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
10215 @node Mail Backend Variables
10216 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
10218 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
10222 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
10223 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
10224 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
10225 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
10227 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
10228 @item nnmail-split-hook
10229 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
10230 @findex RFC1522 decoding
10231 @findex RFC2047 decoding
10232 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
10233 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
10234 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
10235 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
10236 in the buffer will show up in any files.
10237 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
10240 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
10241 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
10242 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
10243 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
10244 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
10245 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
10246 starting to handle the new mail) and
10247 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
10248 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
10249 default file modes the new mail files get:
10252 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
10253 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
10255 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
10256 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
10259 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
10260 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
10261 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
10262 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
10263 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
10264 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
10265 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
10267 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
10268 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
10269 @findex delete-file
10270 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
10272 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
10273 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
10274 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
10275 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
10276 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
10281 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
10282 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
10283 @cindex mail splitting
10284 @cindex fancy mail splitting
10286 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
10287 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
10288 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
10289 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
10290 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
10291 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
10293 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
10296 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
10297 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
10298 ;; from real errors.
10299 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
10301 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
10302 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
10303 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
10304 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
10305 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
10306 ;; Other mailing lists...
10307 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
10308 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
10310 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
10311 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
10315 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
10316 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
10317 the five possible split syntaxes:
10322 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
10323 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
10327 @var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, the first element of
10328 which is a string, then store the message as specified by SPLIT, if
10329 header FIELD (a regexp) contains VALUE (also a regexp).
10332 @var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
10333 @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
10334 matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
10335 be stored in one or more groups.
10338 @var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
10339 @code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
10342 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
10343 this message. Use with extreme caution.
10346 @var{(: function arg1 arg2 ...)}: If the split is a list, and the first
10347 element is @code{:}, then the second element will be called as a
10348 function with @var{args} given as arguments. The function should return
10352 @var{(! FUNC SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, and the first element
10353 is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be called as a
10354 function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should return a split.
10357 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
10361 In these splits, @var{FIELD} must match a complete field name.
10362 @var{VALUE} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
10363 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
10364 field names or words. In other words, all @var{VALUE}'s are wrapped in
10365 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
10367 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
10368 @var{FIELD} and @var{VALUE} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
10369 are expanded as specified by the variable
10370 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
10371 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
10374 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
10375 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
10376 when all this splitting is performed.
10378 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
10379 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
10380 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
10383 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
10386 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
10387 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
10388 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
10389 groupings 1 through 9.
10392 @node Incorporating Old Mail
10393 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
10395 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
10396 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
10397 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
10400 Doing so can be quite easy.
10402 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
10403 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
10404 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
10405 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
10406 your @code{nnml} groups.
10412 Go to the group buffer.
10415 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
10416 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10419 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
10422 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
10423 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
10426 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
10427 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
10430 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
10431 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
10432 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
10433 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
10434 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
10436 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
10437 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
10438 using the new mail backend.
10441 @node Expiring Mail
10442 @subsection Expiring Mail
10443 @cindex article expiry
10445 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
10446 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
10447 different approach to mail reading.
10449 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
10450 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
10451 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
10452 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
10453 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
10454 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
10457 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
10458 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
10459 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
10460 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
10461 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
10462 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
10463 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
10464 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
10466 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
10467 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
10468 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
10469 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
10470 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
10471 column in the summary buffer.
10473 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
10474 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
10475 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
10476 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
10479 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
10481 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
10482 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
10483 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
10486 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
10487 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
10488 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
10489 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
10490 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
10492 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
10493 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
10496 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
10497 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
10500 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
10501 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
10503 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
10504 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
10505 don't really mix very well.
10507 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
10508 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
10509 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
10510 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
10513 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
10514 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
10515 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
10516 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
10519 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
10521 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
10523 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
10525 ((string= group "mail.junk")
10527 ((string= group "important")
10533 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
10534 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
10536 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
10537 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
10538 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
10541 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
10542 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
10544 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
10545 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
10546 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
10547 easier for procmail users.
10549 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
10550 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
10551 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
10552 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
10553 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
10554 caution. Even more dangerous is the
10555 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
10556 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
10557 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
10558 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
10559 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
10560 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
10561 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
10564 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
10566 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
10567 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
10568 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
10569 auto-expire turned on.
10573 @subsection Washing Mail
10574 @cindex mail washing
10575 @cindex list server brain damage
10576 @cindex incoming mail treatment
10578 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
10579 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
10580 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
10581 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
10582 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
10583 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
10585 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
10586 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
10587 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
10590 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
10591 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
10592 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
10593 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
10596 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
10597 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
10598 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
10599 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
10600 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
10603 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
10604 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
10605 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
10606 Emacs running on MS machines.
10610 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
10611 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
10612 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
10613 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
10616 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
10617 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
10618 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
10619 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
10621 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
10622 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
10623 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
10624 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
10625 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
10626 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
10627 also be a list of regexp.
10629 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
10630 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
10633 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
10634 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
10637 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
10638 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
10639 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
10641 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
10642 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
10644 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
10645 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
10646 @code{References} headers.
10650 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
10651 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
10652 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
10656 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
10657 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
10658 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
10665 @subsection Duplicates
10667 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
10668 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
10669 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
10670 @cindex duplicate mails
10671 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
10672 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
10673 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
10674 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
10675 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
10676 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
10677 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
10678 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
10679 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
10680 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
10681 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
10682 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
10683 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
10685 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
10686 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
10687 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
10688 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
10690 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
10693 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
10694 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
10698 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
10699 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
10700 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
10701 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
10702 (any mail "mail.misc")
10709 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10710 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
10715 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
10716 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
10717 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
10718 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
10719 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
10722 @node Not Reading Mail
10723 @subsection Not Reading Mail
10725 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
10726 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
10727 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
10729 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
10730 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
10732 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10733 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10734 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10735 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10736 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10737 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
10738 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
10739 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
10740 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
10741 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
10742 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
10744 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
10745 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
10749 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
10750 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
10752 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
10753 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
10754 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
10757 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
10758 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
10759 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
10760 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
10761 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
10765 @node Unix Mail Box
10766 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
10768 @cindex unix mail box
10770 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10771 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10772 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
10773 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
10774 which group it belongs in.
10776 Virtual server settings:
10779 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
10780 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10781 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
10783 @item nnmbox-active-file
10784 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10785 The name of the active file for the mail box.
10787 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
10788 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10789 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
10795 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
10799 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10800 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10801 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
10802 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
10803 article to say which group it belongs in.
10805 Virtual server settings:
10808 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
10809 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10810 The name of the rmail mbox file.
10812 @item nnbabyl-active-file
10813 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10814 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
10816 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10817 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10818 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
10823 @subsubsection Mail Spool
10825 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
10827 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
10828 format. It should be used with some caution.
10830 @vindex nnml-directory
10831 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
10832 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
10833 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
10834 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
10836 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
10839 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
10840 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
10841 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
10842 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
10843 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
10844 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
10845 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
10846 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
10848 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
10849 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
10850 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
10851 backend when it comes to reading mail.
10853 Virtual server settings:
10856 @item nnml-directory
10857 @vindex nnml-directory
10858 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
10860 @item nnml-active-file
10861 @vindex nnml-active-file
10862 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
10864 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
10865 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
10866 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
10869 @item nnml-get-new-mail
10870 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10871 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
10873 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
10874 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
10875 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
10877 @item nnml-nov-file-name
10878 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
10879 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
10881 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10882 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10883 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
10887 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
10888 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
10889 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
10890 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
10891 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
10892 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
10893 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
10898 @subsubsection MH Spool
10900 @cindex mh-e mail spool
10902 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
10903 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
10904 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
10905 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
10907 Virtual server settings:
10910 @item nnmh-directory
10911 @vindex nnmh-directory
10912 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
10914 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
10915 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10916 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
10919 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
10920 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
10921 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
10922 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
10923 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
10924 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
10925 to set this variable to @code{t}.
10930 @subsubsection Mail Folders
10932 @cindex mbox folders
10933 @cindex mail folders
10935 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
10936 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
10937 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
10940 Virtual server settings:
10943 @item nnfolder-directory
10944 @vindex nnfolder-directory
10945 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
10947 @item nnfolder-active-file
10948 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
10949 The name of the active file.
10951 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10952 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10953 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
10955 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
10956 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10957 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
10959 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
10960 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
10961 @cindex backup files
10962 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
10963 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
10964 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
10965 your @file{.emacs} file:
10968 (defun turn-off-backup ()
10969 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
10971 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
10974 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
10975 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
10976 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
10977 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
10978 extract some information from it before removing it.
10983 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
10984 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
10985 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
10986 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
10987 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
10988 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
10992 @node Other Sources
10993 @section Other Sources
10995 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
10996 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
11000 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
11001 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
11002 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
11003 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
11004 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
11005 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
11009 @node Directory Groups
11010 @subsection Directory Groups
11012 @cindex directory groups
11014 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
11015 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
11018 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
11019 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
11020 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
11021 backend to read directories. Big deal.
11023 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
11024 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
11025 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
11026 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
11027 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
11029 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
11031 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
11032 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
11033 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
11034 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
11037 @node Anything Groups
11038 @subsection Anything Groups
11041 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
11042 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
11043 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
11046 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
11047 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
11048 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
11049 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
11050 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
11051 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
11052 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
11053 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
11054 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
11055 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
11058 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
11059 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
11060 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
11061 in the article buffer, just as usual.
11063 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
11064 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
11065 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
11066 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
11068 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
11069 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
11070 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
11071 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
11072 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
11073 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
11074 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
11075 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
11080 @item nneething-map-file-directory
11081 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
11082 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
11083 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
11085 @item nneething-exclude-files
11086 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
11087 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
11088 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
11090 @item nneething-include-files
11091 @vindex nneething-include-files
11092 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
11093 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
11095 @item nneething-map-file
11096 @vindex nneething-map-file
11097 Name of the map files.
11101 @node Document Groups
11102 @subsection Document Groups
11104 @cindex documentation group
11107 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
11108 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
11115 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
11120 The standard Unix mbox file.
11122 @cindex MMDF mail box
11124 The MMDF mail box format.
11127 Several news articles appended into a file.
11130 @cindex rnews batch files
11131 The rnews batch transport format.
11132 @cindex forwarded messages
11135 Forwarded articles.
11138 MIME multipart messages.
11140 @item standard-digest
11141 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
11144 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
11147 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
11148 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
11149 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
11152 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
11153 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
11154 group. And that's it.
11156 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
11157 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
11158 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
11159 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
11160 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
11161 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
11162 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
11163 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
11164 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
11165 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
11167 Virtual server variables:
11170 @item nndoc-article-type
11171 @vindex nndoc-article-type
11172 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
11173 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
11174 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
11175 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs} or @code{guess}.
11177 @item nndoc-post-type
11178 @vindex nndoc-post-type
11179 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
11180 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
11185 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
11189 @node Document Server Internals
11190 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
11192 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
11193 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
11194 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
11195 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
11197 First, here's an example document type definition:
11201 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
11202 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
11205 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
11206 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
11207 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
11208 types can be defined with very few settings:
11211 @item first-article
11212 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
11213 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
11216 @item article-begin
11217 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
11218 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
11220 @item head-begin-function
11221 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
11224 @item nndoc-head-begin
11225 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
11228 @item nndoc-head-end
11229 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
11230 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
11232 @item body-begin-function
11233 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
11237 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
11240 @item body-end-function
11241 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
11245 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
11248 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
11249 regexp will be totally ignored.
11253 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
11254 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
11255 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
11256 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
11257 something that's palatable for Gnus:
11260 @item prepare-body-function
11261 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
11262 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
11263 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
11265 @item article-transform-function
11266 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
11267 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
11268 body of the article.
11270 @item generate-head-function
11271 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
11272 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
11273 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
11274 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
11278 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
11283 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
11284 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
11285 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
11286 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
11287 (head-end . "^ ?$")
11288 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
11289 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
11290 (subtype digest guess))
11293 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
11294 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
11295 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
11296 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
11297 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
11299 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
11300 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
11301 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
11302 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
11303 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
11304 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
11305 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
11306 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
11307 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
11308 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
11316 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
11317 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
11318 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
11320 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
11321 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
11322 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
11325 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
11326 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
11327 that interested in doing things properly.
11329 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
11330 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
11333 First some terminology:
11338 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
11339 get news and/or mail from.
11342 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
11343 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
11346 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
11350 @item message packets
11351 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
11352 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
11353 default, where @var{X} is a number.
11355 @item response packets
11356 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
11357 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
11358 default, where @var{X} is a number.
11368 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
11369 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
11370 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
11371 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
11374 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
11377 You put the packet in your home directory.
11380 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
11381 the native or secondary server.
11384 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
11385 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
11388 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
11392 You transfer this packet to the server.
11395 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
11398 You then repeat until you die.
11402 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
11403 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
11406 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
11407 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
11408 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
11412 @node SOUP Commands
11413 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
11415 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
11419 @kindex G s b (Group)
11420 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
11421 Pack all unread articles in the current group
11422 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
11423 process/prefix convention.
11426 @kindex G s w (Group)
11427 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
11428 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
11431 @kindex G s s (Group)
11432 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
11433 Send all replies from the replies packet
11434 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
11437 @kindex G s p (Group)
11438 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
11439 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
11442 @kindex G s r (Group)
11443 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
11444 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
11447 @kindex O s (Summary)
11448 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
11449 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
11450 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
11451 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
11456 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
11461 @item gnus-soup-directory
11462 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
11463 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
11464 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
11466 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
11467 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
11468 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
11469 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
11471 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
11472 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
11473 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
11474 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
11476 @item gnus-soup-packer
11477 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
11478 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
11479 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
11481 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
11482 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
11483 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
11484 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
11486 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
11487 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
11488 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
11490 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
11491 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
11492 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
11493 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
11499 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
11502 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
11503 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
11504 you can read them at leisure.
11506 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
11510 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
11511 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
11512 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
11513 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
11515 @item nnsoup-directory
11516 @vindex nnsoup-directory
11517 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
11518 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
11520 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
11521 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
11522 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
11523 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
11525 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
11526 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
11527 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
11528 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
11529 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
11531 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
11532 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
11533 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
11534 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
11536 @item nnsoup-active-file
11537 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
11538 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
11539 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
11540 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
11541 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
11543 @item nnsoup-packer
11544 @vindex nnsoup-packer
11545 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
11546 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
11548 @item nnsoup-unpacker
11549 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
11550 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
11551 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
11553 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
11554 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
11555 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
11558 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
11559 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
11560 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
11563 @item nnsoup-always-save
11564 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
11565 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
11571 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
11573 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
11574 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
11575 more for that to happen.
11577 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
11578 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
11579 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
11582 In specific, this is what it does:
11585 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
11586 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
11589 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
11590 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
11591 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
11595 @subsection Web Searches
11599 @cindex InReference
11600 @cindex Usenet searches
11601 @cindex searching the Usenet
11603 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
11604 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
11605 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
11606 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
11607 searches without having to use a browser.
11609 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
11610 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
11611 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
11612 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
11613 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
11615 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
11616 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
11617 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
11618 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
11619 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
11620 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
11621 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
11622 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
11623 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
11624 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
11627 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
11628 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
11629 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
11630 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
11631 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
11632 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
11634 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
11635 to use @code{nnweb}.
11637 Virtual server variables:
11642 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
11643 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
11647 @vindex nnweb-search
11648 The search string to feed to the search engine.
11650 @item nnweb-max-hits
11651 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
11652 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
11655 @item nnweb-type-definition
11656 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
11657 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
11658 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
11663 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
11667 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
11670 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
11673 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
11677 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
11684 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
11685 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
11686 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
11689 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
11690 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
11691 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
11693 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
11699 @item nngateway-address
11700 @vindex nngateway-address
11701 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
11703 @item nngateway-header-transformation
11704 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
11705 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
11706 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
11707 transformation should be called, and defaults to
11708 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
11709 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
11712 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
11713 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
11714 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
11717 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
11720 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
11723 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
11726 The following pre-defined functions exist:
11728 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
11731 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
11732 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
11733 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
11735 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
11737 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
11738 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
11739 @code{nngateway-address}.
11744 (setq gnus-post-method
11745 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
11746 (nngateway-header-transformation
11747 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
11755 So, to use this, simply say something like:
11758 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
11762 @node Combined Groups
11763 @section Combined Groups
11765 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
11769 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
11770 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
11774 @node Virtual Groups
11775 @subsection Virtual Groups
11777 @cindex virtual groups
11778 @cindex merging groups
11780 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
11783 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
11784 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
11785 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
11787 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
11788 regexp to match component groups.
11790 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
11791 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
11792 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
11793 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
11794 the virtual group.)
11796 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
11797 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
11800 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
11803 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
11804 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
11806 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
11807 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
11808 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
11809 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
11812 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
11815 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
11816 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
11817 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
11819 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
11820 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
11821 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
11822 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
11823 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
11825 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
11826 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
11827 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
11829 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
11830 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
11831 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
11832 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
11833 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
11834 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
11835 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
11836 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
11837 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
11838 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
11839 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
11841 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
11842 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
11843 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
11844 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
11845 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
11846 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
11847 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
11849 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
11850 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
11854 @node Kibozed Groups
11855 @subsection Kibozed Groups
11859 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
11860 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
11861 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
11862 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
11864 @kindex G k (Group)
11865 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
11868 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
11869 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
11870 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
11871 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
11873 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
11874 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
11875 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
11877 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
11878 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
11879 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
11880 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
11881 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
11882 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
11883 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
11884 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
11886 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
11887 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
11888 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
11889 Stranger things have happened.
11891 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
11892 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
11894 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
11895 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
11896 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
11897 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
11898 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
11899 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
11901 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
11902 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
11905 @node Gnus Unplugged
11906 @section Gnus Unplugged
11911 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
11913 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
11914 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
11915 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
11916 read news. Believe it or not.
11918 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
11919 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
11920 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
11921 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
11922 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
11924 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
11925 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
11926 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
11927 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
11928 reading news on a machine.
11930 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
11934 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
11935 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
11939 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
11940 @file{.gnus.el} file:
11947 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
11949 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
11952 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
11953 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
11954 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
11955 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
11956 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
11957 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
11958 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
11959 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
11960 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
11965 @subsection Agent Basics
11967 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
11969 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
11970 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
11971 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
11972 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
11974 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
11975 connected to the net continuously.
11977 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
11978 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
11980 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
11985 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
11986 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
11987 already fetched while in this mode.
11990 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
11991 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
11992 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged}.
11995 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
11996 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
11997 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
11998 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
12001 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
12002 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
12003 then you read the news offline.
12006 And then you go to step 2.
12009 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
12015 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
12016 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
12017 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
12018 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
12019 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
12020 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
12023 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
12030 @node Agent Categories
12031 @subsection Agent Categories
12033 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
12034 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
12035 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
12036 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
12037 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
12038 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
12039 you're interested in the articles anyway.
12041 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
12042 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
12043 Gnus has its own buffer for creating and managing categories.
12046 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
12047 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
12048 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
12052 @node Category Syntax
12053 @subsubsection Category Syntax
12055 A category consists of two things.
12059 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
12060 are eligible for downloading; and
12063 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
12064 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
12065 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
12068 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
12069 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
12070 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
12071 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
12073 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
12074 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
12075 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as descibed below.
12077 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
12078 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
12079 operators sprinkled in between.
12081 Perhaps some examples are in order.
12083 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
12084 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
12090 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
12091 short (for some value of ``short'').
12093 Here's a more complex predicate:
12102 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
12103 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
12106 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
12107 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
12108 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
12110 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
12111 you want to do, you can write your own.
12115 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
12116 lines; default 100.
12119 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
12120 lines; default 200.
12123 True iff the article has a download score less than
12124 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
12127 True iff the article has a download score greater than
12128 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
12131 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
12132 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
12133 checksum and sees whether articles match.
12142 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
12143 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
12144 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
12147 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
12148 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
12149 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
12150 something along the lines of the following:
12153 (defun my-article-old-p ()
12154 "Say whether an article is old."
12155 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
12156 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
12159 with the predicate then defined as:
12162 (not my-article-old-p)
12165 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
12166 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
12167 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
12168 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
12171 (defvar gnus-category-predicate-alist
12172 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
12173 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
12176 and simply specify your predicate as:
12182 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
12183 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
12184 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
12185 just don't give a damm.
12188 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
12189 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
12190 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
12191 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
12192 parameters like so:
12195 (agent-predicate . short)
12198 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category
12199 default. Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this,
12200 the @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair
12203 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
12206 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
12209 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
12210 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
12211 predicate is assumed to be a list.
12214 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
12215 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
12216 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
12217 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
12218 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
12219 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
12221 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
12222 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
12223 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
12224 if it's to be specific to that group.
12226 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
12233 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
12234 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
12240 Category specification
12244 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
12250 Group Parameter specification
12253 (agent-score ("from"
12254 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
12259 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
12265 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
12272 Category specification
12275 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
12281 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
12285 Group Parameter specification
12288 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
12291 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
12296 Use @code{normal} score files
12298 If you dont want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
12299 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
12300 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
12301 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
12303 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
12304 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
12305 files for a group, *filtering out* those those sections that do not
12306 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
12310 Category Specification
12317 Group Parameter specification
12320 (agent-score . file)
12325 @node The Category Buffer
12326 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
12328 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
12329 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
12330 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
12332 The following commands are available in this buffer:
12336 @kindex q (Category)
12337 @findex gnus-category-exit
12338 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
12341 @kindex k (Category)
12342 @findex gnus-category-kill
12343 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
12346 @kindex c (Category)
12347 @findex gnus-category-copy
12348 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
12351 @kindex a (Category)
12352 @findex gnus-category-add
12353 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
12356 @kindex p (Category)
12357 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
12358 Edit the predicate of the current category
12359 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
12362 @kindex g (Category)
12363 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
12364 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
12365 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
12368 @kindex s (Category)
12369 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
12370 Edit the download score rule of the current category
12371 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
12374 @kindex l (Category)
12375 @findex gnus-category-list
12376 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
12380 @node Category Variables
12381 @subsubsection Category Variables
12384 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
12385 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
12386 Hook run in category buffers.
12388 @item gnus-category-line-format
12389 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
12390 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
12391 Variables}). Valid elements are:
12395 The name of the category.
12398 The number of groups in the category.
12401 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
12402 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
12403 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
12405 @item gnus-agent-short-article
12406 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
12407 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
12409 @item gnus-agent-long-article
12410 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
12411 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
12413 @item gnus-agent-low-score
12414 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
12415 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
12418 @item gnus-agent-high-score
12419 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
12420 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
12426 @node Agent Commands
12427 @subsection Agent Commands
12429 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
12430 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
12431 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
12435 * Group Agent Commands::
12436 * Summary Agent Commands::
12437 * Server Agent Commands::
12440 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
12441 following incantation:
12443 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
12445 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
12450 @node Group Agent Commands
12451 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
12455 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
12456 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
12457 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
12458 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
12461 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
12462 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
12463 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
12466 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
12467 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
12468 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
12469 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
12472 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
12473 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
12474 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
12475 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}). @xref{Drafts}.
12478 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
12479 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
12480 Add the current group to an Agent category
12481 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
12482 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
12485 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
12486 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
12487 Remove the current group from its category, if any
12488 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
12489 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
12494 @node Summary Agent Commands
12495 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
12499 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
12500 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
12501 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
12504 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
12505 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
12506 Remove the downloading mark from the article
12507 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
12510 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
12511 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
12512 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
12515 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
12516 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
12517 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
12522 @node Server Agent Commands
12523 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
12527 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
12528 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
12529 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
12530 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
12533 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
12534 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
12535 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
12536 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
12542 @subsection Agent Expiry
12544 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
12545 @findex gnus-agent-expire
12546 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
12547 @cindex Agent expiry
12548 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
12551 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
12552 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
12553 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
12554 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
12555 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
12556 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
12558 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
12559 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
12560 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
12561 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
12562 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
12565 @node Outgoing Messages
12566 @subsection Outgoing Messages
12568 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
12569 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
12570 after posting, and edit them at will.
12572 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
12573 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
12574 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
12575 messages in the draft group.
12579 @node Agent Variables
12580 @subsection Agent Variables
12583 @item gnus-agent-directory
12584 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
12585 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
12586 @file{~/News/agent/}.
12588 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
12589 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
12590 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
12591 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
12592 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
12595 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
12596 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
12597 Hook run when connecting to the network.
12599 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
12600 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
12601 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
12606 @node Example Setup
12607 @subsection Example Setup
12609 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
12610 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
12611 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
12614 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over NNTP
12615 ;;; from your ISP's server.
12616 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "nntp.your-isp.com"))
12618 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
12619 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
12620 (setenv "MAILHOST" "pop.your-isp.com")
12621 (setq nnmail-spool-file "po:username")
12623 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
12624 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12626 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
12630 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
12631 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
12634 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
12635 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
12636 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
12637 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
12638 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
12641 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
12642 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
12643 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
12644 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
12645 back all the killed groups.)
12647 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
12648 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
12649 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
12652 @node Batching Agents
12653 @subsection Batching Agents
12655 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
12656 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
12657 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
12661 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
12665 @node Agent Caveats
12666 @subsection Agent Caveats
12668 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
12669 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
12673 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
12678 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
12679 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
12685 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
12686 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
12693 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
12694 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
12695 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
12698 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
12699 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
12700 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
12701 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
12702 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
12704 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
12705 before generating the summary buffer.
12707 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
12708 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
12709 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
12711 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
12712 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
12713 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
12714 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
12717 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
12718 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
12719 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
12720 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
12721 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
12722 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
12723 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
12724 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
12725 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
12726 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
12727 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
12728 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
12729 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
12730 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
12731 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
12732 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
12736 @node Summary Score Commands
12737 @section Summary Score Commands
12738 @cindex score commands
12740 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
12741 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
12742 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
12743 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
12744 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
12746 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
12747 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
12748 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
12749 score file the current one.
12751 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
12756 @kindex V s (Summary)
12757 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
12758 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
12761 @kindex V S (Summary)
12762 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
12763 Display the score of the current article
12764 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
12767 @kindex V t (Summary)
12768 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
12769 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
12770 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
12773 @kindex V R (Summary)
12774 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
12775 Run the current summary through the scoring process
12776 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
12777 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
12778 effect you're having.
12781 @kindex V c (Summary)
12782 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
12783 Make a different score file the current
12784 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
12787 @kindex V e (Summary)
12788 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
12789 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
12790 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
12794 @kindex V f (Summary)
12795 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
12796 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
12797 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
12800 @kindex V F (Summary)
12801 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
12802 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
12803 after editing score files.
12806 @kindex V C (Summary)
12807 @findex gnus-score-customize
12808 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
12809 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
12813 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
12818 @kindex V m (Summary)
12819 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
12820 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
12821 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
12824 @kindex V x (Summary)
12825 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
12826 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
12827 expunge all articles below this score
12828 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
12831 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
12832 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
12835 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
12836 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
12840 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
12841 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
12843 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
12844 keys are available:
12848 Score on the author name.
12851 Score on the subject line.
12854 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
12857 Score on the @code{References} line.
12863 Score on the number of lines.
12866 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
12869 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
12870 the followups to this author.
12884 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
12885 what headers you are scoring on.
12897 Substring matching.
12900 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
12929 Greater than number.
12934 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
12935 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
12936 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
12940 Temporary score entry.
12943 Permanent score entry.
12946 Immediately scoring.
12951 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
12952 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
12953 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
12954 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
12956 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
12957 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
12958 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
12959 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
12960 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
12962 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
12963 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
12964 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
12965 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
12966 current score file.
12968 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
12969 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
12970 pretend they are keymaps or not.
12973 @node Group Score Commands
12974 @section Group Score Commands
12975 @cindex group score commands
12977 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
12982 @kindex W f (Group)
12983 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
12984 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
12985 all the time. This command will flush the cache
12986 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
12990 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
12992 @findex gnus-batch-score
12993 @cindex batch scoring
12995 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
12999 @node Score Variables
13000 @section Score Variables
13001 @cindex score variables
13005 @item gnus-use-scoring
13006 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
13007 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
13008 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
13010 @item gnus-kill-killed
13011 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
13012 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
13013 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
13014 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
13015 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
13016 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
13017 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
13019 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
13020 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
13021 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
13022 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
13023 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
13025 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
13026 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
13027 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
13028 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
13030 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
13031 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
13032 @cindex score cache
13033 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
13034 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
13035 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
13036 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
13037 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
13038 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
13041 @item gnus-save-score
13042 @vindex gnus-save-score
13043 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
13044 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
13045 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
13047 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
13048 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
13049 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
13050 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
13051 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
13052 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
13053 manually entered data.
13055 @item gnus-summary-default-score
13056 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
13057 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
13059 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
13060 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
13061 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
13062 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
13063 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
13064 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
13066 @item gnus-score-over-mark
13067 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
13068 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
13069 default. Default is @samp{+}.
13071 @item gnus-score-below-mark
13072 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
13073 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
13074 default. Default is @samp{-}.
13076 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
13077 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
13078 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
13079 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
13081 Predefined functions available are:
13084 @item gnus-score-find-single
13085 @findex gnus-score-find-single
13086 Only apply the group's own score file.
13088 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
13089 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
13090 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
13091 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
13092 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
13093 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
13094 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
13095 then a regexp match is done.
13097 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
13098 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
13100 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
13101 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
13102 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
13103 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
13105 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
13106 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
13107 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
13108 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
13109 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
13112 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
13113 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
13114 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
13115 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
13116 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
13117 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
13120 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
13121 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
13122 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
13123 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
13124 are expired. It's 7 by default.
13126 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
13127 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
13128 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
13129 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
13130 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
13131 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
13132 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
13135 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
13136 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
13137 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
13139 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
13140 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
13141 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
13142 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
13143 threading---according to the current value of
13144 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
13145 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
13146 simplified in this manner.
13151 @node Score File Format
13152 @section Score File Format
13153 @cindex score file format
13155 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
13156 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
13157 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
13159 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
13163 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
13165 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
13167 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
13169 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
13174 (mark-and-expunge -10)
13178 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
13179 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
13180 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
13181 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
13185 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
13186 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
13188 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
13189 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
13190 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
13192 Six keys are supported by this alist:
13197 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
13198 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
13199 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
13200 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
13201 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
13202 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
13203 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
13204 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
13205 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
13206 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
13207 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
13208 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
13209 to articles that matches these score entries.
13211 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
13212 score entry has one to four elements.
13216 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
13217 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
13221 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
13222 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
13223 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
13224 is successful. If this element is not present, the
13225 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
13226 instead. This is 1000 by default.
13229 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
13230 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
13231 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
13232 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
13233 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
13236 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
13237 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
13238 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
13239 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
13242 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
13243 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
13244 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
13245 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
13246 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
13247 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
13248 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
13249 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
13250 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
13251 instead, if you feel like.
13254 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
13255 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
13257 These predicates are true if
13260 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
13263 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
13264 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
13271 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
13272 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
13273 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
13274 it's not. I think.)
13276 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
13277 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
13278 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
13279 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
13282 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
13283 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
13284 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
13285 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
13286 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
13287 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
13288 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
13292 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
13293 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
13294 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
13295 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
13296 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
13297 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
13298 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
13299 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
13302 @item Head, Body, All
13303 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
13307 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
13308 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
13309 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
13310 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
13311 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
13312 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
13313 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
13317 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
13318 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{X}, then you add a
13319 @samp{thread} match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each
13320 article that has @var{X} in its @code{References} header. (These new
13321 @samp{thread} matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching
13322 articles.) This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an
13323 entire thread, even though some articles in the thread may not have
13324 complete @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
13325 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
13326 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
13330 @cindex Score File Atoms
13332 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
13333 lower than this number will be marked as read.
13336 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
13337 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
13339 @item mark-and-expunge
13340 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
13341 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
13344 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
13345 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
13346 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
13347 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
13348 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
13351 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
13352 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
13355 @item exclude-files
13356 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
13357 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
13361 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
13362 ignored when handling global score files.
13365 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
13366 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
13367 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
13368 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
13371 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
13372 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
13373 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
13374 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
13376 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
13380 (mark-and-expunge -100)
13383 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
13384 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
13385 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
13386 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
13387 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
13389 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
13390 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
13391 ordinary scoring rules.
13394 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
13395 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
13396 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
13397 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
13398 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
13399 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
13400 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
13401 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
13402 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
13403 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
13404 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
13408 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
13409 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
13410 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
13411 file for a number of groups.
13414 @cindex local variables
13415 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
13416 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
13417 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
13418 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
13419 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
13423 @node Score File Editing
13424 @section Score File Editing
13426 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
13427 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
13428 with a mode for that.
13430 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
13431 additional commands:
13436 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
13437 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
13438 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
13439 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
13442 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
13443 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
13444 Insert the current date in numerical format
13445 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
13446 you were wondering.
13449 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
13450 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
13451 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
13452 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
13453 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
13458 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
13460 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
13461 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
13463 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
13464 e} to begin editing score files.
13467 @node Adaptive Scoring
13468 @section Adaptive Scoring
13469 @cindex adaptive scoring
13471 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
13472 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
13473 stupidity, to be precise.
13475 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
13476 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
13477 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
13478 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
13479 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
13480 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
13481 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
13482 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
13483 variable to @code{(word line)}.
13485 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
13486 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
13487 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
13488 might look something like this:
13491 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
13492 '((gnus-unread-mark)
13493 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
13494 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
13495 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
13496 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
13497 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
13498 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
13499 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
13500 (gnus-ancient-mark)
13501 (gnus-low-score-mark)
13502 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
13505 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
13506 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
13507 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
13508 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
13509 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
13510 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
13513 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
13514 will be applied to each article.
13516 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
13517 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
13518 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
13519 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
13521 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
13522 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
13523 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
13524 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
13526 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
13527 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
13528 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
13529 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
13531 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
13532 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
13533 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
13534 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
13535 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
13536 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
13538 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
13539 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
13540 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
13541 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
13542 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
13543 aspirins afterwards.)
13545 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
13546 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
13547 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
13549 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
13550 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
13551 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
13553 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
13554 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
13555 let you use different rules in different groups.
13557 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
13558 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
13559 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
13562 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
13563 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
13564 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
13565 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
13566 the length of the match is less than
13567 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
13568 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
13571 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
13572 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
13573 headers. If you adapt on words, the
13574 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
13575 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
13578 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
13579 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
13580 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
13581 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
13582 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
13585 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
13586 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
13587 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
13588 score with 30 points.
13590 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
13591 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
13592 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
13593 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
13594 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
13596 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
13597 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
13598 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
13599 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
13601 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
13602 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
13603 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
13604 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
13606 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
13607 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
13608 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
13609 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
13610 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
13612 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
13613 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
13614 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
13616 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
13617 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
13618 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
13619 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
13622 @node Home Score File
13623 @section Home Score File
13625 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
13626 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
13627 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
13628 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
13630 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
13631 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
13632 could perhaps use the same home score file.
13634 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
13635 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
13640 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
13644 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
13645 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
13649 A list. The elements in this list can be:
13653 @var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
13654 the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
13657 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
13658 the home score file.
13661 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
13664 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
13669 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
13672 (setq gnus-home-score-file
13673 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
13676 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
13677 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
13679 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
13681 (setq gnus-home-score-file
13682 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
13685 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
13686 Other functions include
13689 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
13690 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
13691 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
13692 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
13696 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
13697 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
13698 their own home score files:
13701 (setq gnus-home-score-file
13702 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
13703 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
13704 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
13705 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
13708 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
13709 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
13710 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
13711 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
13712 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
13714 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
13715 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
13716 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
13717 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
13718 precedence over this variable.
13721 @node Followups To Yourself
13722 @section Followups To Yourself
13724 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
13725 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
13726 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
13727 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
13728 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
13729 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
13733 @item gnus-score-followup-article
13734 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
13735 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
13738 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
13739 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
13740 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
13744 @vindex message-sent-hook
13745 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
13746 @code{message-sent-hook}.
13748 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
13749 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
13753 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
13754 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
13757 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
13758 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
13763 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
13767 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
13768 is system-dependent.
13772 @section Scoring Tips
13773 @cindex scoring tips
13779 @cindex scoring crossposts
13780 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
13781 the @code{Xref} header.
13783 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
13786 @item Multiple crossposts
13787 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
13788 more than, say, 3 groups:
13790 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
13793 @item Matching on the body
13794 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
13795 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
13796 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
13797 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
13798 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
13799 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
13800 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
13803 @item Marking as read
13804 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
13805 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
13806 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
13810 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
13812 @item Negated character classes
13813 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
13814 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
13815 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
13819 @node Reverse Scoring
13820 @section Reverse Scoring
13821 @cindex reverse scoring
13823 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
13824 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
13825 like this in your score file:
13829 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
13834 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
13835 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
13838 @node Global Score Files
13839 @section Global Score Files
13840 @cindex global score files
13842 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
13843 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
13844 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
13846 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
13847 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
13848 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
13850 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
13851 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
13852 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
13853 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
13854 files are applicable to which group.
13856 Say you want to use the score file
13857 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
13858 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
13861 (setq gnus-global-score-files
13862 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
13863 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
13866 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
13867 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
13868 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
13869 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
13870 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
13872 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
13873 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
13875 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
13876 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
13877 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
13878 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
13879 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
13880 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
13882 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
13888 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
13890 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
13892 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
13894 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
13895 lowered out of existence.
13897 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
13898 articles completely.
13901 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
13902 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
13903 old articles for a long time.
13906 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
13907 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
13908 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
13909 holding our breath yet?
13913 @section Kill Files
13916 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
13917 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
13918 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
13920 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
13921 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
13922 files into score files.
13924 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
13925 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
13926 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
13927 that isn't a very good idea.
13929 Normal kill files look like this:
13932 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13933 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
13937 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
13938 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
13940 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
13941 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
13944 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
13949 @kindex M-k (Summary)
13950 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
13951 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
13954 @kindex M-K (Summary)
13955 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
13956 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
13959 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
13964 @kindex M-k (Group)
13965 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
13966 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
13969 @kindex M-K (Group)
13970 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
13971 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
13974 Kill file variables:
13977 @item gnus-kill-file-name
13978 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
13979 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
13980 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
13981 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
13982 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
13983 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
13985 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
13986 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
13987 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
13988 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
13991 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
13992 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
13993 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
13994 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
13995 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
13996 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
13997 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
13998 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
13999 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
14001 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
14002 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
14003 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
14008 @node Converting Kill Files
14009 @section Converting Kill Files
14011 @cindex converting kill files
14013 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
14014 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
14015 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
14018 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
14019 You can fetch it from
14020 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
14022 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
14023 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
14024 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
14032 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
14033 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
14034 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
14036 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
14037 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
14038 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
14039 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
14040 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
14041 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
14042 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
14043 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
14047 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
14048 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
14049 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
14050 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
14054 @node Using GroupLens
14055 @subsection Using GroupLens
14057 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
14059 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
14060 better bit in town at the moment.
14062 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
14066 @item gnus-use-grouplens
14067 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
14068 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
14069 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
14071 @item grouplens-pseudonym
14072 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
14073 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
14074 with the Better Bit Bureau.
14076 @item grouplens-newsgroups
14077 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
14078 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
14082 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
14083 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
14084 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
14085 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
14086 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
14087 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
14090 @node Rating Articles
14091 @subsection Rating Articles
14093 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
14094 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
14095 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
14096 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
14099 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
14104 @kindex r (GroupLens)
14105 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
14106 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
14109 @kindex k (GroupLens)
14110 @findex grouplens-score-thread
14111 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
14112 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
14113 threads in rec.humor.
14117 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
14118 the score of the article you're reading.
14123 @kindex n (GroupLens)
14124 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
14125 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
14128 @kindex , (GroupLens)
14129 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
14130 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
14134 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
14135 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
14138 @node Displaying Predictions
14139 @subsection Displaying Predictions
14141 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
14142 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
14143 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
14144 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
14145 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
14147 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
14148 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
14149 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
14150 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
14151 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
14152 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
14153 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
14154 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
14155 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
14156 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
14157 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
14158 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
14159 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
14161 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
14162 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
14163 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
14164 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
14166 The following are valid values for that variable.
14169 @item prediction-spot
14170 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
14173 @item confidence-interval
14174 A numeric confidence interval.
14176 @item prediction-bar
14177 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
14179 @item confidence-bar
14180 Numerical confidence.
14182 @item confidence-spot
14183 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
14185 @item prediction-num
14186 Plain-old numeric value.
14188 @item confidence-plus-minus
14189 Prediction +/- confidence.
14194 @node GroupLens Variables
14195 @subsection GroupLens Variables
14199 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
14200 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
14201 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
14202 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
14205 @item grouplens-bbb-host
14206 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
14209 @item grouplens-bbb-port
14210 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
14212 @item grouplens-score-offset
14213 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
14214 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
14217 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
14218 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
14219 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
14224 @node Advanced Scoring
14225 @section Advanced Scoring
14227 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
14228 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
14229 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
14230 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
14231 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
14233 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
14237 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
14238 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
14239 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
14243 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
14244 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
14246 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
14247 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
14248 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
14249 non-@code{nil} value.
14251 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
14252 operator, and various match operators.
14259 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
14260 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
14261 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
14266 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
14267 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
14268 then this operator will return @code{false}.
14273 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
14274 logical negation of the value of its argument.
14278 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
14279 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
14280 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
14281 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
14282 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
14283 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
14284 the ancestry you want to go.
14286 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
14287 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
14288 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
14289 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
14290 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
14293 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
14294 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
14296 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
14297 when he's talking about Gnus:
14301 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14302 ("subject" "Gnus"))
14308 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
14312 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14319 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
14320 really don't want to read what he's written:
14324 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14325 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
14329 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
14330 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
14331 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
14338 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
14339 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
14340 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
14341 ("body" "white.*socks"))
14345 The possibilities are endless.
14348 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
14349 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
14351 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
14352 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
14353 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
14354 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
14355 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
14356 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
14357 @samp{subject}) first.
14359 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
14360 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
14371 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
14372 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
14378 ("subject" "Gnus")))
14385 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
14386 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
14391 @section Score Decays
14392 @cindex score decays
14395 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
14396 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
14397 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
14398 use them in any sensible way.
14400 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
14401 @findex gnus-decay-score
14402 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
14403 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
14404 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
14405 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
14406 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
14407 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
14408 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
14409 definition of that function:
14412 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
14414 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
14415 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
14418 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
14420 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
14422 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
14425 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
14426 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
14427 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
14428 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
14432 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
14435 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
14438 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
14442 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
14443 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
14444 the new score, which should be an integer.
14446 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
14447 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
14454 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
14455 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
14456 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
14457 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
14458 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
14459 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
14460 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
14461 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
14462 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
14463 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
14464 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
14465 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
14466 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
14467 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
14468 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
14469 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
14470 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
14471 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
14475 @node Process/Prefix
14476 @section Process/Prefix
14477 @cindex process/prefix convention
14479 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
14480 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
14482 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
14483 command to be performed on.
14487 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
14488 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
14489 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
14490 with the current one.
14492 @vindex transient-mark-mode
14493 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
14494 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
14496 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
14497 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
14500 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
14501 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
14503 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
14506 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
14507 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
14508 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
14509 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14511 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
14512 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
14513 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
14514 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
14515 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
14516 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
14517 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
14518 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
14522 @section Interactive
14523 @cindex interaction
14527 @item gnus-novice-user
14528 @vindex gnus-novice-user
14529 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
14530 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
14531 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
14532 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
14535 @item gnus-expert-user
14536 @vindex gnus-expert-user
14537 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
14538 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
14539 matter how strange.
14541 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
14542 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
14543 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
14544 is @code{t} by default.
14546 @item gnus-interactive-exit
14547 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
14548 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
14553 @node Symbolic Prefixes
14554 @section Symbolic Prefixes
14555 @cindex symbolic prefixes
14557 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
14558 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
14559 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
14560 rule of 900 to the current article.
14562 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
14563 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
14564 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
14565 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
14566 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
14567 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
14568 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
14570 @kindex M-i (Summary)
14571 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
14572 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
14573 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
14574 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
14575 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
14576 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
14577 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
14578 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
14580 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
14581 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
14582 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
14584 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
14588 @node Formatting Variables
14589 @section Formatting Variables
14590 @cindex formatting variables
14592 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
14593 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
14594 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
14595 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
14596 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
14599 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
14600 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
14601 lots of percentages everywhere.
14604 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
14605 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
14606 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
14607 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
14608 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
14611 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
14612 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
14613 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
14614 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
14615 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
14616 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
14617 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
14618 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
14620 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
14621 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
14623 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
14624 @findex gnus-update-format
14625 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
14626 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
14627 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
14628 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
14632 @node Formatting Basics
14633 @subsection Formatting Basics
14635 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
14636 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
14637 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
14639 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
14640 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
14641 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
14642 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
14643 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
14646 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
14647 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
14648 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
14649 less than 4 characters wide.
14652 @node Mode Line Formatting
14653 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
14655 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
14656 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
14657 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
14658 with the following two differences:
14663 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
14666 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
14667 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
14668 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
14669 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
14670 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
14671 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
14672 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
14677 @node Advanced Formatting
14678 @subsection Advanced Formatting
14680 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
14681 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
14682 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
14683 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
14685 These are the valid modifiers:
14690 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
14694 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
14699 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
14702 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
14707 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
14710 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
14713 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
14716 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
14720 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
14721 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
14722 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
14723 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
14724 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
14725 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
14726 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
14728 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
14729 last operation, padding.
14731 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
14732 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
14733 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
14734 @xref{Compilation}.
14737 @node User-Defined Specs
14738 @subsection User-Defined Specs
14740 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
14741 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
14742 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
14743 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
14744 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
14745 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
14746 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
14747 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
14748 should protect against that.
14750 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
14751 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
14752 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
14753 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
14757 @node Formatting Fonts
14758 @subsection Formatting Fonts
14760 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
14761 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
14762 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
14763 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
14766 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
14767 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
14768 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
14769 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
14770 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
14771 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
14773 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
14774 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say
14775 @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
14776 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or
14777 symbols naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
14778 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
14779 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
14780 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
14782 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
14785 ;; Create three face types.
14786 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
14787 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
14789 ;; We want the article count to be in
14790 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
14791 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
14792 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
14794 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
14795 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
14797 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
14798 (setq gnus-group-line-format
14799 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
14802 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
14803 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
14805 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
14806 mode-line variables.
14809 @node Windows Configuration
14810 @section Windows Configuration
14811 @cindex windows configuration
14813 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
14815 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
14816 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
14817 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
14818 @code{t} by default.
14820 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
14821 glitches. Use at your own peril.
14823 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
14824 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
14825 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
14828 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
14829 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
14830 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
14834 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
14835 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
14836 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
14837 possible names is listed below.
14839 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
14840 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
14843 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
14847 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
14848 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
14849 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
14850 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
14851 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
14852 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
14853 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
14854 size spec per split.
14856 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
14857 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
14858 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
14859 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
14860 present) gets focus.
14862 Here's a more complicated example:
14865 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
14866 (summary 0.25 point)
14867 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
14871 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
14872 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
14873 occupy, not a percentage.
14875 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
14876 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
14877 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
14878 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
14879 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
14882 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
14885 (article (horizontal 1.0
14890 (summary 0.25 point)
14895 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
14896 @code{horizontal} thingie?
14898 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
14899 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
14900 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
14901 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
14902 the screen is to be given to this strip.
14904 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
14905 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
14906 lines from the splits.
14908 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
14912 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
14913 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
14914 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
14915 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
14916 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
14917 size = number | frame-params
14918 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
14921 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
14922 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
14923 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
14924 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
14926 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
14927 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
14928 @cindex window height
14929 @cindex window width
14930 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
14931 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
14932 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
14933 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
14934 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
14935 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
14937 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
14938 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
14939 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
14940 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
14942 @findex gnus-configure-frame
14943 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
14944 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
14945 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
14946 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
14947 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
14948 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
14949 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
14950 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
14951 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
14952 configuration list.
14955 (gnus-configure-frame
14959 (article 0.3 point))
14967 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
14968 @code{frame} split:
14971 (gnus-configure-frame
14974 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
14976 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
14977 (user-position . t)
14978 (left . -1) (top . 1))
14983 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
14984 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
14985 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
14986 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
14987 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
14988 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
14989 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
14990 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
14992 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
14993 be found in its default value.
14995 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
14996 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
14997 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
15001 (message (horizontal 1.0
15002 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
15004 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
15009 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
15010 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
15011 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
15014 (message (frame 1.0
15015 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
15016 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
15017 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
15018 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
15019 (name . "Message"))
15020 (message 1.0 point))))
15023 @findex gnus-add-configuration
15024 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
15025 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
15026 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
15027 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
15030 (gnus-add-configuration
15031 '(article (vertical 1.0
15033 (summary .25 point)
15037 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
15038 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
15039 Gnus has been loaded.
15041 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
15042 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
15043 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
15044 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
15045 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
15047 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
15048 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
15049 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
15053 @node Faces and Fonts
15054 @section Faces and Fonts
15059 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
15060 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
15061 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
15066 @section Compilation
15067 @cindex compilation
15068 @cindex byte-compilation
15070 @findex gnus-compile
15072 Remember all those line format specification variables?
15073 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
15074 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
15075 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
15076 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
15077 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
15080 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
15081 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
15082 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
15083 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
15084 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
15085 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
15086 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
15090 @section Mode Lines
15093 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
15094 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
15095 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
15096 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
15097 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
15098 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
15099 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
15102 @cindex display-time
15104 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
15105 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
15106 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
15107 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
15108 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
15109 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
15110 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
15111 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
15114 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
15116 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
15117 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
15119 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
15120 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
15121 (length display-time-string)))))
15124 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
15125 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
15126 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
15127 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
15128 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
15131 @node Highlighting and Menus
15132 @section Highlighting and Menus
15134 @cindex highlighting
15137 @vindex gnus-visual
15138 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
15139 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
15140 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
15143 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
15144 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
15147 @item group-highlight
15148 Do highlights in the group buffer.
15149 @item summary-highlight
15150 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
15151 @item article-highlight
15152 Do highlights in the article buffer.
15154 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
15156 Create menus in the group buffer.
15158 Create menus in the summary buffers.
15160 Create menus in the article buffer.
15162 Create menus in the browse buffer.
15164 Create menus in the server buffer.
15166 Create menus in the score buffers.
15168 Create menus in all buffers.
15171 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
15172 buffers, you could say something like:
15175 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
15178 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
15181 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
15184 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
15185 in all Gnus buffers.
15187 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
15190 @item gnus-mouse-face
15191 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
15192 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
15193 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
15197 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
15201 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
15202 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
15203 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
15205 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
15206 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
15207 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
15209 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
15210 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
15211 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
15213 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
15214 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
15215 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
15217 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
15218 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
15219 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
15221 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
15222 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
15223 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
15234 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
15235 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
15236 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
15237 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
15238 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
15242 @vindex gnus-carpal
15243 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
15244 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
15245 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
15250 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
15251 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
15252 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
15254 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
15255 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
15256 Face used on buttons.
15258 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
15259 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
15260 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
15262 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
15263 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
15264 Buttons in the group buffer.
15266 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
15267 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
15268 Buttons in the summary buffer.
15270 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
15271 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
15272 Buttons in the server buffer.
15274 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
15275 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
15276 Buttons in the browse buffer.
15279 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
15280 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
15281 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
15289 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
15290 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
15291 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
15292 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
15293 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
15295 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
15296 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
15297 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
15299 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
15300 been idle for thirty minutes:
15303 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
15306 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
15310 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
15313 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
15314 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
15315 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
15317 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
15318 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
15319 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
15320 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
15322 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
15323 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
15324 @var{idle} minutes.
15326 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
15327 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
15330 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
15331 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
15332 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
15334 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
15335 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
15336 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
15337 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
15339 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
15340 your @file{.gnus} file:
15342 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
15344 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
15347 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
15348 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
15349 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
15350 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
15351 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
15352 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
15353 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
15354 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
15355 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
15356 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
15357 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
15359 @findex gnus-demon-init
15360 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
15361 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
15362 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
15363 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
15364 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
15366 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
15367 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
15368 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
15377 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
15378 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
15380 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
15381 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
15382 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
15383 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
15386 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
15387 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
15388 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
15389 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
15391 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
15392 this will make spam disappear.
15394 There are some variables to customize, of course:
15397 @item gnus-use-nocem
15398 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
15399 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
15402 @item gnus-nocem-groups
15403 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
15404 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
15405 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
15406 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
15408 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
15409 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
15410 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
15411 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
15412 "rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
15413 "jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
15414 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
15416 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
15419 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
15420 @cindex Chris Lewis
15421 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
15422 usenet abuse than anybody else.
15425 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
15426 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
15427 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
15429 @item jem@@xpat.com;
15431 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
15434 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
15435 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
15436 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
15439 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
15440 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
15441 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
15442 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
15443 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
15444 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
15445 @var{(issuer conditions ...)} elements in the list. Each condition is
15446 either a string (which is a regexp that matches types you want to use)
15447 or a list on the form @code{(not STRING)}, where @var{string} is a
15448 regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
15450 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
15451 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
15454 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
15457 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
15458 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
15461 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
15464 The specs are applied left-to-right.
15467 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
15468 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
15470 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
15471 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
15472 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
15473 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
15475 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
15476 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
15479 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
15481 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
15489 This might be dangerous, though.
15491 @item gnus-nocem-directory
15492 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
15493 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
15494 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
15496 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
15497 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
15498 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
15499 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
15500 might then see old spam.
15504 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
15505 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
15506 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
15507 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
15514 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
15515 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
15516 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
15518 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
15519 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
15520 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
15521 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
15522 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
15523 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
15524 @code{undo} function.
15526 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
15527 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
15528 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
15529 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
15530 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
15531 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
15532 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
15533 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
15534 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
15535 never be totally undoable.
15537 @findex gnus-undo-mode
15538 @vindex gnus-use-undo
15540 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
15541 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
15542 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
15543 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
15548 @section Moderation
15551 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
15552 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
15553 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
15556 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
15560 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
15563 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
15565 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
15570 You split your incoming mail by matching on
15571 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
15572 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
15575 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
15576 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
15579 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
15580 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
15584 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
15587 (setq gnus-moderated-list
15588 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
15592 @node XEmacs Enhancements
15593 @section XEmacs Enhancements
15596 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
15600 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
15601 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
15602 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
15603 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
15616 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
15617 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
15618 over your shoulder as you read news.
15621 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
15622 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
15623 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
15624 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
15625 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
15630 @subsubsection Picon Basics
15632 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
15641 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
15642 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
15643 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
15644 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
15645 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
15646 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
15647 @code{GIF} formats.
15650 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15651 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
15652 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
15653 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
15654 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
15656 @vindex gnus-picons-database
15657 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
15658 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
15659 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
15660 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
15661 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
15664 @node Picon Requirements
15665 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
15667 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
15668 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
15671 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
15672 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
15673 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
15675 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
15676 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
15677 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
15678 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
15679 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
15683 @subsubsection Easy Picons
15685 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
15686 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
15689 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
15690 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
15693 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
15694 containing the Picons databases.
15696 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
15699 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15700 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
15705 @subsubsection Hard Picons
15713 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
15714 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
15715 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
15716 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
15717 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
15722 @item gnus-picons-database
15723 @vindex gnus-picons-database
15724 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
15725 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
15726 subdirectories. This is only useful if
15727 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
15728 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
15730 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15731 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15732 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
15733 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
15734 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
15735 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
15736 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
15738 @item gnus-picons-display-where
15739 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
15740 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
15741 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
15742 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
15743 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
15744 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
15745 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
15747 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
15748 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
15749 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
15754 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
15755 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
15757 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
15758 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
15761 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
15763 @item gnus-article-display-picons
15764 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
15765 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
15766 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
15768 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
15769 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
15770 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
15776 @node Picon Useless Configuration
15777 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
15785 The following variables offer further control over how things are
15786 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
15787 don't need to worry about.
15791 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
15792 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
15793 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
15794 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
15796 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
15797 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
15798 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
15799 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
15801 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
15802 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
15803 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
15804 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
15805 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
15807 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
15808 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
15809 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
15810 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
15811 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
15812 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
15813 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
15815 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
15816 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
15817 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
15818 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
15820 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
15821 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
15822 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
15823 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
15824 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
15825 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
15826 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
15828 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
15829 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
15830 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
15831 Defaults to @code{nil}.
15833 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
15834 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
15835 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
15836 Defaults to @code{t}.
15838 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
15839 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
15840 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
15841 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
15843 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
15844 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
15845 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
15847 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
15848 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
15849 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
15850 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
15852 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
15853 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the defailt.
15855 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
15856 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
15857 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
15858 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
15859 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
15860 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
15861 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
15862 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
15873 @subsection Smileys
15878 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
15883 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
15884 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
15886 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
15887 @file{.gnus.el} file:
15890 (setq gnus-treat-display-smiley t)
15893 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
15894 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
15895 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
15896 text and maps that to file names.
15898 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
15899 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
15900 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
15901 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
15902 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
15903 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
15905 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
15906 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
15908 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
15909 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
15910 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
15912 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
15913 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
15917 @item smiley-data-directory
15918 @vindex smiley-data-directory
15919 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
15921 @item smiley-flesh-color
15922 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
15923 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
15925 @item smiley-features-color
15926 @vindex smiley-features-color
15927 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
15929 @item smiley-tongue-color
15930 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
15931 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
15933 @item smiley-circle-color
15934 @vindex smiley-circle-color
15935 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
15937 @item smiley-mouse-face
15938 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
15939 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
15945 @subsection Toolbar
15955 @item gnus-use-toolbar
15956 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
15957 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
15958 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
15959 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
15961 @item gnus-group-toolbar
15962 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
15963 The toolbar in the group buffer.
15965 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
15966 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
15967 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
15969 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
15970 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
15971 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
15977 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
15980 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
15981 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
15982 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
15983 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
15984 unusual directory structure.
15986 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
15987 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
15988 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
15989 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
15991 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
15992 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
15993 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
15994 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
15995 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
15996 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
15998 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
15999 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
16000 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
16014 @node Fuzzy Matching
16015 @section Fuzzy Matching
16016 @cindex fuzzy matching
16018 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
16019 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
16021 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
16022 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
16023 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
16025 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
16026 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
16027 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
16028 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
16029 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
16032 @node Thwarting Email Spam
16033 @section Thwarting Email Spam
16037 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
16039 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
16040 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
16041 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
16042 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
16043 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
16044 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
16045 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
16046 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
16049 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
16050 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
16051 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
16052 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
16053 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
16054 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
16058 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
16059 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
16061 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
16062 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
16063 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
16064 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
16065 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
16066 part of the mail address.)
16069 (setq message-default-news-headers
16070 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
16073 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
16074 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
16079 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
16080 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
16081 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
16087 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
16088 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
16089 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
16090 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
16092 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
16093 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
16094 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
16095 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
16096 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
16097 your fancy split rule in this way:
16102 (to "larsi" "misc")
16106 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
16107 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
16108 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
16109 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
16110 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
16112 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
16113 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
16114 at @* @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
16115 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
16116 cosmic balance somewhat.
16118 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
16119 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
16120 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
16121 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
16124 @node Various Various
16125 @section Various Various
16131 @item gnus-home-directory
16132 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
16133 defaults to @file{~/}.
16135 @item gnus-directory
16136 @vindex gnus-directory
16137 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
16138 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
16139 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
16141 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
16142 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
16143 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
16144 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
16146 @item gnus-default-directory
16147 @vindex gnus-default-directory
16148 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
16149 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
16150 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
16151 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
16152 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
16153 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
16156 @vindex gnus-verbose
16157 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
16158 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
16159 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
16160 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
16161 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
16163 @item gnus-verbose-backends
16164 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
16165 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
16166 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
16168 @item nnheader-max-head-length
16169 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
16170 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
16171 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
16172 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
16173 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
16174 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
16175 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
16176 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
16177 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
16179 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
16180 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
16181 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
16182 read when doing the operation described above.
16184 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
16185 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
16187 @cindex invalid characters in file names
16188 @cindex characters in file names
16189 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
16190 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
16191 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
16194 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
16198 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
16199 Windows (phooey) systems.
16201 @item gnus-hidden-properties
16202 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
16203 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
16204 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
16205 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
16207 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
16208 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
16209 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
16210 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
16211 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
16213 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
16214 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
16215 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
16224 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
16225 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
16227 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
16229 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
16235 Not because of victories @*
16238 but for the common sunshine,@*
16240 the largess of the spring.
16244 but for the day's work done@*
16245 as well as I was able;@*
16246 not for a seat upon the dais@*
16247 but at the common table.@*
16252 @chapter Appendices
16255 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
16256 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
16257 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
16258 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
16259 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
16260 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
16261 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
16269 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
16270 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
16272 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
16273 can point your (feh!) web browser to
16274 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
16275 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
16276 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
16278 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
16279 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
16280 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
16281 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
16282 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
16283 appropriate name, don't you think?)
16285 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
16286 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
16287 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
16288 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
16290 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
16291 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
16292 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
16294 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
16295 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
16297 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
16298 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
16300 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37
16301 releases. If was released as ``Gnus 5.6 on March 8th 1998.
16303 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
16304 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
16305 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
16306 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
16307 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
16311 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
16312 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
16313 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
16314 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
16315 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
16316 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
16317 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
16324 What's the point of Gnus?
16326 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
16327 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
16328 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
16329 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
16330 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
16331 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
16332 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
16333 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
16334 keep track of millions of people who post?
16336 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
16337 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
16338 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
16339 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
16340 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
16341 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
16342 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
16343 every one of you to explore and invent.
16345 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
16346 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
16349 @node Compatibility
16350 @subsection Compatibility
16352 @cindex compatibility
16353 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
16354 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
16355 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
16360 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
16364 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
16367 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
16370 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
16371 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
16372 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
16373 important variables have their values copied into their global
16374 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
16375 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
16377 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
16378 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
16379 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
16380 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
16381 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
16385 @cindex highlighting
16386 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
16387 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
16388 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
16389 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
16390 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
16391 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
16394 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
16395 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
16396 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
16397 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
16399 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
16400 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
16401 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
16402 to stop doing it the old way.
16404 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
16406 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
16408 @cindex reporting bugs
16410 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
16411 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
16412 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
16414 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
16415 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
16416 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
16417 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
16422 @subsection Conformity
16424 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
16425 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
16432 There are no known breaches of this standard.
16436 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
16438 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
16439 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
16440 We do have some breaches to this one.
16446 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
16447 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
16448 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
16449 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
16450 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
16455 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
16456 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
16457 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
16458 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
16462 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
16463 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
16468 @subsection Emacsen
16474 Gnus should work on :
16482 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
16486 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
16487 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
16490 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
16491 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
16492 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
16497 @subsection Contributors
16498 @cindex contributors
16500 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
16501 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
16502 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
16503 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
16504 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
16505 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
16506 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
16507 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
16508 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
16509 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
16511 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
16517 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
16520 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
16521 well as numerous other things).
16524 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
16527 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
16530 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el and many other things
16531 connected with @sc{mime} and other types of en/decoding.
16534 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
16535 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
16538 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
16541 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
16542 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
16545 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
16548 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
16551 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
16554 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
16557 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
16558 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
16561 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
16564 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
16567 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
16570 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
16574 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
16577 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
16580 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
16583 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
16584 well as autoconf support.
16588 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
16589 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
16591 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
16600 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
16604 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
16627 Massimo Campostrini,
16635 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
16641 Michael Welsh Duggan,
16645 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
16649 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
16656 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
16658 Michelangelo Grigni,
16662 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
16664 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
16666 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
16671 François Felix Ingrand,
16672 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
16674 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
16683 Peter Skov Knudsen,
16684 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
16685 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
16686 Thor Kristoffersen,
16689 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
16707 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
16708 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
16715 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
16719 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
16723 John McClary Prevost,
16729 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
16734 Christian von Roques,
16737 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
16744 Philippe Schnoebelen,
16746 Randal L. Schwartz,
16777 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
16782 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
16783 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
16784 (550kB and counting).
16786 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
16789 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
16790 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
16794 @subsection New Features
16795 @cindex new features
16798 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
16799 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
16800 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
16801 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
16804 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
16805 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
16806 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
16810 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
16812 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
16817 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
16818 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
16821 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
16822 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
16825 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
16828 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
16829 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
16830 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
16833 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
16834 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
16835 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
16836 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
16839 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
16840 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16843 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
16844 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
16845 (@pxref{The Active File}).
16848 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
16849 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
16852 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
16853 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
16854 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
16857 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
16858 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
16859 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
16862 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
16863 the @file{.emacs} file.
16866 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
16867 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16870 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
16871 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
16874 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
16875 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16878 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
16879 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
16882 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
16883 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
16886 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
16889 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
16890 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
16893 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
16894 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
16897 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
16898 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
16901 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
16904 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
16905 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
16908 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
16912 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
16916 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
16917 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
16920 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
16926 @node September Gnus
16927 @subsubsection September Gnus
16931 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
16935 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
16940 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
16941 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
16945 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
16946 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
16950 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
16954 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
16955 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
16958 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
16962 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
16965 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
16968 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
16971 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
16975 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
16976 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
16979 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
16983 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
16987 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
16991 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
16995 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
16998 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
16999 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
17002 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
17006 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
17007 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
17010 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
17013 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
17014 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
17015 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
17018 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
17022 The Gnus cache is much faster.
17025 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
17029 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
17030 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
17033 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
17034 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
17037 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
17038 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
17041 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
17042 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
17043 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
17046 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
17047 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
17050 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
17053 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
17056 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
17059 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
17062 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
17063 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
17066 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
17070 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
17073 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
17078 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
17081 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
17085 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
17088 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
17092 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
17095 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
17098 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
17099 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
17102 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
17103 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
17107 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
17108 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
17111 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
17115 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
17116 buffer to allow easier treatment.
17119 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
17122 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
17126 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
17130 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
17131 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
17134 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
17138 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
17139 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
17142 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
17143 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
17146 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
17150 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
17153 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
17156 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
17162 @subsubsection Red Gnus
17164 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
17168 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
17175 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
17178 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
17179 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
17182 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
17183 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
17187 Article washing status can be displayed in the
17188 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
17191 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
17194 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
17195 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
17198 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
17202 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
17203 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
17207 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
17208 Server Internals}).
17211 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
17215 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
17218 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
17219 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
17222 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
17223 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
17224 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
17227 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
17228 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
17231 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
17232 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
17235 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
17239 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
17240 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
17243 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
17244 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
17247 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
17251 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
17254 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
17258 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
17259 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
17262 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
17263 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
17266 A new command for reading collections of documents
17267 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
17268 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
17271 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
17275 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
17276 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
17279 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
17280 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
17281 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
17284 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
17285 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
17289 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
17293 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
17297 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
17302 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
17306 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
17310 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
17311 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
17314 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
17320 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
17322 New features in Gnus 5.6:
17327 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
17328 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
17329 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
17332 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
17333 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
17334 group, which is created automatically.
17337 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
17341 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
17344 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
17345 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
17348 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
17352 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
17355 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
17356 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
17359 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
17362 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
17363 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
17366 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
17367 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
17370 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
17371 control over simplification.
17374 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
17377 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
17381 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
17384 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
17387 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
17388 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
17389 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
17392 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
17393 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
17396 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
17400 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
17401 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
17404 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
17405 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
17408 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
17412 A history of where mails have been split is available.
17415 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
17418 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
17419 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
17422 A new function for citing in Message has been
17423 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
17426 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
17429 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
17433 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
17434 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
17437 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
17438 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
17441 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
17444 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
17449 @node Newest Features
17450 @subsection Newest Features
17453 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
17456 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
17458 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
17459 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
17462 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
17467 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
17468 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
17471 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
17474 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
17477 facep is not declared.
17480 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
17481 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
17484 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
17489 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
17490 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
17491 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
17492 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
17493 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
17494 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
17495 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
17500 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
17503 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
17506 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
17508 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
17509 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
17511 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
17513 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
17515 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
17516 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
17518 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
17520 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
17521 be marked as unread.
17523 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
17525 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
17527 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
17528 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
17530 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
17532 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
17534 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
17535 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
17537 topics that contain just groups with ticked
17538 articles aren't displayed.
17540 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
17542 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
17543 make the mail groups killed.
17545 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
17547 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
17548 and articles have to be removed.
17550 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
17553 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
17555 finding short score file names takes forever.
17557 canceling articles in foreign groups.
17559 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
17561 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
17563 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
17565 nnweb doesn't work properly.
17567 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
17569 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
17570 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
17574 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
17576 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
17577 bar and the Gnus bar.
17580 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
17581 `(canonize-message-id id)'
17582 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
17583 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
17584 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
17585 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
17590 nnml .overview directory with splits.
17594 postponed commands.
17596 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
17598 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
17601 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
17602 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
17604 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
17605 inherit copy prompts and save files.
17607 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
17609 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
17610 for backends that support that.
17612 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
17614 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
17615 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
17617 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
17618 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
17620 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
17622 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
17624 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
17626 server mode command: close/open all connections
17628 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
17629 has been changed before using it.
17631 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
17633 hide (sub)threads with low score.
17635 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
17637 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
17639 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
17640 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
17642 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
17643 contain groups that match a regexp.
17645 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
17648 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
17651 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
17652 from subject lines.
17654 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
17656 nntp-ping-before-connect
17658 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
17660 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
17661 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
17663 message annotations.
17665 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
17667 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
17668 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
17670 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
17675 support qmail maildir spools
17677 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
17679 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
17681 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
17683 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
17684 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
17686 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
17688 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
17690 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
17691 finds and generate proper active ranges.
17693 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
17694 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
17696 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
17698 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
17700 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
17701 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
17703 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
17705 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
17707 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
17708 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
17711 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
17713 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
17715 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
17716 `C-c C-c' when posting.
17718 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
17721 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
17722 should be marker as expirable.
17724 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
17726 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
17727 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
17729 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
17730 Also consult Date headers.
17732 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
17734 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
17736 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
17737 Message-ID, delete the "original".
17739 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
17740 into a See-Also header.
17742 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
17744 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
17746 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
17747 should be listed as such and not as "K".
17749 generate font names dynamically.
17751 score file mode auto-alist.
17753 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
17754 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
17756 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
17757 absolutely all headers there is.
17759 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
17760 and pipe them to the process.
17762 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
17763 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
17764 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
17766 function for starting to edit a file to put into
17767 the current mail group.
17769 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
17771 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
17772 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
17774 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
17775 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
17777 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
17779 when replying to several process-marked articles,
17780 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
17782 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
17783 groups it has been mailed to.
17785 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
17787 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
17789 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
17791 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
17792 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
17794 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
17795 newlines) should be ignored.
17797 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
17798 groups in subtopics as well.
17800 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
17802 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
17805 add edit and forward secondary marks.
17807 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
17809 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
17811 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
17813 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
17815 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
17817 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
17818 or the formatted article.
17820 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
17822 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
17823 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
17825 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
17827 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
17829 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
17831 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
17832 even unread articles.
17834 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
17836 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
17838 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
17840 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
17842 canceling articles in foreign groups.
17844 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
17847 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
17848 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
17850 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
17851 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
17853 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
17855 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
17857 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
17858 from a particular server? Hm.
17860 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
17861 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
17863 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
17865 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
17866 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
17868 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
17869 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
17871 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
17872 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
17873 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
17876 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
17877 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
17879 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
17881 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
17883 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
17885 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
17888 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
17891 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
17892 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
17894 command to show and edit group scores
17896 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
17899 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
17901 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
17903 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
17904 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
17907 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
17908 that are of that length.
17910 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
17912 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
17914 asynchronous posting under nntp.
17916 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
17918 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
17920 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
17922 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
17923 a score lower than this number.
17925 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
17927 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
17929 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
17930 so that each copy can be edited separately.
17932 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
17934 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
17935 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
17937 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
17940 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
17941 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
17942 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
17943 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
17945 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
17948 command to remove all topic stuff.
17950 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
17951 and splitting the resulting digests.
17953 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
17955 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
17957 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
17958 matches an alist -- before saving.
17960 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
17962 variable to activate each group before entering them
17963 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
17965 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
17966 starting Gnus first if necessary.
17968 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
17969 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
17971 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
17973 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
17974 of several groups at once.
17976 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
17977 matches some regexp(s).
17979 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
17981 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
17983 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
17985 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
17987 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
17989 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
17991 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
17993 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
17994 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
17995 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
17996 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
17998 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
17999 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
18001 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
18003 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
18004 recently cited text.
18006 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
18008 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
18011 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
18012 server and just read the articles in the server
18014 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
18015 value of nnoo variables.
18017 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
18019 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
18020 listed in each group info.
18022 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
18025 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
18026 should only be applied to some groups.
18028 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
18029 mail-copies-to: never.
18031 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
18032 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
18034 the slave dribble files should auto-save to the slave file names.
18036 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
18039 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
18042 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
18044 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
18047 group user-defined meta-parameters.
18051 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
18053 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
18054 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
18055 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
18056 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
18057 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
18059 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
18060 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
18067 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
18068 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
18070 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
18071 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
18073 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
18074 "Return the date the group was last read."
18075 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
18080 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
18081 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
18082 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
18083 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
18087 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
18088 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
18090 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
18093 They could be used like this:
18097 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
18098 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
18099 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
18101 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
18103 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
18106 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
18109 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
18110 affect the summary line format.
18114 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
18116 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
18117 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
18119 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
18122 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
18124 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
18126 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
18128 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
18130 - For other files, just find them normally.
18132 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
18133 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
18136 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
18137 tell him what you are doing.
18140 Currently, I get prompted:
18144 decend into sci.something ?
18148 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
18149 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
18150 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
18151 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
18154 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
18155 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
18156 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
18157 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
18160 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
18161 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
18167 more than n blank lines
18169 more than m identical lines
18170 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
18172 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
18176 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
18177 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
18178 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
18179 "same" subject for threading purposes.
18182 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
18183 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
18184 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
18185 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
18188 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
18191 soup - bowl of soup
18192 score below - dim light bulb
18193 score over - bright light bulb
18196 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
18201 show-list-of-articles-in-group
18202 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
18203 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
18204 if (articles-selected)
18205 start-reading-selected-articles;
18206 junk-unread-articles;
18211 else if (key-pressed = '.')
18212 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
18213 select-thread-under-cursor;
18215 select-article-under-cursor;
18219 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
18220 if (more-pages-in-article)
18222 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
18229 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
18230 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
18231 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
18234 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
18235 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
18236 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
18237 the wildcard expression).
18240 It would be nice if it also handled
18242 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
18244 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
18249 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
18250 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
18251 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
18252 article versions) variable.
18254 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
18256 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
18257 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
18261 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
18264 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
18265 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
18266 (message-sent-hook).
18268 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
18271 * Enhancements to Gnus:
18275 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
18276 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
18279 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
18280 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
18281 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
18284 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
18285 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
18289 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
18292 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
18296 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
18297 the nnmail duplicate checking.
18300 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
18301 value of the signature file.
18304 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
18305 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
18308 (setq message-tab-alist
18309 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
18310 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
18312 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
18316 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
18319 a command to import a buffer into a group.
18322 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
18325 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
18326 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
18329 a command to process mark all unread articles.
18332 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
18333 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
18334 do more gathering by subject.
18337 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
18338 article numerical order.
18341 (gnus-thread-total-score
18342 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
18346 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
18349 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
18350 in the summary buffer.
18353 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
18354 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
18357 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
18358 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
18359 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
18360 and/or newsgroup name.
18363 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
18366 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
18369 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
18372 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
18373 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
18374 will automatically get the process mark.
18377 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
18378 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
18379 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
18382 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
18386 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
18387 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
18390 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
18391 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
18395 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
18396 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
18399 be able to post via DejaNews.
18402 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
18405 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
18406 allow them to be displayed separately.
18409 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
18410 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
18413 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
18414 articles that match a certain From header.
18417 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
18418 saving living summary buffers.
18421 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
18422 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
18425 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
18426 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
18429 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
18430 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
18433 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
18434 (goto-char (point-min))
18435 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
18436 (replace-match "`" t t))
18437 (goto-char (point-min))
18438 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
18439 (replace-match "'" t t))
18440 (goto-char (point-min))
18441 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
18442 (replace-match "\"" t t))
18443 (goto-char (point-min))
18444 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
18445 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
18450 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
18452 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
18453 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
18454 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
18455 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
18459 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
18462 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
18463 numbers and match on the age of the article.
18467 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
18468 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
18469 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
18471 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
18472 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
18474 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
18475 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
18480 all commands that react to the process mark should push
18481 the current process mark set onto the stack.
18484 gnus-article-hide-pgp
18485 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
18487 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
18489 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
18490 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
18493 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
18494 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
18497 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
18501 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
18502 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
18505 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
18508 nndraft-request-group should tally auto-save files.
18511 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
18514 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
18518 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
18524 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
18527 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
18531 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
18532 X characters in the body.
18535 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
18538 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
18541 format spec to "tab" to a position.
18544 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
18547 command to display all dormant articles.
18550 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
18553 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
18554 to something someone else has said.
18557 Read Netscape discussion groups:
18558 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
18561 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
18562 the displayed version.
18565 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
18569 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
18572 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
18573 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
18574 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
18578 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
18579 in the head or body.
18582 Allow breaking lengthy NNTP commands.
18585 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
18588 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
18589 in a special, unique buffer.
18592 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
18595 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
18596 is less than a certain number of days old.
18599 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
18602 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
18605 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
18606 file, for instance.
18609 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
18610 in any other dummy thread will make gnus highlight the
18611 dummy root instead of the first article.
18614 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
18615 topics for displaying.
18618 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
18619 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
18622 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
18625 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
18626 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
18627 summary buffer for each article.
18630 Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
18633 Group parameters and summary commands for un/subscribing to mailing
18637 Introduce nnmail-home-directory.
18640 gnus-fetch-group and friends should exit Gnus when the user
18644 The jingle is only played on the second invocation of Gnus.
18647 Bouncing articles should do MIME.
18650 Crossposted articles should "inherit" the % or @ mark from the other
18651 groups it has been crossposted to, or something. (Agent.)
18654 `S D r' should allow expansion of aliases.
18657 If point is on a group that appears multiple times in topics, and
18658 you press `l', point will move to the first instance of the group.
18661 The documentation should mention pop3.el, fetchmail, smtpmail and why
18662 po:username often fails.
18665 Fetch by Message-ID from dejanews.
18667 <URL:http://search.dejanews.com/msgid.xp?MID=%3C62h9l9$hm4@@basement.replay.com%3E&fmt=raw>
18670 A spec for the group line format to display the number of
18671 agent-downloaded articles in the group.
18674 Some nntp servers never respond when posting, so there should be a
18675 timeout for all commands.
18678 Solve the halting problem.
18687 @section The Manual
18691 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
18692 either @code{texi2dvi}
18694 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
18695 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
18697 to get what you hold in your hands now.
18699 The following conventions have been used:
18704 This is a @samp{string}
18707 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
18710 This is a @file{file}
18713 This is a @code{symbol}
18717 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
18721 (setq flargnoze "yes")
18724 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
18727 (setq flumphel 'yes)
18730 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
18731 ever get them confused.
18735 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
18736 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
18737 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
18738 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
18739 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
18740 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
18741 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
18749 @section Terminology
18751 @cindex terminology
18756 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
18757 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
18758 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
18759 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
18760 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
18764 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
18765 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
18766 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
18767 not posting, and replying is not following up.
18771 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
18775 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
18780 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
18781 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
18782 is all done by the backends.
18786 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
18787 default, way of getting news.
18791 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
18792 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
18797 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
18798 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
18802 A message that has been posted as news.
18805 @cindex mail message
18806 A message that has been mailed.
18810 A mail message or news article
18814 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
18819 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
18824 A line from the head of an article.
18828 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
18829 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
18833 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
18834 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
18835 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
18836 normal @sc{head} format.
18840 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
18841 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
18842 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
18843 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
18844 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
18845 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
18847 @item killed groups
18848 @cindex killed groups
18849 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
18850 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
18852 @item zombie groups
18853 @cindex zombie groups
18854 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
18857 @cindex active file
18858 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
18859 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
18860 is rather large, as you might surmise.
18863 @cindex bogus groups
18864 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
18865 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
18866 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
18869 @cindex activating groups
18870 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
18871 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
18872 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
18876 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
18878 @item select method
18879 @cindex select method
18880 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
18883 @item virtual server
18884 @cindex virtual server
18885 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
18886 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
18887 whole is a virtual server.
18891 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
18892 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
18895 @item ephemeral groups
18896 @cindex ephemeral groups
18897 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
18898 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
18899 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
18902 @cindex solid groups
18903 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
18904 group buffer are solid groups.
18906 @item sparse articles
18907 @cindex sparse articles
18908 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
18909 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
18913 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
18914 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
18918 @cindex thread root
18919 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
18920 articles in the thread.
18924 An article that has responses.
18928 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
18932 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
18933 specified by RFC1153.
18939 @node Customization
18940 @section Customization
18941 @cindex general customization
18943 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
18944 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
18945 for some quite common situations.
18948 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
18949 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
18950 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
18951 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
18955 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
18956 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
18958 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
18959 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
18960 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
18964 @item gnus-read-active-file
18965 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
18966 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
18967 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
18968 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
18969 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
18971 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
18972 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
18973 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
18974 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
18978 @node Slow Terminal Connection
18979 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
18981 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
18982 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
18983 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
18987 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
18988 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
18989 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
18990 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
18991 horizontal and vertical recentering.
18993 @item gnus-visible-headers
18994 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
18995 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
18996 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
18997 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
18999 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
19001 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
19002 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
19003 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
19006 @item gnus-use-full-window
19007 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
19008 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
19009 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
19010 want to read them anyway.
19012 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
19013 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
19016 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
19017 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
19018 lines, which might save some time.
19022 @node Little Disk Space
19023 @subsection Little Disk Space
19026 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
19027 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
19031 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
19032 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
19033 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
19034 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
19037 @item gnus-save-killed-list
19038 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
19039 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
19040 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
19041 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
19047 @subsection Slow Machine
19048 @cindex slow machine
19050 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
19051 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
19053 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
19054 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
19056 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
19057 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
19058 summary buffer faster.
19062 @node Troubleshooting
19063 @section Troubleshooting
19064 @cindex troubleshooting
19066 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
19074 Make sure your computer is switched on.
19077 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
19078 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
19082 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
19083 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
19084 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
19085 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
19088 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
19092 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
19093 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
19094 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
19095 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
19096 something like that.
19099 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
19102 @cindex reporting bugs
19104 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
19106 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
19107 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
19108 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
19109 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
19111 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
19112 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
19113 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
19114 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
19117 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
19118 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
19119 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
19120 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
19121 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
19122 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
19124 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
19125 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
19126 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
19129 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
19130 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
19132 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
19133 @cindex ding mailing list
19134 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
19135 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
19139 @node Gnus Reference Guide
19140 @section Gnus Reference Guide
19142 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
19143 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
19144 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
19145 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
19148 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
19149 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
19150 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
19151 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
19152 and general methods of operation.
19155 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
19156 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
19157 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
19158 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
19159 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
19160 * Group Info:: The group info format.
19161 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
19162 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
19163 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
19167 @node Gnus Utility Functions
19168 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
19169 @cindex Gnus utility functions
19170 @cindex utility functions
19172 @cindex internal variables
19174 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
19175 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
19176 Below is a list of the most common ones.
19180 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
19181 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
19182 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
19184 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
19185 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
19186 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
19188 @item gnus-group-real-name
19189 @findex gnus-group-real-name
19190 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
19193 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
19194 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
19195 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
19196 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
19198 @item gnus-get-info
19199 @findex gnus-get-info
19200 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
19202 @item gnus-group-unread
19203 @findex gnus-group-unread
19204 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
19208 @findex gnus-active
19209 The active entry for @var{group}.
19211 @item gnus-set-active
19212 @findex gnus-set-active
19213 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
19215 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
19216 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
19217 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
19220 @item gnus-continuum-version
19221 @findex gnus-continuum-version
19222 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
19223 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
19226 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
19227 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
19228 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
19230 @item gnus-news-group-p
19231 @findex gnus-news-group-p
19232 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
19234 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
19235 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
19236 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
19238 @item gnus-server-to-method
19239 @findex gnus-server-to-method
19240 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
19242 @item gnus-server-equal
19243 @findex gnus-server-equal
19244 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
19246 @item gnus-group-native-p
19247 @findex gnus-group-native-p
19248 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
19250 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
19251 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
19252 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
19254 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
19255 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
19256 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
19258 @item group-group-find-parameter
19259 @findex group-group-find-parameter
19260 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
19261 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
19263 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
19264 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
19265 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
19267 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
19268 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
19269 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
19271 @item gnus-check-backend-function
19272 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
19273 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
19274 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
19277 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
19281 @item gnus-read-method
19282 @findex gnus-read-method
19283 Prompts the user for a select method.
19288 @node Backend Interface
19289 @subsection Backend Interface
19291 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
19292 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
19293 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
19294 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
19295 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
19296 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
19298 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
19299 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
19300 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
19301 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
19302 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
19303 been opened, the function should fail.
19305 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
19306 name. Take this example:
19310 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
19311 (nntp-port-number 4324))
19314 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
19315 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
19317 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
19318 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
19319 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
19321 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
19322 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
19323 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
19325 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
19326 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
19327 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
19328 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
19329 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
19330 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
19333 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
19334 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
19335 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
19336 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
19339 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
19342 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
19345 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
19346 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
19347 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
19348 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
19349 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
19350 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
19354 @node Required Backend Functions
19355 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
19359 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
19361 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
19362 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
19363 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
19364 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
19366 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
19367 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
19368 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
19369 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
19371 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
19372 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
19373 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
19374 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
19375 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
19376 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
19377 number, do maximum fetches.
19379 Here's an example HEAD:
19382 221 1056 Article retrieved.
19383 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
19384 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
19385 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
19386 Subject: Re: Something very droll
19387 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
19388 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
19390 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
19391 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
19392 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
19396 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
19397 these in the data buffer.
19399 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
19403 head = error / valid-head
19404 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
19405 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
19406 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
19407 header = <text> eol
19410 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
19411 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
19415 nov-buffer = *nov-line
19416 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
19417 field = <text except TAB>
19420 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
19424 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
19426 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
19427 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
19429 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
19430 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
19431 server. In fact, it should do so.
19433 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
19434 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
19437 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
19439 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
19440 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
19443 There should be no data returned.
19446 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
19448 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
19449 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
19450 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
19451 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
19453 There should be no data returned.
19456 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
19458 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
19459 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
19460 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
19461 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
19463 There should be no data returned.
19466 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
19468 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
19470 There should be no data returned.
19473 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
19475 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
19476 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
19477 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
19478 it would be nice if that were possible.
19480 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
19481 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
19482 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
19483 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
19484 into its article buffer.
19486 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
19487 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
19488 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
19489 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
19490 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
19491 on successful article retrieval.
19494 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
19496 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
19497 making @var{group} the current group.
19499 If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
19502 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
19505 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
19508 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
19509 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
19510 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
19511 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
19512 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
19513 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
19514 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
19515 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
19518 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
19519 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
19520 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
19524 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
19526 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
19527 a no-op on most backends.
19529 There should be no data returned.
19532 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
19534 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
19537 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
19540 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
19541 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
19544 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
19545 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
19548 active-file = *active-line
19549 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
19551 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
19554 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
19555 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
19556 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
19559 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
19561 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
19562 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
19563 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
19564 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
19565 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
19566 clear if the posting could not be completed.
19568 There should be no result data from this function.
19573 @node Optional Backend Functions
19574 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
19578 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
19580 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
19581 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
19582 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
19584 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
19585 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
19586 former is in the same format as the data from
19587 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
19588 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
19591 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
19595 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
19597 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
19598 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
19599 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
19600 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
19601 should return the (altered) group info.
19603 There should be no result data from this function.
19606 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
19608 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
19609 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
19610 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
19611 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
19612 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
19613 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
19614 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
19615 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
19617 There should be no result data from this function.
19620 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
19622 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
19623 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
19624 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as IMAP) however carry all
19625 information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to propagate
19626 the mark information to the server.
19628 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
19631 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
19634 Range is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. Action is
19635 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
19636 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
19637 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
19638 mentioned) marks. Mark is a list of marks; where each mark is a
19639 symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
19640 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
19641 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
19642 not limit itself to theese.
19644 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
19645 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
19646 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
19647 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
19649 An example action list:
19652 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
19653 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
19654 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
19657 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
19658 mark on (currently not used for anything).
19660 There should be no result data from this function.
19662 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
19664 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
19665 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
19666 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
19667 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
19668 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
19670 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
19671 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
19672 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
19675 There should be no result data from this function.
19678 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
19680 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
19681 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
19682 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
19683 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
19684 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
19685 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
19686 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
19688 There should be no result data from this function.
19691 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
19693 The result data from this function should be a description of
19697 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
19699 description = <text>
19702 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
19704 The result data from this function should be the description of all
19705 groups available on the server.
19708 description-buffer = *description-line
19712 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
19714 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
19715 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
19716 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
19719 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
19721 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
19723 There should be no return data.
19726 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
19728 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
19729 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
19730 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
19731 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
19732 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
19735 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
19738 There should be no result data returned.
19741 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
19744 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
19745 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
19747 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
19748 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
19749 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
19750 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
19751 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
19752 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
19754 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
19755 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
19758 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
19759 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
19761 There should be no data returned.
19764 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
19766 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
19767 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
19768 this function in short order.
19770 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
19771 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
19773 There should be no data returned.
19776 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
19778 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
19779 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
19781 There should be no data returned.
19784 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
19786 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
19787 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
19788 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
19790 There should be no data returned.
19793 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
19795 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
19796 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
19798 There should be no data returned.
19803 @node Error Messaging
19804 @subsubsection Error Messaging
19806 @findex nnheader-report
19807 @findex nnheader-get-report
19808 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
19809 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
19810 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
19811 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
19812 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
19813 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
19816 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
19818 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
19821 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
19822 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
19823 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
19824 takes one argument---the server symbol.
19826 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
19827 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
19828 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
19831 @node Writing New Backends
19832 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
19834 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
19835 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
19836 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
19837 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
19838 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
19841 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
19842 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
19843 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
19845 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
19846 package called @code{nnoo}.
19848 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
19849 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
19855 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
19856 parameters. For instance:
19859 (nnoo-declare nndir
19863 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
19864 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
19867 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
19868 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
19869 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
19871 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
19872 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
19873 a function in those backends.
19876 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
19877 "Where nndir will look for groups."
19878 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
19881 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
19882 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
19883 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
19885 @item nnoo-define-basics
19886 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
19890 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
19894 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
19895 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
19896 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
19898 @item nnoo-map-functions
19899 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
19900 functions from the parent backends.
19903 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
19904 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19905 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
19908 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
19909 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
19910 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
19911 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
19914 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
19915 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
19916 haven't already been defined.
19922 nnmh-request-newgroups)
19926 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
19927 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
19928 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
19933 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
19936 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
19937 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
19941 (require 'nnheader)
19945 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
19947 (nnoo-declare nndir
19950 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
19951 "Where nndir will look for groups."
19952 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
19954 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
19955 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
19958 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
19959 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
19960 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
19962 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
19963 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
19965 ;;; Interface functions.
19967 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
19969 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
19970 (setq nndir-directory
19971 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
19973 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
19974 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
19975 (push `(nndir-current-group
19976 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
19978 (push `(nndir-top-directory
19979 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
19981 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
19983 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
19984 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19985 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19986 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
19987 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
19991 nnmh-status-message
19993 nnmh-request-newgroups))
19999 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
20000 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
20002 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
20003 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
20004 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
20005 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
20007 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
20008 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
20013 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
20016 The abilities can be:
20020 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
20022 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
20024 This backend supports both mail and news.
20026 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
20029 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
20030 articles and groups.
20032 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
20033 true for almost all backends.
20034 @item prompt-address
20035 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
20036 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
20037 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
20041 @node Mail-like Backends
20042 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
20044 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
20045 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
20046 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
20047 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
20050 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
20051 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
20052 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
20055 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
20056 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
20059 This function takes four parameters.
20063 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
20066 @item exit-function
20067 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
20069 @item temp-directory
20070 Where the temporary files should be stored.
20073 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
20074 performed for one group only.
20077 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
20078 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
20079 find the article number assigned to this article.
20081 The function also uses the following variables:
20082 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
20083 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
20084 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
20085 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
20089 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
20090 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
20094 @node Score File Syntax
20095 @subsection Score File Syntax
20097 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
20098 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
20099 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
20101 Here's a typical score file:
20105 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
20112 BNF definition of a score file:
20115 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
20116 element = rule / atom
20117 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
20118 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
20119 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
20120 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
20122 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
20123 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
20124 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
20125 date-header = "date"
20126 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
20127 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
20128 score = "nil" / <integer>
20129 date = "nil" / <natural number>
20130 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
20131 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
20132 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
20133 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
20134 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
20135 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
20136 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
20137 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
20138 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
20139 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
20140 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
20141 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
20142 exclude-files / read-only / touched
20143 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
20144 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
20145 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
20146 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
20147 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
20148 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
20149 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
20150 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
20151 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
20152 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
20153 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
20154 eval = "eval" space <form>
20155 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
20158 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
20161 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
20162 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
20163 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
20164 one looong line, then that's ok.
20166 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
20167 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
20171 @subsection Headers
20173 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
20174 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
20175 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
20176 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
20178 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
20179 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
20180 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
20181 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
20182 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
20183 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
20184 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
20186 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
20187 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
20188 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
20189 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
20190 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
20192 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
20193 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
20199 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
20200 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
20202 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
20203 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
20204 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
20205 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
20207 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
20211 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
20214 is transformed into
20217 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
20220 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
20221 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
20224 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
20227 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
20228 is slightly tricky:
20231 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
20237 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
20240 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
20246 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
20253 and is equal to the previous range.
20255 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
20256 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
20257 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
20261 range = simple-range / normal-range
20262 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
20263 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
20264 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
20265 number *[ " " contents ]
20268 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
20269 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
20270 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
20271 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
20272 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
20277 @subsection Group Info
20279 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
20280 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
20281 describes the group.
20283 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
20284 second is a more complex one:
20287 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
20289 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
20290 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
20292 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
20295 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
20296 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
20297 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
20298 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
20299 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
20300 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
20301 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
20302 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
20303 this section is about.
20305 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
20306 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
20307 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
20309 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
20312 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
20313 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
20314 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
20315 group = quote <string> quote
20316 ralevel = rank / level
20317 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
20318 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
20319 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
20321 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
20322 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
20323 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
20324 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
20327 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
20328 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
20331 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
20332 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
20335 @item gnus-info-group
20336 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
20337 @findex gnus-info-group
20338 @findex gnus-info-set-group
20339 Get/set the group name.
20341 @item gnus-info-rank
20342 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
20343 @findex gnus-info-rank
20344 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
20345 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
20347 @item gnus-info-level
20348 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
20349 @findex gnus-info-level
20350 @findex gnus-info-set-level
20351 Get/set the group level.
20353 @item gnus-info-score
20354 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
20355 @findex gnus-info-score
20356 @findex gnus-info-set-score
20357 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
20359 @item gnus-info-read
20360 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
20361 @findex gnus-info-read
20362 @findex gnus-info-set-read
20363 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
20365 @item gnus-info-marks
20366 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
20367 @findex gnus-info-marks
20368 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
20369 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
20371 @item gnus-info-method
20372 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
20373 @findex gnus-info-method
20374 @findex gnus-info-set-method
20375 Get/set the group select method.
20377 @item gnus-info-params
20378 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
20379 @findex gnus-info-params
20380 @findex gnus-info-set-params
20381 Get/set the group parameters.
20384 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
20385 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
20387 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
20388 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
20389 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
20390 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
20393 @node Extended Interactive
20394 @subsection Extended Interactive
20395 @cindex interactive
20396 @findex gnus-interactive
20398 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
20399 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
20400 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
20403 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
20404 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
20409 The best thing to do would have been to implement
20410 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
20411 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
20412 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
20413 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
20414 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
20415 @code{interactive}.
20417 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
20422 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
20423 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
20427 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
20428 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
20429 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
20432 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
20436 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
20440 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
20446 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
20447 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
20451 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
20452 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
20453 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
20455 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
20456 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
20457 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
20458 Gnus, that's very useful.
20460 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
20461 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
20462 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
20463 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
20464 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
20465 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
20466 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
20467 following function:
20470 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
20474 (,function ,@@args))
20478 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
20479 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
20480 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
20483 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
20484 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
20485 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
20487 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
20488 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
20489 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
20492 @node Various File Formats
20493 @subsection Various File Formats
20496 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
20497 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
20501 @node Active File Format
20502 @subsubsection Active File Format
20504 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
20505 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
20508 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
20511 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
20512 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
20513 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
20514 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
20515 no.general 1000 900 y
20518 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
20521 active = *group-line
20522 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
20523 group = <non-white-space string>
20525 high-number = <non-negative integer>
20526 low-number = <positive integer>
20527 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
20530 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
20531 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
20534 @node Newsgroups File Format
20535 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
20537 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
20538 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
20539 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
20542 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
20543 Here's the definition:
20547 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
20548 group = <non-white-space string>
20550 description = <string>
20555 @node Emacs for Heathens
20556 @section Emacs for Heathens
20558 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
20559 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
20560 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
20561 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
20562 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
20563 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
20564 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
20568 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
20569 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
20574 @subsection Keystrokes
20578 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
20581 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
20584 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
20585 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
20586 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
20587 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
20588 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
20589 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
20591 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
20592 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
20593 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
20594 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
20595 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
20596 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
20597 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
20599 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
20600 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
20601 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
20602 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
20603 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
20604 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
20605 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
20607 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
20608 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
20609 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
20610 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
20611 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
20617 @subsection Emacs Lisp
20619 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
20620 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
20621 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
20622 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
20624 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
20625 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
20626 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
20627 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
20628 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
20629 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
20630 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
20633 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
20634 write the following:
20637 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
20640 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
20641 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
20642 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
20645 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
20646 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
20647 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
20648 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
20649 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
20651 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
20652 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
20653 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
20657 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
20661 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
20664 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
20665 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
20668 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
20671 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
20672 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
20675 @include gnus-faq.texi